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I have been looking into DIY co2 for my 10 gallon. One of the issues I have run into is that some say to use airline tubing while others say airline tubing wont work and to use silicone tubing. Which is it??

The other issue I have found is that some sites say just to drill into the cap while others say to use special adapters to insure air tightness. Which is it?

I know you are tired of anwsering DIY CO2 questions but this would really help me fiqure this out. Also if anyone has a website that has the setup they think works best plz post it. Thanks

"A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man" Simpsons

Depends on how you want to do it. One type of tubing is said to break down over time when exposed to co2 but I didn't have that problem. I didn't leave mine running for years though. Some people do fine just putting a small hole in the cap, pulling the tubing through, and sealing up any cracks with silicone. That worked fine for me once. Sometimes you just can't seem to get the hole tight which is where the adapter can be much easier. It eliminates some of the chances for leaks. The frequent leaks was one of the reasons I stopped using diy co2. There are probably dozens of small differences between everyones diy system.

DIY Co2 is so much fun isn't it! I am curently playing with it myself. As for you question about drilling and stuff. I just drilled my and stuck the tubing in and siliconed it. I used the soft air line tubing.

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

Hi,
When I was playing around with DIY CO2, I used regular
air line tubing. I also drilled the plastic cap of the
two liter bottle, and then used super glue followed the
next day by a bead of silicone. That held the 2 1/2 inch
piece of rigid clear plastic air line firmly in place.

Over time the CO2 attacks regular air line and the
line will leak. I use the standard black CO2 proof
air line with my bottled system.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

What size bit did you use to drill the hole??

"A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man" Simpsons

Drill? I used a pair of scissors or a pocketknife... The only problem was making sure the hole was round instead of a slit.

No offense but I think I am going to use a drill. I like all 10 of my fingers lol.

Does sending the CO2 through the intake of a HOB filter work or should I use a diffusion bell??

How long does it take to wear out the airline tubing as I have 5 ft in my basement that will never be used unless I use it for this.

Last edited by bcwcat22 at 21-Nov-2005 18:43

"A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man" Simpsons

The co2 will eat into the impeller and with strong filters or powerheads co2 bottles have been sucked hard enough the sides collaspe and the contents empty into the tank. If doing that you need a stronger bottle than the plastic 2liters normally used in diy co2.

You're probably better off using a diffuser. The point of CO2 is to keep the gas in contact with the water for as long as you can. If there is a lot of current and agitation, the CO2 will escape and be replaced with atmospheric oxygen, thus defeating the purpose of putting CO2 in there in the first place.

Putting it into the impeller will guarantee that most of it gets taken out of the water before it gets to do much of anything beneficial for your plants