Co2 System

[irodri25]

Hello I am new to the planted tank hobby and I've just started my planted tank about 2 to 3 weeks ago. I have floramax and sand as my substrate  fertilize everyday I have 2 28 watt bulbs one is a T5 the other is a T8 my tank is a 55 gallon tank I have about 30 root tabs in the substrate my temperature is at 78 degrees. I also use liquid CO2 booster but I just feel like I should use a CO2 system. I want to try something inexpensive. I was reading online about CO2 systems using a pop bottle and starch and what not but I'm so confused with the co2 generator and co2 diffuser don't really know how that all works. Can anybody help me walk through the steps on how to make one and what materials I will need. Another thing is should I be supplementing my plants with potassium and magnesium and Phosphorus? I know my plants are new and they need some adjusting first but I hate thinking that there might be a deficiency with my plants....

 

[Zikofski]

i would not go with the pop bottle for the Co2 i would go with a FE method, perfectly safe and simple to use, all you need is a FE (Fire Extinguisher) Regulator with Solenoid i would recommend getting a solenoid one not just the regulator some Tubing, a Bubble Counter to count the bubbles, a Diffuser to get the bubbles into the tank water and the most important thing a Drop Checker this is to check you are not putting to much or to little Co2 into the tank, Green is good, yellow is to much and Blue is to little co2 you will also need 4 dKH Solution with Bromo Blue to put into the Drop Checker need any more help just ask or PM i don't mind
 
I have highlighted the things you need in Red i think thats everything not don't think i forgot anything
 
also this can cost between £50 to £150 depending on where you shop and what you want

 

[Joshwainwright]

i would not go with the pop

bottle for the Co2 i would go with a FE method, perfectly safe and simple to use, all you need is a FE (Fire Extinguisher) Regulator with Solenoid i would recommend getting a solenoid one not just the regulator some Tubing, a Bubble Counter to count the bubbles, a Diffuser to get the bubbles into the tank water

and the most important thing a Drop Checker this is to check you are not putting to much or to little Co2 into the tank, Green is good, yellow is to much and Blue is to little co2

you will also need 4 dKH Solution with Bromo Blue to put into the Drop Checker need any more help just ask

or PM i don't mind
 
I have highlighted the things you need in Red

i think thats everything not don't think i forgot anything
 
also this can cost between £50 to £150 depending on where you shop and what you want

 
Just saved that to a word document for if I eventually grow a pair and go for it. If I see a fire extinguisher for a decent price I'm definitely going to give it a go!
 
I don't want to be spending too much on something I'll probably mess up

 

[Zikofski]

haha no worries trust me it is almost idiot proof just don't increase the co2 to much and kill the fish haha also to note the Drop checkers take 2 hours to change colour and can take 24 hours to show change from that if it goes clear you need to change the solution

 

[Joshwainwright]

A fire extinguisher off eBay and all the rest of the stuff from AquaEssentials would take the price over £100 for me so I think I need to wait a little while to spot some bargains. I'm definitely not prepared to pay that much
 
Thanks for that tip though, I'll put it in the word document for if/when I get round to doing it all.
 
Anyway, I'll stop hijacking the thread 

 

[Zikofski]

haha yes you can get cheaper from ebay but the most expensive part is the regulator i bought it from AE and i highly recommend it its expensive but worth it

 

[KirkyArcher]

I run a DIY Co2 generator, Mine is only a 1 Lt bottle that uses a 500 ml bottle as a bubble counter/scrubber, the 1 Lt bottle contains the ingredients that will produce the Co2. My mix is 8 oz of sugar, a half Table spoon of Bicarbonate of soda, and an eighth of a spoonful of yeast and then fill the bottle up 3/4 full with warm water (30°C) and shake the mixture vigorously to begin the reaction,

The above shows the basic construction method of a Co2 generator, instead of using an air-stone I use a JBL ProFlora Taifun Co2 diffuser and don't use a non-return valve either as it restricts the gas flow too much in my experience. From my mix I get about 10-14 bubbles a minute and it lasts for 4 weeks, Some advise only running during the hours of daylight I leave mine on 24/7 as it's a relatively low dosage, but enough to considerably boost plant growth in my 125 Lt aquarium

 

[Lunar Jetman]

I leave mine on 24/7 as it's a relatively low dosage

The problem with leaving it on 24/7 is that the plants only take on Co2 during the day so any injected into the water at night is wasted. You could make your system last twice as long if you just put it in your tank when e plants really need it.

 

[irodri25]

the fire extinguisher idea sounds great but I'm limited on money so I think I will try the bottle first and later when I start getting more experienced and more plants and better lighting i will try the extinguisher also when I get a better job not sure how much money that is because I live in the US we use these > $$$ lol and I will definitely only put it in during the day only 


Would it be the same amount of ingredients in the bottle if it is for a 55 gallon

Thank you Kirky archer this really helped alot but where can I get the little valve that turns the CO2 on and off?

 

[KirkyArcher]

The problem with leaving it on 24/7 is that the plants only take on Co2 during the day so any injected into the water at night is wasted. You could make your system last twice as long if you just put it in your tank when e plants really need it.

Nah! Yeast generated Co2 systems like mine the one I described in my post can't be turned off to prolong the reaction, and as I said the dose is low enough to be safely run without risk of Co2 poisoning my fish!

 

[KirkyArcher]

Thank you Kirky archer this really helped alot but where can I get the little valve that turns the CO2 on and off?

The little tap isn't really necessary (as I said in my previous post you can't turn a yeast Co2 generator on and off as such) If you choose to use an air-stone as shown in the video and your "recipe" produces a lot of gas you can just pull it completely out of the tank on an evening or you could just put an in-line connector and you can pull the line apart at the joint and let it vent to atmosphere. If you use high quantities of yeast in your mix you'll find that they don't last long but do produce lots of Co2, smaller quantities of yeast with lots of sugar allow the production of Co2 to last for longer periods but you get less gas output through the bubble counter, it's usually just a case of trial and error till you find something you, your plants and your fish are happy with. My "slow and low" mix diffusion through the JBL Taifun
http/www.zierfischtreff.de/contents/media/l_jbl-proflora-taifun-s-offen-6347200.jpg
is more than adequate for my 33gal to get more Co2 using the same system you just use a longer diffuser option.

 

[This Old Spouse]

I ran one of these yeast systems for about a month and it didn't give me the results I was hoping for. I started to worry about fluctuations, too.

 

[Lunar Jetman]

The problem with leaving it on 24/7 is that the plants only take on Co2 during the day so any injected into the water at night is wasted. You could make your system last twice as long if you just put it in your tank when e plants really need it.

Nah! Yeast generated Co2 systems like mine the one I described in my post can't be turned off to prolong the reaction, and as I said the dose is low enough to be safely run without risk of Co2 poisoning my fish!

Fair enough. I just think the problem with those systems is that you have very little control over them so there isn't any way to up levels if you need to.

Do you have a picture of your tank btw so we can see the kind of results you get?

 

[KirkyArcher]

http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbUOBT8Kfnk
 
Just done a major hacking back of my plants and reduced the hours of the lights on time (bit of excess algae growth) but you can see things are doing fine (perhaps a little too fine had to trim stuff back weekly) 
 
http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=ummUqUILR3o
 
As it is now, thought I'd "open" things up a bit so I could see more of my fishes
(all the plants that were in the original video are now in another tank but that's just a "holding  tank" until I feel like another layout change)

 

[Lunar Jetman]

Looking good KA! You've got a nice gentle sway in all your plants which suggests good flow and they seem to be growing well. What you're doing works for you so keep it up!