Succesful DIY CO2?

14535 Views 5 Replies 6 Participants Last post by Mezzio, Oct 24, 2016

dollyhorse101

Discussion Starter · Oct 19, 2016

Has anyone ever successfully had a DIY CO2 setup for fairly long term? My tank is 29 gallons and I'm keen on setting up a DIY with yeast and sugar (maybe making it gel to last longer) to see how my plants do on it, but I'm also nervous as I know that this can be a finnicky setup. If I do it, I'd ensure to start it off quite low while checking my water parameters and fish for CO2 poisoning.

What are some tips to ensure this can be done successfully in a tank of this size (such as recipe measurements, methods of CO2 diffusion, etc.)? Also what have people done to make it last as long as possible?

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mcdanielnc89

· #2 · Oct 19, 2016

Aot of people are using citric acid and backing code. Check out this thread for. More info http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=815241

Thanks,
Mcdanielnc89
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dukydaf

· #3 · Oct 19, 2016

I mostly kept DIY CO2 as long as I needed to get the money to buy a pressurized system, not to say plants do not benefit from the extra CO2 added this way. If you want to go the yeast route, connect 2 bottles started at a time difference. Put a one-way valve on the setup so as not to get water from the aquarium in the bottles. Do not overfill the bottles as sometimes foam forms on top and can get into your aquarium. Never pressurize the bottles ( stop the CO2 flow). 1-3 days at the start of a new bottle you will get a spike in production depending on the temp., keep an eye on your fish at that point.

Since you have to deal with low pressure, low production CO2 I recommend using a reactor if you have a canister filter. Otherwise, use a powerhead that can break down the bubbles into a fine mist. Atomic /ceramic Diffusers do not work well with DIY yeast CO2 reactors.

Regards,
dukydaf

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dollyhorse101

Discussion Starter · #4 · Oct 19, 2016

dukydaf said:
I mostly kept DIY CO2 as long as I needed to get the money to buy a pressurized system, not to say plants do not benefit from the extra CO2 added this way. If you want to go the yeast route, connect 2 bottles started at a time difference. Put a one-way valve on the setup so as not to get water from the aquarium in the bottles. Do not overfill the bottles as sometimes foam forms on top and can get into your aquarium. Never pressurize the bottles ( stop the CO2 flow). 1-3 days at the start of a new bottle you will get a spike in production depending on the temp., keep an eye on your fish at that point.

Since you have to deal with low pressure, low production CO2 I recommend using a reactor if you have a canister filter. Otherwise, use a powerhead that can break down the bubbles into a fine mist. Atomic /ceramic Diffusers do not work well with DIY yeast CO2 reactors.

Regards,
dukydaf

Good advice with the 2 bottles. I read about the spikes and using 2-3 bottles that are alternated out keep it a bit steadier. In terms of money, you're not far off. At some point I'd like to think I'll get a pressurized system and use DIY in the meantime cause unfortunately it's too much money. I thought this would at least be a good way to start out and see how my tank reacts to it. I've always dosed excel and it's given me mediocre results. Not what I expected from what I've heard others say about the stuff. Thanks for the reply

Bump:

mcdanielnc89 said:
Aot of people are using citric acid and backing code. Check out this thread for. More info http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=815241

Thanks,
Mcdanielnc89
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Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S7 using Tapatalk.
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I have considered this route, however where I am currently located it's a bit hard to find citric acid. I've only seen it in small amounts for too much money for what it's worth. I don't think I'd really like to order it cause of shipping. But I'll certainly keep this method in mind if I am ever able to get my hands on the stuff!

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burr740

· #5 · Oct 19, 2016

This thread may offer some insight regarding the set up, etc. (sugar/yeast)

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/2...-others-build-thread-performance-reports.html

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Mezzio

· #6 · Oct 24, 2016

I haven't had any luck with my DIY setup. I pretty much built the same kit people are buying on amazon and eBay, minus the pressure gauge... but I keep going through citric acid like crazy.... so I'm just gonna buy a pressurized co2 system when I get paid next week, lol.

The first day I went through a bottle in a few hours, found out I had some pretty gnarly leaks, so bought some new hose, a couple rubber washers and made sure everything was good and tight... the 2nd attempt lasted me 2.5days at roughly 1bps... in going to attribute it to a crappy needle valve since I heard hissing come out of the screw on it. Since I can't find anything better, I'm going to mix up the rest of my citric acid and hope my plants survive until I can get a semi-auto system ordered.

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