Diy Co2

[philbrawn]

 Hi i have a 400ltr tank with a sump filter,it has got 1inch of John Innes under a layer of gravel,the lighting is 4 x 54w t5s two white and two blue.I bought a pack off plants suitable for a 48" tank but have lost the paperwork telling me what plants were in it.I am going to build a diy co2 generator my question is what can i use as a diffuser and where is the best place to put it,would it be ok to put it in the sump near to the pump or would it be better in the tank, at the moment there are no fish in the tank as i am trying to do a fishless cycle hopefully its almost there.Does it sound like i am doing the right thing.I had one of the ballasts in the light fitting fail i have just replaced it and sealed the fitting as soon as i can i will get the lights back on the tank and take some pics.I intend to run all 4 tubes for about 8 hours and then only the blue tubes for a couple of hours. Regards Phil

 

[Ch4rlie]

Am not entirely sure what your question is exactly, when it comes to placement of co2 systems I have my Co2 canister inside my cabinet stand and the drop checker, diffuser and bubble counter all on or inside the tank itself.
 
However, there are some helpful advice or articles on this forum that may help to give you ideas about co2 and what you can do.
 
This one is all about actually setting up diy co2 systems and Ei fertilisers .
 
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/416755-pressurized-co2-equipment-flow-and-fertilization/
 
 
This is about setting up a yeast method of diy co2 instead of pressurised co2.
 
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/341090-the-yeast-co2-method/
 
 
And lastly, this explains a little eon how drop checkers works, fairly useful to know.
 
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/268972-drop-checkers-how-they-work/
 
Sorry if you already have read and sent hess threads, I am my self just started doing co2 and is a little bit of a learning curve, but he difference is you are doing a sump which i do not have so it may be slightly different, not sure tbh.
 
Hope that helps a little bit anyway.
 
Do let us know how you get on and if you can, pics of your progress to show us what exactly you are doing would be good.

 

[DrRob]

I run my CO2 on the return flow from the sump. Sumped tanks do gas off a lot of CO2 on the overflows as there's a lot of moving water there, they also have a high surface area for the tank size, so you will go through CO2 faster than you would normally expect.
 
4 T5's running for 8 hours is a lot of light, you may get trouble with algae at that level. Personally, if I were you I'd start with 2 at around 6 hours and work from there.

 

[KirkyArcher]

If your doing DIY yeast based generators in a 400 litre tank you'll probably need at least four 2 litre soda bottles to get anywhere near enough Co2 to be useful to plant growth and algae prevention at your lighting levels, In the tank under the output flow would be the best place for your diffuser, though you could split the feed to feed a 2nd smaller diffuser in your sump, as for diffusers some ceramic style ones need an awful amount of built up pressure to work so sealing in the gas will be paramount, plus with such high working pressures soda bottles have been know to burst leaving a bit of a sticky mess to clear up

ladder style diffusers on the whole tend to give better gas solubility than the likes of air stones though wooden air blocks do tend to give out much smaller bubbles. There is also the option of using motorised pump diffusers.

 

[daizeUK]

DIY CO2 can mean either yeast or a fire extinguisher - which does he mean?

 

[KirkyArcher]

I am going to build a diy co2 generator

For some reason I'd never have assumed a fire extinguisher system as DIY Co2 Generator

 

[daizeUK]

Good point!
400L may be a bit large for yeast, I run 3x 2L bottles on a 120L...

 

[DrRob]

Hadn't even occurred to me that he might mean yeast. Depending on the overflow set up he'd struggle even more with a yeast generator on a sumped system of this size. This is a job for pressurised CO2, although you could probably get away with gluteraldehyde if you can get a cheap source as it shouldn't gas off.

 

[philbrawn]

If your doing DIY yeast based generators in a 400 litre tank you'll probably need at least four 2 litre soda bottles to get anywhere near enough Co2 to be useful to plant growth and algae prevention at your lighting levels, In the tank under the output flow would be the best place for your diffuser, though you could split the feed to feed a 2nd smaller diffuser in your sump, as for diffusers some ceramic style ones need an awful amount of built up pressure to work so sealing in the gas will be paramount, plus with such high working pressures soda bottles have been know to burst leaving a bit of a sticky mess to clear up

ladder style diffusers on the whole tend to give better gas solubility than the likes of air stones though wooden air blocks do tend to give out much smaller bubbles. There is also the option of using motorised pump diffusers.

Hi thanks for the answer it looks like i have got to forget the yeast diy system and go for injection instead. Have been looking on ebay and have seen in line atomisers is this the way to go and if i inject how much co2 will i need to use on a system of my size,obtaining co2 should not be a problem as we use it at work i will just need to get regulator and whatever else i need. Regards Phil

 

[KirkyArcher]

You will need a drop checker to monitor amount of dissolved Co2 with the aim of getting between 20-30ppm readings for the duration of your lighting period timed to come on via a solenoid about two hours before hand and switching of two hours prior to the lights going out at something like 3-4 bubbles per second, and as for in-line diffusers and regulators I can't recommend highly enough http/www.co2art.co.uk/collections/dual-stage-regulators/products/aquarium-co2-dual-stage-regulator-and-solenoid-magnetic-valve?utm_campaign=social_push&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=yotpo and http/www.co2art.co.uk/collections/diffusers-reactors/products/original-up-new-inline-co2-atomizer-diffuser-system-16-22mm-hose along with that you'll also require a bubble counter http/www.co2art.co.uk/collections/bubble-counters/products/co2-aquarium-bubble-counter-xl-with-integrated-check-valve.

 

[philbrawn]

You will need a drop checker to monitor amount of dissolved Co2 with the aim of getting between 20-30ppm readings for the duration of your lighting period timed to come on via a solenoid about two hours before hand and switching of two hours prior to the lights going out at something like 3-4 bubbles per second, and as for in-line diffusers and regulators I can't recommend highly enough http/www.co2art.co.uk/collections/dual-stage-regulators/products/aquarium-co2-dual-stage-regulator-and-solenoid-magnetic-valve?utm_campaign=social_push&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=yotpo and http/www.co2art.co.uk/collections/diffusers-reactors/products/original-up-new-inline-co2-atomizer-diffuser-system-16-22mm-hose along with that you'll also require a bubble counter http/www.co2art.co.uk/collections/bubble-counters/products/co2-aquarium-bubble-counter-xl-with-integrated-check-valve.

Hi and thanks again does the atomiser go in the pipework after the pump,i will try to source regulator and solenoid from work as we use these items in our trade but will have to get the rest off line.Regards Phil

 

[KirkyArcher]

Atomiser can go either on the intake or on the return, but with a sumped tank I'd fit the diffuser in the return pipework meaning you should get more Co2 in amongst the plants before excess "gassing off" ensure you order the correct one for your hoses