DIY CO2 system questions

Ditch the baking soda and citric acid, go with yeast and sugar. It will give you a steadier, more long lasting supply.

Google DIY co2 jello method, I'm using jello and the exact same kit as you have. The jello and yeast go into the bottle with the pressure gauge, with nothing in the second bottle. The only thing I did to modify the kit was cut off the tube and ball thing that hangs into bottle A until about an inch under the cap, you don't want that in your yeast solution. All this I set up yesterday, and it's been giving me a very steady supply of co2, no stopping whatsoever. It took a few hours for the co2 to build up, but it actually started working with under 1 kg/cm pressure below the green zone, and with a ceramic diffuser no less.

Is it cheaper to use sugar and yeast? I've heard it can smell and that citric acid and baking soda is more efficient, but it also requires me to buy 200 gallon acid and 200 gallon baking soda every three weeks and that seems a little inefficient to me.

I also realized, after a long time waiting for it to arrive, that my bubble counter doesn't fit the airline tubing yay, so that's another thing I have to buy again, I'm looking at the fluval one and even though it's kinda ugly and expensive It's my best bet

I'm the exact opposite haha, I looked into pressurized but my brain couldn't handle it. Maybe in the future!

same here! Diy co2 was the only thing I could wrap my head around hahaha

 

LoL! With pressurized CO2 all you need to do is twist the bottle and turn the knob and adjust the bps!
And you take your CO2 bottle to have someone fill it and that's it!

It does cost a little more because of the regulator and CO2 bottle but the rest is almost the same as DIY co2!

 

Is it cheaper to use sugar and yeast? I've heard it can smell and that citric acid and baking soda is more efficient, but it also requires me to buy 200 gallon acid and 200 gallon baking soda every three weeks and that seems a little inefficient to me.

I also realized, after a long time waiting for it to arrive, that my bubble counter doesn't fit the airline tubing yay, so that's another thing I have to buy again, I'm looking at the fluval one and even though it's kinda ugly and expensive It's my best bet

I'm not sure about cheaper since you'll be buying sugar or jello or both quite often, though I think the mixture lasts longer. Mine's only been up for 2 days, but I'll let you know when I run out. Jars of yeast are cheap and last a long time because you're only ever using tiny amounts of it. Depending on your tank size, you may be able to halve the recipe and save on ingredients. I haven't notice any smell so far, I opened it I tiny bit to let some excess CO2 to leak out and it smelled slightly like alcoholic jello. Didn't smell bad at all, though again it's only been a couple days.

What kind of bubble counter do you have? I agree, the Fluval one is extremely ugly. I got a cheapo glass bubble counter (has input and output on opposite sides like the ADA ones) and clear/black plastic check valve on Amazon. Try searching "glass bubble counter" and several different ones should come up, both the bubble counter and check valve came together. The reviews say they are too big for standard tuning, but I got mine on without too much difficulty with a little bit of a wriggling motion when pushing it on.

 

I'm not sure about cheaper since you'll be buying sugar or jello or both quite often, though I think the mixture lasts longer. Mine's only been up for 2 days, but I'll let you know when I run out. Jars of yeast are cheap and last a long time because you're only ever using tiny amounts of it. Depending on your tank size, you may be able to halve the recipe and save on ingredients. I haven't notice any smell so far, I opened it I tiny bit to let some excess CO2 to leak out and it smelled slightly like alcoholic jello. Didn't smell bad at all, though again it's only been a couple days.

What kind of bubble counter do you have? I agree, the Fluval one is extremely ugly. I got a cheapo glass bubble counter (has input and output on opposite sides like the ADA ones) and clear/black plastic check valve on Amazon. Try searching "glass bubble counter" and several different ones should come up, both the bubble counter and check valve came together. The reviews say they are too big for standard tuning, but I got mine on without too much difficulty with a little bit of a wriggling motion when pushing it on.

this is the one that I have, didn't think it'd be this big! (My tank is the only thing with proper lighting sorry haha)
I still thought it'd fit but...


the bubble counter is literally bigger than the airline tubing ugh

 

this is the one that I have, didn't think it'd be this big! (My tank is the only thing with proper lighting sorry haha)
I still thought it'd fit but...


the bubble counter is literally bigger than the airline tubing ugh

Get a cup of HOT water and put the end of the plastic hose you want to fit in the bubble counter. Let the plastic hose sit in the hot water for a minute or until it gets soft enough to go over the bubble counter. You need to be a little fast because you don't want the plastic to harden while trying to fit it on the bubble counter. Also be careful when trying to do this, you don't want to break your bubble counter and you definitely don't want to break the bubble counter and cut yourself. Looking at the thickness of your plastic tubing it might take a little longer to get it soft enough to place over the bubble counter.
I have placed plastic tubing over things way bigger than the tubing, all it took was some really really hot water, and some patience. It will be almost like putting a tire on a rim.

Good Luck!

 

Get a cup of HOT water and put the end of the plastic hose you want to fit in the bubble counter. Let the plastic hose sit in the hot water for a minute or until it gets soft enough to go over the bubble counter. You need to be a little fast because you don't want the plastic to harden while trying to fit it on the bubble counter. Also be careful when trying to do this, you don't want to break your bubble counter and you definitely don't want to break the bubble counter and cut yourself. Looking at the thickness of your plastic tubing it might take a little longer to get it soft enough to place over the bubble counter.
I have placed plastic tubing over things way bigger than the tubing, all it took was some really really hot water, and some patience. It will be almost like putting a tire on a rim.

Good Luck!

Thank you! I would've never thought of doing that hahaha, I'll let you know how it goes

 

Thank you! I would've never thought of doing that hahaha, I'll let you know how it goes

No problem, please becareful and gentle. I would hate to give someone advice and find out that they got hurt.

 

No problem, please becareful and gentle. I would hate to give someone advice and find out that they got hurt.

I'll be careful, connecting the glass diffuser to the tubing already freaked me out enough not to be cautious

 

That's the one I have, or at least very similar! I actually got it on without having to heat the tubing. If you still have some of the tubing from the DIY CO2 kit, use that. It's a lot softer and flexible than the one I bought here in the US. (And you have some nice looking plants there btw)







Like in this picture, I kind of put it over the glass at an angle, so that you can stretch the tubing and put it over all the way. I didn't have anything to demonstrate with but a pipette lol, sorry. And you might be able to see my jello mix in the background haha.

 

not sure why I am seeing stuff about yeast and citric acid... basic fermentation is just water, yeast, and sugar. and that should provide ample CO2

 

hI everyone, I’m a beginner at freshwater and especially planted tanks, and I have no idea what I’m doing :’)
Okay, so that’s not entirely true. But I have no idea what I’m doing when it comes to co2. I know plants need co2. I know fish breathe out co2, just not really enough.That’s as far as it goes.
So I’m in the process of carpeting my 5 gallon with staurogyne repens, using Seachem Flourite Black. I’d like to add some co2 because I know it will help it grow better and faster. There’s no way on this earth I can afford a $300 co2 system. Can someone tell me if this is a good idea?

I like that it has the guage so I can turn it off at night. Ive heard horrible things about people overdosing and murdering their fish, and I like the simplicity of turn on in the morning, turn off at night, my fish will live kind of thing.
Another thing, I’ve heard that you have to run an air stone at night to prevent some kind of ph fluctuations. I’m running an air stone all day. Does that make a difference? My ph is a little bit higher than I’d like it to be, so I don’t want it to get any higher either. (Haven’t done anything to lower it because I heard it’s better to leave it stable than to mess around with it with chems and stuff)
Final question: can I / should I use ? I kinda like the look of it :’)
Sorry for the long post, thank you to anyone who takes the time to read it or at least skI'm it have a great day!

edit: final final question, nothing to do with co2 but now that I’m here should I use fertilizer? If so, any suggestions for s. repens? thanks again c:

 

Honestly with diy co2 I would run it 24hrs without an airstone. As for buying the kit on amazon I wouldnt bother, the only things you need are a check vale and a diffuser. The glass one you linked on its own will work fine.

 

You'll damage your plants if you give them high light and c02 without ferts from what I understand. Stunts their growth and whatnot

 

You'll damage your plants if you give them high light and c02 without ferts from what I understand. Stunts their growth and whatnot

I'm actually on my way to petsmart now, I was wondering if the seachem flourish was a good fertilizer? thank you!

 

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I'm actually on my way to petsmart now, I was wondering if the seachem flourish was a good fertilizer? thank you!

Personally I would have a loom at tom barr's estimative index for dosing ferts. Its looks a bit complicated but its honestly not. Dry ferts are cheaper and I believe to be much easier to dose. There are a few places that do pre mixed or will sell everything you need in a single package.

 

Personally I would have a loom at tom barr's estimative index for dosing ferts. Its looks a bit complicated but its honestly not. Dry ferts are cheaper and I believe to be much easier to dose. There are a few places that do pre mixed or will sell everything you need in a single package.

understood! I will look into them now. thank you so much for all your help! ❤️

 

That DIY CO2 system should work fine. The guage is actually the round device that goes on bottle A and shows you what pressure you have inside the bottle. The needle valve is what allows you to turn it on and off. However, I would not try to turn it on and off daily. The needle valves on these kits are extremely sensitive, and the CO2 doesn't respond instantly to your tinkering. For example if you turn the valve to increase CO2 from 1 bps (bubble per second) to 2 bps, you may see it increase how you want, then you leave and come back a little later and now your bubble rate is 3 bps because the kit takes a few minutes to fully adjust. I find a constant rate with adjustments only when necessary gives a more constant bubble rate.

And yes you can use a ceramic diffuser, though cheaper ones tend to give out larger bubbles instead of a fine mist like high quality ones.
If you're going to use CO2, I would get rid of the air stone because it will constantly push CO2 out of the water and return CO2 to equilibrium, which is naturally very low and wastes CO2. The ph fluctuations from CO2 are a result of the CO2 reacting in the water to form carbonic acid, but this isn't an issue because it doesn't effect the water hardness and therefore has no effect on a fish's osmoregulation.

One more thing you'll need is a drop checker, so you know how much CO2 you have and whether or not the level is safe for fish.

For ferts, I agree flourish is too dilute especially for a CO2 aquarium, and EI will work better. Nilocg sells a liquid EI fert called Thrive if you don't want to measure out dry ferts.

Finally, what light do you have?

 

That DIY CO2 system should work fine. The guage is actually the round device that goes on bottle A and shows you what pressure you have inside the bottle. The needle valve is what allows you to turn it on and off. However, I would not try to turn it on and off daily. The needle valves on these kits are extremely sensitive, and the CO2 doesn't respond instantly to your tinkering. For example if you turn the valve to increase CO2 from 1 bps (bubble per second) to 2 bps, you may see it increase how you want, then you leave and come back a little later and now your bubble rate is 3 bps because the kit takes a few minutes to fully adjust. I find a constant rate with adjustments only when necessary gives a more constant bubble rate.

And yes you can use a ceramic diffuser, though cheaper ones tend to give out larger bubbles instead of a fine mist like high quality ones.
If you're going to use CO2, I would get rid of the air stone because it will constantly push CO2 out of the water and return CO2 to equilibrium, which is naturally very low and wastes CO2. The ph fluctuations from CO2 are a result of the CO2 reacting in the water to form carbonic acid, but this isn't an issue because it doesn't effect the water hardness and therefore has no effect on a fish's osmoregulation.

One more thing you'll need is a drop checker, so you know how much CO2 you have and whether or not the level is safe for fish.

For ferts, I agree flourish is too dilute especially for a CO2 aquarium, and EI will work better. Nilocg sells a liquid EI fert called Thrive if you don't want to measure out dry ferts.

Finally, what light do you have?

I can't thank you enough for all your help! this is super helpful.
the light I'm using (or will be using in 2 days when it shows up) is .
so you think if I buy that diy one from Amazon, the diffuser, and a bubble counter it'll be fine? my biggest fear is making a mistake and killing my fish. also I have an adf. would it be okay with him?
and just to verify, so it won't affect the pH?
I'll definitely look into the thrive, because I personally think the liquid might be easier for me.

 

just to verify, so it won't affect the pH?

CO2 does pH. Most people seek a 1-1.5 pH decrease when using CO2 as a marker for reaching 30 ppm CO2. But it's important to note that CO2 does not affect pH in a way that negatively impacts fish.

Many people with small tanks simply leave their CO2 on 24/7, as it isn't worth the savings in refills (either pressurised or DIY) to automate it such that it turns on/off at certain times.

Just so you're aware, there is another system of DIY CO2: the citric acid/baking soda method. Some people (such as myself) favour it over the yeast method as the pressure is higher and more consistent. That, and you can automate it with a solenoid to turn it on/off via a powerboard timer. You should be able to find two kits on eBay/Amazon: a cheaper ($15-20) kit with two bottle caps, and a more expensive ($25-30) kit that has a blue/green bar that connects two soda bottles.

Many people, at some stage, upgrade their DIY CO2 needle valve (something like a Fabco NV-55-18 works well). As Mak mentioned, the stock needle valves can be annoying to use as they don't have the capacity for fine adjustments.

 

I can't thank you enough for all your help! this is super helpful.
the light I'm using (or will be using in 2 days when it shows up) is .
so you think if I buy that diy one from Amazon, the diffuser, and a bubble counter it'll be fine? my biggest fear is making a mistake and killing my fish. also I have an adf. would it be okay with him?
and just to verify, so it won't affect the pH?
I'll definitely look into the thrive, because I personally think the liquid might be easier for me.

No problem! A diffuser, bubble counter, and drop checker in addition to the kit should allow for good control. I'd stick around and watch the bubble counter when you first set up and check back every half hour or so. It takes an hour or two for CO2 to fully saturate the water so there's no danger of gassing fish immediately, but it also takes that long for the drop checker to come to the right color, so start really really small. Unfortunately I don't have any experience with frogs and I'm not sure how they respond to CO2, but maybe you can make a separate thread in the beginners section, I'm sure some people can help there. Ph does change but if you never turn the CO2 off it'll be at a constant lower than your tap.

 

CO2 does pH. Most people seek a 1-1.5 pH decrease when using CO2 as a marker for reaching 30 ppm CO2. But it's important to note that CO2 does not affect pH in a way that negatively impacts fish.

Many people with small tanks simply leave their CO2 on 24/7, as it isn't worth the savings in refills (either pressurised or DIY) to automate it such that it turns on/off at certain times.

Just so you're aware, there is another system of DIY CO2: the citric acid/baking soda method. Some people (such as myself) favour it over the yeast method as the pressure is higher and more consistent. That, and you can automate it with a solenoid to turn it on/off via a powerboard timer. You should be able to find two kits on eBay/Amazon: a cheaper ($15-20) kit with two bottle caps, and a more expensive ($25-30) kit that has a blue/green bar that connects two soda bottles.

Many people, at some stage, upgrade their DIY CO2 needle valve (something like a Fabco NV-55-18 works well). As Mak mentioned, the stock needle valves can be annoying to use as they don't have the capacity for fine adjustments.

looks like ive got a ton to learn!!
I'll look up the citric acid/baking soda method. $25-$30 is a penny compared to the $300 machines ive seen!! thank you!

No problem! A diffuser, bubble counter, and drop checker in addition to the kit should allow for good control. I'd stick around and watch the bubble counter when you first set up and check back every half hour or so. It takes an hour or two for CO2 to fully saturate the water so there's no danger of gassing fish immediately, but it also takes that long for the drop checker to come to the right color, so start really really small. Unfortunately I don't have any experience with frogs and I'm not sure how they respond to CO2, but maybe you can make a separate thread in the beginners section, I'm sure some people can help there. Ph does change but if you never turn the CO2 off it'll be at a constant lower than your tap.

Ill definitely monitor the bubble count. I have an empty 2 gallon tank that I was thinking about using until I get the amount correct, just in case. would it make a difference with the gallon sizes? the real tank is 5 gallons. if not it's fine I'll just start really small, like you said. sorry for all the questions!
also, you said it lowers the pH?? then by all means feel free to change it. I need it lower I thought it would make it higher. I don't think my platy or adf would appreciate anything higher than 7.8 but then again Minnowette said it doesn't affect the fish. so either way I'm good
again, thank you so much for all your help! I may have learned more today than in my 4 years of high school

 

$25-$30 is a penny compared to the $300 machines ive seen!!

Agreed! That's why I'm holding off on pressurised CO2. I'm in Australia and the upfront cost for a dedicated set-up is a lot more prohibitive as there aren't a lot of "good" affordable options. For example, a lot of people in the US purchase the Fabco NV-55-18 which is, from their reports, an excellent low-cost ($40 or so) needle valve. But there isn't such an option in Aus: most people end up purchasing a $300-$400 Swagelok needle valve, which is roughly the cost of the regulator (with a junk needle valve) and CO2 tank. That's a bit too rich for my tastes at this stage!

With the citric acid/baking soda set-up, you'll likely be able to use one refill (2oo grams citric acid/200 grams baking soda) for around a month or two if you keep it on 24/7. If you add a cheap solenoid ($20) and leave it on 8 hours a day, you can probably stretch out one refill out for 3-4 months. One refill is approximately $1-2 or so.

If you do decide to go the citric acid/baking soda set-up, you'll definitely want to purchase the Fabco NV-55-18 (it can be later used for a pressurised set-up if you decide to go that route). I find that I have enough issues dialling in a reliable CO2 rate on my 47 gallon using the stock needle valve, I can't imagine the issues for a 5 gallon tank.

 

looks like ive got a ton to learn!!
I'll look up the citric acid/baking soda method. $25-$30 is a penny compared to the $300 machines ive seen!! thank you!



Ill definitely monitor the bubble count. I have an empty 2 gallon tank that I was thinking about using until I get the amount correct, just in case. would it make a difference with the gallon sizes? the real tank is 5 gallons. if not it's fine I'll just start really small, like you said. sorry for all the questions!
also, you said it lowers the pH?? then by all means feel free to change it. I need it lower I thought it would make it higher. I don't think my platy or adf would appreciate anything higher than 7.8 but then again Minnowette said it doesn't affect the fish. so either way I'm good
again, thank you so much for all your help! I may have learned more today than in my 4 years of high school

Yes, smaller tanks need less CO2, but there's no harm in running it there at first to get familiar with the system

 

To be honest, for a 5 gallon, carpeting s.repens without co2 is definitely achievable. My experience with repens is that they'll grow quick with decent light if you use aquarium soil.

 

To be honest, for a 5 gallon, carpeting s.repens without co2 is definitely achievable. My experience with repens is that they'll grow quick with decent light if you use aquarium soil.

That’s great to know, thank you so much. Moneys a bit tight at the moment so I’m glad to hear it will survive without it

 

So my bottle A, (citric acid mix) is super, SUPER tough to squeeze, (almost impossible to squeeze!!!) and will not prime to the gauge’s “green zone”, as the guage is not even reading at “1”; it's possible that bottle B (baking soda mix) back siphoned into bottle A. Also, is bottle B’s tubing supposed to be submerged into its liquid solution...or not submerged into the solution?

 

Have you looked through this?
https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfi...tions-for-setting-up-a-diy-co2-system.104443/

 

Yes. But mine's an already tailored kit.

 

Lol I just don’t wanna foolishly relieve any pressure in bottle A, by opening something and have the bottle explode like a bomb or something! As I read that you should NEVER open bottle A unless it’s contents are completely empty!

 

For bottle A, I'm thinking the mixture is too thick, or whatever kind of pump you're using is too weak. For B, I'm not quite sure yet

 

 

No pump was being used at all. Yeah by hand, you’re just supposed to squeeze bottle A’s contents until they mix/“prime” the levels until the guage is in the green. But my main problem is, bottle A is so rock solid and expanded, that using all my strength, I cannot squeeze and of bottle A’s solution into bottle B like you’re supposed to..,

 

Not familiar with diy co2 setups but could you make a new solution of bottle A and try it again maybe it solidified from to much or too little of a certain "ingredient" and dispose of bottle A safely if it actually is dangerous

 

: (

 

Possibly dispose of it, yeah. I just am afraid of opening up bottle A, that will explode from the pressure as I read from a lot of places NEVER to do! Lol

 

Err, never to open it unless the solution is 100% empty...

 

Theoretically, you could do it with a 1L bottle, and half the mixtures, smaller bottle will be easier to squeeze hard enough.
That or redo the mixture like said above. If you did everything right I see no reason it wouldn't work though

 

I would bring original bottle A way out in your back yard or far away from things put a pin hole in it and run. You may also need to get a new guage

gauge*

 

Lol run...