C02 In A Bottle?

[Damsel_in_Distress]

instead of buying those really expensive C02 bottles and equipent etc, can you just buy carbonated water and pour a little bit in the water? since its basically just c02 with water, i dont see any poisens or threats it would cause for a fish tank. opinions?

 

[Bowman]

can you just buy carbonated water and pour a little bit in the water?

Yes,
but it may work out to be a little expensive and labour intensive !
You can make your own carbonated water with fizzy drink makers.
In the uk they are called "Sodastream"

I use them (Sodastream) picked up cheap at car boot sales or given free (dumped), but I adapt them to feed directly into a diffusion bell in the tank, (to avoid the intermediate bottling stage) !

 

[CBBP]

can you just buy carbonated water and pour a little bit in the water?

Yes,
but it may work out to be a little expensive and labour intensive !
You can make your own carbonated water with fizzy drink makers.
In the uk they are called "Sodastream"

I use them (Sodastream) picked up cheap at car boot sales or given free (dumped), but I adapt them to feed directly into a diffusion bell in the tank, (to avoid the intermediate bottling stage) !

What is wrong with yeast?

 

[Bowman]

What is wrong with yeast?

apart from having nothing to do with the question that was originally asked ? !

A whole different topic for discussion ! I think !!
It is excellent for brewing beer and wine
and quite good at polluting your tank wiith yeast if you dont include a trap ! (Search!)

 

[anvil63]

just go pressurized, the initial cost is a bit steep but going months with out having to do anyting significant to my CO2 rig is priceless. I really wish I hadn't waited as long as I had to do it.

Carl

 

[qwikimpss]

Ok, the YEAST he was reffering to was making a yeast reactor out of a CO2 bottle with a diffusor you put in the tank. I personally use a system like that and it is very simple to make and keeps a fairly stable CO2 level, directions can be found in the DIY section.

 

[pieman]

Or if your lazy you can get ripped off, see you buy a bottle, a tube, a plastic diffuser, some sticky pads some yeast and some other ingrediant along with 6 fertilizer sticks and hey presto £18 gone. BAH!

 

[Marcos]

Or if your lazy you can get ripped off, see you buy a bottle, a tube, a plastic diffuser, some sticky pads some yeast and some other ingrediant along with 6 fertilizer sticks and hey presto £18 gone. BAH!

You can make it for less but making an effective diffuser would take some time?

 

[Bloo]

Bowman - so how on earth do you calculate your CO2 levels ? and ensure it's within the 30-35ppm range ?
I've never heard of this method to be honest.

Or if your lazy you can get ripped off, see you buy a bottle, a tube, a plastic diffuser, some sticky pads some yeast and some other ingrediant along with 6 fertilizer sticks and hey presto £18 gone. BAH!

What "sticky pads" and "some other ingredient" ??

 

[ramaseseniblikxviii]

6 weeks ago i decided to have a go at a diy co2 system in a 2l drinks bottle, and while the difference it made was only small, it did make a difference and i am now thinking about buying a pressurised system in a few months or so.

 

[Dude]

i use co2 water(soda water)

and it seems to work fine

i attach a small hoseline to the bottle cap and then let the co2 come out on its own

check diffrent brands cuz some of them last longer

the best brand i found lasted for a whole week

but its an israeli brand so you probably wont find it whereever you live.....

i buy alot of bottles at the same time and they make a good price that is worth it

(**** dont add the water in ***)
i wouldnt risk it

good luck!

 

[qwikimpss]

It sounds like he basically uses a bottle of straigh carbonated water exactly the same way as we use yeast......but yeast is probably has less expense involved. (I made my DIY yeast reactor for a total of, about, $5.50 so that's nowhere near a rip-off!)

 

[dgwebster]

I used a DIY system with yeast myself, actually cost alot in the intial price for the airline tubing, the silicon sealent (to seal the tube in the cap) airstone etc etc etc.

for simplicity i would have been better buying a nutrafin system for £10 then filling it with a diy mix when the ones you get with it die.

however i did notice the difference. and had a heart attack when it tried to poisen my tank.

the 47 gallon tank is getting a pressurized professional system installed though.

 

[Bowman]

Bowman - so how on earth do you calculate your CO2 levels ? and ensure it's within the 30-35ppm range ?

The standard method of KH vs pH look-up chart (or various online calculators) still applies.

I've never heard of this method to be honest.

possibly because I have not widely described or published it !

 

[qwikimpss]

Now that I understand what you're doing Bowman it makes sense to me! It just seems to me that a DIY yeast system may be a little less expensive but, then again, I don't live where you live so I can't say for sure.

Definately an inventive way of doing it!!!