reactor or bell for DIY co2

[taz_boy]

hi fellow hobbyist,

i'm currently facing some problem with the pressure of my diy co2,

it's seems insuficient to reach my co2 reactor and mix in the reactor....

so check out, is bell easier to use with DIY co2 or anybody had successful experience with reactor( those with bio ball type) , or even diffuser....

[ahkarboy]

hi fellow hobbyist,

i'm currently facing some problem with the pressure of my diy co2,

it's seems insuficient to reach my co2 reactor and mix in the reactor....

so check out, is bell easier to use with DIY co2 or anybody had successful experience with reactor( those with bio ball type) , or even diffuser....

Try leavin it for a few days......it might generate enough co2 by then for the pressure.

[|squee|]

I don't think it'll work, because DIY's pressure is small, and the water pressure within the reactor is significantly larger.

I'd say dissolve your C02 using a diffusor. (the brand I used is Kare, quite good) Some might say that the diffusor will not work too, but I have done it.

[juggler]

hi fellow hobbyist,

i'm currently facing some problem with the pressure of my diy co2,

it's seems insuficient to reach my co2 reactor and mix in the reactor....

so check out, is bell easier to use with DIY co2 or anybody had successful experience with reactor( those with bio ball type) , or even diffuser....

There could be a leak somwhere along the airline. Try to immerse the entire setup (bottle, airline, check-valve) in a pail of water. Blow hard through the airline and see if there's any leakage. It's quite common to have leakage in DIY CO2. I have used such setups and it worked just as well with the internal reactor.

If there's no leak, then it is possible you have used yeast which isn't active anymore. A new batch will help. Store the yeast in the fridge to keep cool.

[vinz]

This recent thread tackles the same issue.

[taz_boy]

There could be a leak somwhere along the airline. Try to immerse the entire setup (bottle, airline, check-valve) in a pail of water. Blow hard through the airline and see if there's any leakage. It's quite common to have leakage in DIY CO2. I have used such setups and it worked just as well with the internal reactor.

If there's no leak, then it is possible you have used yeast which isn't active anymore. A new batch will help. Store the yeast in the fridge to keep cool.

hi juggler, i dun think i got any leaks in my DIY cos when i immersed the end tube in the water.....i can see bubbles coming out at 1bubble per sec...

as wat vinz said is rather true, the pressure in the reactor is way larger than that created by my mixture....

really "Shang Nao Jing" ah

but i think wat u say maybe true, my mum also say the yeast if not good also wont produce enough co2,
so now maybe i gotta re-do my BREw, add better yeast and MORE yeast, see whether can generate enough pressure to counter that in the reactor!!!

[vinz]

Alternatively, power the reactor separately with a stand alone but lower flow powerhead... that will reduce the pressure inside the reactor, and require less pressure from the DIY CO2 setup to overcome it.

[Simon]

could it be the tubing is just too long? for leakage prob, silicone the joints and use a better quality tube. I think reactor will not be a problem, unlike diffuser

[juggler]

hi juggler, i dun think i got any leaks in my DIY cos when i immersed the end tube in the water.....i can see bubbles coming out at 1bubble per sec...

This is not the way to test. You should reverse everything. As I said earlier, immerse the whole setup in a pail of water and blow hard through this end tube.

Since there are bubbles coming out from the end tube, I don't think the yeast is bad.

[taz_boy]

Alternatively, power the reactor separately with a stand alone but lower flow powerhead... that will reduce the pressure inside the reactor, and require less pressure from the DIY CO2 setup to overcome it.

vinz,

i think that's a feasible solution...
hmm... gotta waste$$ again??

now i gotta see if there're any leakages or not, which i dun suspect to have...

and as wat simon suggest, maybe my tube is a bit long, may wan to shorten it instead

[michael lai]

Dear Taz,
With DIY Co2, if you want faster and more pressure from your solution you add more yeast so the solution burns faster but it also die faster. To achieve a more even reaction you add less yeast. Last longer but pressure smaller. From my personal experience, you would be better off using a diffuser. Save the money and spend it on other things.

PS: The built up of pressure is not really significant but the solution dies off real fast. If you are not careful, you will end up with a real mess. Please don't forget to install a check valve.

[taz_boy]

hi michael,

thanks for the advice.....

guess my DIY working now aft i found out there's a major leak at both check valves connecting to the T-joint.

think the valve not good, that's y too much pressure build up there leading to co2 leakage at the valve....

anyway i reconnect the 2 bottles straight to the t-joint...
rite now my mixture giving me ard 3-4bps.....

my kh now is around 5dKH after raising with baking soda, and my ph is around 6.8-7.

[loupgarou]

imho, flippers are best, the use of ceramic diffusors mean that lots of pressure must build up before the co2 exits the diffusor, meanwhile, you can have some weird biofilm build up at the ceramic diffusor itself which can clog..

[cairocks]

I am using DIY CO2 with reactor for a couple of years. So far, seems to be working fine. Had been getting something like ph 6.5 for KH value of 4, that is around 47mg/l!!! The problem with the reactor is that some sort of algae/scum built up over time and the bio balls would stop spinning. The most recent rescaping, I had completely concealed the reactor behind some rocks so little light falls on it and so far the the algae had not grown back on the inside of the reactor.

Last time had tried using those long spiral glass tubes kind of reactor where the CO2 bubble had to travel up this long spiral glass tube to the surface. Initially , it worked fine but after a couple of month, the inside of the tube become clogged with some white jelly like substance and the CO2 bubble can't flow through. As the glass tube is very narrow, also could not clean out the jelly, so have to give up using it.

Meanwhile, I am thinking of using pressurized CO2 as DIY have to remix the solution every 2 weeks else CO2 levels may drop and algae will set in esp in a high light, high nutrient tank that I have.

[tawauboy]

.................

Meanwhile, I am thinking of using pressurized CO2 as DIY have to remix the solution every 2 weeks else CO2 levels may drop and algae will set in esp in a high light, high nutrient tank that I have.

go for it. you'll not regret. in fact, you may scold yourself for not going this route earlier.

[cairocks]

go for it. you'll not regret. in fact, you may scold yourself for not going this route earlier.

Thanks for the encouragement. I have basically decided to do it. Only waiting for the weekend to do some shopping. Also tempted to get a chiller but budget is a problem

Think I will do CO2 first.

[Star-flog]

Yesterday, I tried my hand on DIY CO2 for the 1ft cube tank.

The bubble rate is about 1 per 18-22 seconds. And the bubble is a big one not a tiny ones as some members pointed out.

Anything unusual here? Please advise... Thank You.

[blueray]

Not very sure...only guess is that maybe it is still newly mixed brew....I know that it is slow in the begining but after half or a day...it should be faster than tat....i am also using diy co2 for mine 2ft tank

[Star-flog]

Not very sure...only guess is that maybe it is still newly mixed brew....I know that it is slow in the begining but after half or a day...it should be faster than tat....i am also using diy co2 for mine 2ft tank

Thanks. What I did just now was tied the air-tube to the mini-internal filter so that the flow will hep to diffuse & spread in the tank. The bubble now becomes smaller and more constant.

But I kind of worry is this going to be too much for 1ft cube tank because too much CO2 inserted in the tank & all my shrimps will die?

[taz_boy]

i guess use MSU monitor the PH level lorz......
best for 1ft is to use only 1x1.5ltr bottle......juggle with the mixture to get the ideal ph for shrimps