CO2 gone wrong

I tried to build a pop bottle co2, but I think I got too much sugar and yeast in ther bottle because after a day or two, the airline was full of white stuff (probably my mixture). I Took out that CO2, got the ratios connected, and connected the airline to a powerhead instead of an airstone and it seems to be doing better.

The problem is that now I seem to have clearish-white cobweb looking stuff forming in the gravel Any Idea what this is? I don't want to take the gravel out and rinse it, because that would probably take all my tank water (It's only a 10 gal) and I wouldn't have anywhere to put my wifes glowlights and otos because the goldfish are still cycling the hospita/isolation tank.

If you know what it is, how do I get rid of it without hurting the fish or the $20 of expensive groundcover plant (HC) I've got in there trying to take hold?

 

Gravel Vacuum it out. I would test all your levels. If it is your mixture your going to need to do some water changes to get them back in check. You probably have too much sugar. How are you making it? Do you have a check valve installed?

 

that white stuff is probably your mixture that got into your water. it's very important to get it out as fast as you can. you'll also want to do several water changes in the next few days.

you might want to add in a "catch-bottle" so you'll notice/be able to trap the fluid that comes out. you might also want to not fill your bottle as high.

good luck.

 

What I did was make a small hole in the lid of a 2litre pop bottle. It's small enough so when you shove the piece of air-line tubing through it creates a seal. Then add 2 cups sugar, half package of baking yeast(1teaspoon), I use red star, then add 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda. Then add warm not hot water and fill the bottle up to below where it starts curving. Then put the lid back on and connect a check valve to the airline and you can diffuse it with a diffuse online or put it in the intake of your filter and it will be chopped up with the impeller. Should last about 2-4weeks. Can buy a kh and gh test kit to know the ppm and water hardness. Monitor your pH and make sure it doesn't go out of wack witht the co2. Change the mixture every 2-4weeks or whenever the bubbles slow down and keep an eye on your bottle, will have to replace tubing and other parts over time.

That's basically a common recipe all over the internet and forums so I did not come up with it.

that's what I use, if you go down there's a post on DIY co2, griffin is this similar to what you use?

 

I don't know what a check valve is. could you explain more on that?

I will gravel vac it out tonight and let you know what the levels are after do the vaccuuming. I probably won't be able to check the levels until tomorrow, though. I'll let you know. the system is just like yours after I fixed it, but I had way too much sugar and yeast in there with the first attempt, which is what I'lll be cleaning up now.

 

I don't remember the exact recipe I used to make the diy co2, but it sounds similar to what I did. only difference was that I had another bottle in the line so that I could use it to catch anything that dripped out of the main bottle (to prevent stuff going to the tank or vice versa). another method I tried (might work better if you are having problems with the stuff staying in the bottle) is adding about 2 cups of sugar to jello, and filling the bottle with jello. when you're ready to use, mix the yeast with some warm water, and just put it on top.

a check valve, if I remember correctly, is basically just a "valve" that will only allow flow in one direction. so if you have it set up, you won't have a problem with tank water going into your bottle. but that really shouldn't be a huge problem if you keep your co2 going.

hope that helps

 

So is a check valve something you have to buy or can you build one? How did you set up the second bottle?

 

you'd pbby buy a check valve, for the second bottle, instead of having the tube coming out of the 2L bottle going into the tank, I had it going to a smaller bottle (.5-1 L) and then a tube coming out of that bottle going into the tank. you want to make sure that the tube coming in from the large bottle is slightly (like an inch or two) below the one going into the tank. hope that helps I'll try to see if I can find some pictures or something too if you don't understand

 

I think I get it, but pics would be great.

 

is kinda what i'm talking about. the smaller bottle in the middle is the one that would catch anything coming out of the larger bottles.

if you go that way and decide to use a check valve, you can save one by putting it on the output of the small bottle as opposed to the larger bottles. and obviously, you can use a different method for getting the co2 into your tank other than what was shown

good luck

 

perfect. thanks.

 

perfect. thanks.

np

 

one other little thing worth mentioning:

What sort of diffuser are you using in the tank? just having the pipe bubbling in won't be a lot of benefit, since the co2 needs time to be absorbed by the water. what are you using?

 

the first setup was an airtube with airstone. the new and improved setup connects to a powerhead. I also have a glass cover over most of my tank to eliminate evaporation.

 

lets hope you can sort out the problem with the mixture meeting the water, then you should have some really impressive results!

 

I still haven't got all the white stuff out and don't think I'll be able to without re-starting the tank, rinsing the gravel, etc. My wife did take readings, though and she said they turned out this way:

High Ph- 7.4
Ammonia- 0 ppm
Nitrite-1.0ppm
Nitrate-5.0ppm

Not sure what the temp is. I think it's mid to high 70's.

 

the only thing of concern there is the PH, which is still within limits although on the high side, so I wouldn't worry too much about the white, just continue with the water changes and keep your eye on the levels. have you tested your water supply to see what the level should be? If the high level concerns you, or the fish show any signs of distress, then you can use a product called PH Down to lower the level.
I wouldn't go taking the tank down yet, wait for a couple of days and see what happens. My guess is that it will disperse naturally, as it is mainly yeast, which is bio-degradeable and sugar, which dissolves in the water and will get flushed out during the water changes.

I know that when this happened to me on my early attempts at encouraging plants, I just let the filter remove it with no ill-effects on the fish, but that was in a 40 gallon tank, so the solution was far less concentrated.

 

Thanks.

Actually, the CO2 has taken the Ph down a full (point? digit? number?) The ph in my tanks used to measure 8.4, so maybe it's even helping things along to have the solution in there.

 

Then use PH Up! lol

Sounds like you have no major problems there then, I would just let it clear on it's own now. I assume yopu vacuumed as much as you copuld out, so what's left isn't doing any harm by the look of it!

 

Thanks for all the help, guys. Once (If) the plants that I have in there start spreading and taking hold, I'll post pictures of it.

 

Just be careful adding pH buffers, it's best to let it stay stable then mess with it, usually most fish can handle it being slightly high or low and you can adjust it somewhat by adding certain rocks and driftwood.

Hopes all goes well with your plants.

 

found more white fuzz in the tank yesterday, so had to scrap the whole thing. moved the fish into another tank, replaced all the water, and re-set everything up. here's hoping my plants haven't suffered too bad from this.

 

Did you install a check valve and catch bottle? You might be adding too much sugar or water or yeast.

 

I put in the catch bottle after starting over. Seems to be working wonders. No more white fuzzies!

 

cool! if you rinsed your plants off before putting them back in, you should be fine. good luck!

 

Catch bottle is a must!!

Do you have the hard line under the water level in the catch bottle ?? It is important that it is set up correctly to remove the solids.

 

what's a hard line?

 

Well a hard line like is used for UGF to attach the airstone to. You ad a hard line inside the bottle and make sure the outlet of the bottle is under water. Then when the solids from the C02 generator hit the water they stay there and only the C02 finishes the journey to your tank.

I'll attach a drawing of what it should look like. I have church this morning but after wards I will snap a pic of my seperator so you can see what I do to ensure clean C02 enters my tank.

 

you can do that, but you don't really need water or another liquid in the catcher bottle (unless you're also using it as a bubble counter) - just make sure that the co2 input tube is lower than the co2 output tube

 

I thought the water helped catch the solids so they would stay in the water instead of evaporating to the top of the bottle.. If not then it is a nice way to have a bubble counter.. ;D

 

well, the thing is, with or without the water, the solids go to the bottom, so as long as you don't shake up your catch bottle, you'll be fine.

using it as a bubble counter is also a good idea, but the water tends to get a bit nasty. but you can change it easily when you change out your mixtures. I personally don't care for the water in the bottle because I figure, I can see how the co2 is doing by looking in the tank, and the water will take up some co2 as opposed to letting it in the tank.

 

I agree with what you have said thus far.. ;D

But I must mention that the water helped me find my air leak in my C02 system and where in the system it was. Without the water in the catch bottle I doubt I would have ever found out exactly where it was. I guess either way there are benefits...

Now as far as the water taking up the C02... Wouldn't the water eventually get saturated with C02 and lack the ability to hold anymore ?? I am still kinda new to this C02 thing so I am looking to learn a bit as well.. Sounds like you have been at it longer.. ;D

 

At least in theory, the water seems like a good idea to me - it would catch any water-soluble contaminants. And there is definitely a saturation limit to water (e.g. the reason soda fizzes when opened - the water is oversaturated with CO2) - I doubt it would even make a measurable impact on the amount of CO2 that reaches your tank. It seems like the worst issue you could have would be if you ended up somehow with lower pressure in your yeast factory, and drew up water into your CO2 generators. But you've got some other problems to deal with if this happens.

Also, it looks more scientific to have bubbles going through water like that.

In short - if I were to build a CO2 generator, I'd put water in my catch bottle.

 

yes - the water would have an saturation limit that it will reach. but, if you replace the water and waste with each solution change, you'll have to get up to concentration again. however, with diy, you're kinda already dealing with a pretty low co2 concentration. i'd want as much as possible to get in the tank as opposed to going to waste.

whereas i'm not saying it's bad or wrong to use water in the catch bottle, I personally would not because I would want as much co2 as possible to reach the tank.

 

Another advantage with using water in the catch bottle is that there is less air to pressurize before the co2 starts to go to the tank. It is better to bubble through though, as it ensures that any mixture that does get this far is dispersed and doesn't froth up in the catch bottle, something I had happen to me when I first tried this method.

 

i've actually had the opposite happen, with the water in the catch bottle, it actually caused more froth than without.

looks like this is a try and see type thing now

 

Yeah I have had good luck with the water... Over about 7 days or more the surface tension in the catch bottle gets pretty strong though.. After about 14 to 20 days the water should be changed... Gets kinda gooky...

I am trying something different this time with the catch bottle and so far it has worked out very well.. Been running for 10 days now and water is still crystal clear! ;D

 

yay!