[rocheja]

Been running a DIY system for the past 6 months on my 60 gallon tank with 2 3 liter soda bottles (delicious Faygo Red Pop :icon_mrgr)with standard sugar/yeast mix (1/2 tsp and 2 cups) but I use a champagne yeast (Lavlin EC-1118) running through a check valve to a Hagen ladder diffuser. The mixture is 2 weeks old on one bottle and 4 weeks old on the other. Never had any problems but I wanted to switch to pressurized and have been waiting for the parts to arrive.

The Hagen Elite Underwater Filter arrived early last night so I modded it as a diffuser and replaced the ladder.

Man are those things efficent! I woke up to 2 serpae tetras, 1 white cloud, 1 silver hatchetfish and 5 shrimp all dead and the rest of my fish and my 2 nerite snails right at the top of the tank. Also my crypts which use to lay flat on the substrate were pointing straight up :eek5:.

Needless to say I am adding a powerhead to the setup tonight for the night until the regulator arrives and I can setup the pressurized system. I feel really bad for losing the fish but I am really impressed with the diffuser and it was only $8 with shipping.

 

[jmrmotorhead]

Hence why when changing ANYTHING on a co2 system levels must be monitored ALL day. Especially not a good idea to change at night if your leaving it on all night with no airstone or surface agitation. Buy a drop checker and watch it for a good day slowly decreasing the surface agitation until you get the co2 within 20-30 ppm.

Matt

 

[Geminiluna]

Dang! I hate it for the fish, too (I get where you're coming from) but that's some serious DIY output! You sure you need to spend the money for pressurized? (giggle) I can just see your crypts at full attention!

 

[HD Blazingwolf]

or motorhead. keep agitation high because its important for everything.. and slowly increase your yeast mixture until u reach that point.. 30 ppm is relatively low and u can have lower 02 levels at that point and be fine. i just prefer the other way around


either way should work

 

[tetra73]

or motorhead. keep agitation high because its important for everything.. and slowly increase your yeast mixture until u reach that point.. 30 ppm is relatively low and u can have lower 02 levels at that point and be fine. i just prefer the other way around


either way should work

Or just unplug the powerhead at night. There aren't any reasons why you need CO2 at night.

 

[jmrmotorhead]

Or just unplug the powerhead at night. There aren't any reasons why you need CO2 at night.

Haha, good point, didn't think of that one.

HD has a good point, the agitation is good for o2 exchange, that why I run a HOB even though I'm dosing co2. I didn't think of adding a stronger yeast solution as a way of slowly increasing co2. But definitely do something to lower what you have, and slowly get it to where you want.

Matt

 

[rocheja]

Thank you all for your great tips. The regulator came today so it's switchEd to pressurized now and set the timer only for the day of course and added a powerhead that runs at night. I set it for about 1 bps and showed my wife how to turn the needle down and check the drop checkers. She already knows the warning signs for the fish so fingers crossed I shouldn't have any more problems.

 

[iKine]

I use and elite mini filter as a diffuser also and it works great. I plumbed an air pump into my co2 line with a splitter and check valve. On a timer, its starts and hour after the light go off, turns off an hour before.