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got a lil co2 system w/ a 20 once bottle, and I just have an airstone hooked up, and am getting maybe 1 bubble a minute...is that good? my mixture was 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of yeast, and filled it with water about 2/3, or 3/4....what recipes work for you if you have a smaller bottle than 2 liter?

A more desirable rate might be something like 1 bubble per 5 seconds for a DIY mixture. It would be easier to reach that level if you had a 2-liter bottle, because more sugar can be added, which seems to speed up the production of the CO2 by the yeast.

Also, if your bubbles float to the top and pop, your CO2 won't be very effective. An easy way to increase the effectiveness of your CO2 would be to catch your bubbles in a "bell" before they reach the top. This would ensure that more of the CO2 stays in your tank. If you are handy, you can build a reactor which increases effectiveness even more than the bell method.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

actually, you can take that 20oz bottle and make it into a "bell" by cutting a small hole in the bottom of the bottle and running your co2 airline into it (underwater of course ) then get a 2L bottle and mix up 2cups sugar to 1/2 tsp yeast and your mix will produce many more bubbles and last for about 2-3 weeks

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"That's the trouble with political jokes in this country... they get elected!" -- Dave Lippman

*agrees with moondog*....although if I remember correctly from the convo in chat, this is a 2 gallon tank. I think the issue with the smaller bottle will be that it just won't have enough mixture to make enough of a difference...someone I'm sure will correct me if I'm wrong . I'd still try a larger bottle, just go with half a recipe to begin with maybe....

And moondogs comment about the bell is what I was trying to explain in chat. The goal with co2 is too maximize the surface area of the bubbles and their contact time with the tank water (also to have minimal surface agitation ). There are a number of tricks for this, including using a small bottle as a bell diffuser.

^_^
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*Retracts reactor idea for such a small tank*

Well in such a small tank, a small bubble count might be just fine. The only way to be sure is to take a measure of your KH and pH though [link= CO2 chart]http:// www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_co2chart.htm[/link]. You can see if your lfs will take these measurements for you, you should be aiming between 10 - 20ppm. If that works out you might be able to keep the contraption you have now with a bell. You will probably just be changing/renewing your mixture more often.

You'll want to get the bell first, let things settle, then take the measurements for co2.

Last edited by mattyboombatty at 11-Nov-2004 13:05

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

hey...well, after a lil while it started goin a lot better. Here is a pic, if you look you can see the line of bubbles and the bottle in the background.[img]C:\Documents and Settings\Carrie.TCI-HSW8CA0WS9X\Desktop\Pics\bubbles.JPG[/img] I'm not sure if it worked, lets see if it did... I went to the LFS, and they didn't even know what co2 was... I asked if they had anything to "diffuse co2 in a planted tank", and one lady said "we don't carry that brand" so I have to make my own bell, I just gotta get suction cups...but since I already had everything I needed, I figured I go ahead and just do this, and make the bell in a few days...thnx for the help[/font]

nope, image didn't work...how do you post one, or do you have to be a premie?

To post it you have to be a premie, however you can put it on a website like yahoo or photobucket or something like that and access it with the link tags. These guys link] /link] just add [ before both and the http site inbetween.

And instead of using suction cups, you can weigh it down with gravel if you like.

Last edited by mattyboombatty at 11-Nov-2004 17:08

Last edited by mattyboombatty at 11-Nov-2004 17:08

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

"We don't carry that brand"
Excellent

That looks right to me, but when you add the bell you can ditch the airstone on the end. That just adds back pressure IMO and really unnecessary in the bell approach.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients