Turning off the diy c02 at night?

6548 Views 10 Replies 8 Participants Last post by OverStocked, Jan 4, 2011

tadpole2

Discussion Starter · Dec 28, 2010

hello all.

this may sound really stupid, but ive read up on "DIY C02" and im interested in giving it ago...but how does it work?
sure i kno how to make it with a 2ltr soda bottle, air tubing, yeast and sugar ect ect...
but what i wanna kno is after fermenting the sugar and yeast together, how does the gas created make its way into the tank?

my theory is that when the gas is created, its forced up threw the air tubing and into the air stone inside the fish tank, thus being released...am i correct?

...this is wer i get confused....for an air stone to work the pump must be plugged in right....so how does this work with DIY C02? does it still have to be attached to the main air pump itself and be plugged in? how can the bubbles be released from the air stone if its not plugged in?
because if not, how can i turn my "DIY C02" set-up off at night to stop myself from killing my fish?
this has really confused me lol

do you have to plug anything in to power diy c02?
please somebody explain to me how this works and how i can turn it off if i want too.
coz surley i cnt just pull out the air tubing and stick it bck in as an when i please...can i?
that wud continue using the c02 and sending it into my air space..i.e my bedroom.
HOW CAN I TURN IT OFF IF ITS JUST AIR TUBING ATTACHED TO A COKE BOTTLE?
arrrr so confused...and my lfs guy was no help what so ever the silly twat!
please help me

thanks.

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mistergreen

· #2 · Dec 28, 2010

No, you don't turn it off.. There's little risk of having too much CO2 from a DIY yeast setup.

Gas move via pressure...
high pressure -> low pressure.

If there's a leak in your DIY bottle, it'll go out of the leak instead, because it offers the least resistance unlike a diffuser of some sort.

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tadpole2

Discussion Starter · #3 · Dec 28, 2010

thanks, mistergreen.

i'll be keeping it turned on then, even at night.

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alvagoldbook

· #4 · Dec 31, 2010

I wouldn't think it would matter much, because DIY CO2 just puts out fewer bubbles.

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davidiscus

· #5 · Dec 31, 2010

I use a Hagen elite mini filter to "diffuse" my diy CO2 instead of an air stone. This chops up the bubbles pretty well and creates a little more flow in your tank as well. There are a couple of threads on the forum about using this filter and even a couple youtube videos to check out.

If you really wanted to you could just unplug the mini and let the CO2 bubble to the surface. I personally don't, and haven't seen any difference in my fishes behavior.

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Green024

· #6 · Dec 31, 2010

David's idea is good, but what you can do is plug the hagen mini elite into a timer. Have it turn on an hour before your lights come on (puting them on a timer is also a good idea) and have the hagen then shut off maybe an hour before your lights shut off.

CO2 will not be diffused at night if you do this, large bubbles will just rise to the surface and pop.

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Diana

· #7 · Dec 31, 2010

DIY produces so slowly you need that all night build up to have a decent amount there in the morning.
Also, I would not trust building up that pressure in the tubing all night long. DIY stuff is not designed to retain that much pressure.

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kwheeler91

· #8 · Jan 4, 2011

i used an aquaclear 50 powerhead with the venturi to push diy co2 into my 55 and leaving it on all night caused me to lose many fish do to stress caused by large flucuations of the ph(when the lights go your ph will go down). however i used diy co2 on a 20 gallon using a plastic cup to diffuse it into the water. i had nearly 60 fish and shrimp in that tank all of them thrived and the plants grew like weeds. my point being there is a point at which you can add too much co2 even from a diy bottle it just depends on your method and rate of administration. BTW it was only one 2 liter on the 55 that caused some problems. hope that helps

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mistergreen

· #9 · Jan 4, 2011

kwheeler91 said:
i used an aquaclear 50 powerhead with the venturi to push diy co2 into my 55 and leaving it on all night caused me to lose many fish do to stress caused by large flucuations of the ph(when the lights go your ph will go down).

I don't think there's ever been a case where fish die from the ph via CO2. I'm sure there might have been another cause like disease. And the possibility of overdosing CO2 from yeast (1 2 litre bottle) in a 55Gallon tank is highly unlikely.

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OverStocked

· #10 · Jan 4, 2011

I agree. Ph changes due to co2 are irrelevant. Overdosing is possibly, but very unlikely.

Oxygen is often inadequate in tanks, particular when we run co2 and further displace oxygen. Good surface agitation and high flow are essential.

mistergreen said:
I don't think there's ever been a case where fish die from the ph via CO2. I'm sure there might have been another cause like disease. And the possibility of overdosing CO2 from yeast (1 2 litre bottle) in a 55Gallon tank is highly unlikely.

Sent from my DINC

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OverStocked

· #11 · Jan 4, 2011

No pressure is built up by having the mini elite on a timer. The gas just bubbles out in large bubbles without diffusing.

Diana said:
DIY produces so slowly you need that all night build up to have a decent amount there in the morning.
Also, I would not trust building up that pressure in the tubing all night long. DIY stuff is not designed to retain that much pressure.

Sent from my DINC

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