Nutrafin Co2 Thingys...

[hoarp001]

I ordered one of those nutrafin Co2 thingys for my newly planted tank (see the pictures section for pictures). I know people make their own but I decided to use a proper one since im going on holiday on friday and im hoping to come back to a nice green underwater forest style tank.

Do these systems work well or would I be better off making one?


Thanks,
Pete.

 

[MoreCoffee]

The Nutrafin Co2 units work fine and so do home made ones, the real benefit is in the bubble ladder (diffuser) the Nutrafin one is quite good, but needs a day or two before it starts working correctly (bubbles may come off it to start with - thats fairly normal).

You should note that the mixture will need changing approx every 5 - 7 days (how long will you be on holiday for) if you are hoping to keep a steady supply of Co2 being fed into the tank.

What size is your tank ?
Each Nutrafin canister is good for upto 70Ltrs. You can use more than one canister (I have 2 into a 130Ltr tank), however the larger your tank, the more likely it is that you'll need to move over to a pressurised system to really see the benefits of Co2.

Also the 'activator' and 'stabiliser' sachets you get from Nutrafin are just yeast and bicarb of soda, so you dont need to buy the refills. Whatever you use for your mix, be sure not to overfill the canisters (the instructions cover this) as the mix needs some room to froth up and expand ..... if you dont leave any room then it will expand up the tubing and into your tank - - this is not a good thing

 

[hoarp001]

The tank is 180L but im not going to have a planted haven or anything, just afew healthy p lants. I ordered one in a hurry to meet the 2pm next day deadline so i will let that run whilst were on holiday and put another one in when i get back.

This is the tank:

tank.

 

[hoarp001]

Hi, my co2 system arrived this morning. put it in and did all the mixing in the canister. First of all im suprised how much water your ment to put in. Everyone says leave a gap for foam but theres only an inch or so air gap at the top. is this ok?

Secondly how long is it before the bubbles come? when they do come is it a constant stream or one every 5mins or so....

do the bubbled work up the ladder zigzagging or do they sit at the bottom and move up slowly?

thanks for any help.

 

[MoreCoffee]

Hi, my co2 system arrived this morning. put it in and did all the mixing in the canister. First of all im suprised how much water your ment to put in. Everyone says leave a gap for foam but theres only an inch or so air gap at the top. is this ok?

Secondly how long is it before the bubbles come? when they do come is it a constant stream or one every 5mins or so....

do the bubbled work up the ladder zigzagging or do they sit at the bottom and move up slowly?

thanks for any help.

If you've followed the Nutrafin instructions and only filled water to the level of the upper 'fins' they that's fine (an inch sounds about right).

Not sure how soon you should see bubbles if you are using the Nutrafin sachets, I tried twice to get it going and both times failed. As soon as I went to a yeast/bicard DIY mix I saw bubbles within about 5 - 10 mins.
To start with you'll probably see at least one bubble every second or two.

You'll probably find that the bubbles move up the ladder quite quickly, however it may take a day or so for them to start moving smoothly along the ladder. At first they may collect at the bottom or even come straight off the ladder.

 

[Themuleous]

If you used the supplied ingredients then it'll probably take a day or two to get going.

Sam

 

[voo]

When i got mine the mixes included were already out of date. I used one packet to see if it worked, but now i just use a DIY mix. I bought a packet of wine yeast from ebay and it lasts a lot longer than the mixes included. A LOT cheaper too!

The bubbles will start off slowly when they start, then over a day they'll build up and get faster.

 

[d3tained]

Installed this C02 kit today and yes the ingredients for the mix just dont work.Waited 4 hours no luck.

So I made my own mix with the nice brewers yeast and it started bubbling within 3 - 5 min.

And yes at 1st the bubbles runs uneven and can also just comes off.It improves with time due to the "slickyness" that builds up on it giving it less traction.Works really well, as the bubble move you can see it decreasing in size.

Also noted that this defuser can do 180 liters if you choose the longest path just make sure you have small current running close to it.

So just awaiting results!! hehe

All the luck with this product, I find it very well engineered.

 

[Themuleous]

Which kit you using d3tained? 180lt sounds very big for a nutrafin ladder?

People tend to use backing yeast (orange tin of Allison's is the commonest in the shops I think). Think others can work fine but there may be a variation in the CO2 production rate. Guess try and see!

Sam

 

[MoreCoffee]

I thought that 180ltr was a bit on the big side too.
The ladder itself might be fine, but each canister is good for upto a 70Ltr tank.

 

[hoarp001]

Ok, i have taken the plunge and emptied out the canister and put my own mix in. lets see how it goes....

Hmm Now it seems that the wsater from the aquarium is siphoning into the canister and making it pump murky water into the tank....

 

[voo]

That shouldn't really be happening, but to stop it try putting the canister above the tank, or use the clip that comes with it and hang it on the side of the tank

 

[iamwhoiam]

you can get a check valve designed for to prevent back-flow in air lines from your LFS for about a quid

 

[hoarp001]

The home made yeast and sugar mix was abit too lively and started to send little bubbles of foam up the line (will this damage the plants or fish?) so I emptied the canister and since im goin on holiday tomorrow and i cant afford any screwups I put the original chemicals in it. Il have a go with the home made stuff when i get back.

 

[voo]

How much yeast and sugar did you add?
Did you shake the canister or something? It only needs a bit of a stir.
Did you fill up the water too high? Above the marker at the top?

If you have the same problem again maybe you should think about an overflow bottle - a 2nd bottle that's empty between the canister and tank. Then any water will fall into the empty bottle instead of the tank.

I've been using this for a month now and haven't seen anything even start to go up the tube