Home

Getting Started

Maintenance

Algae

Ich

Moving an Established Tank

DiY

Links

Jeremy's Tank

Equipment

Under the Tank

Inhabitants

Pictures

The Beginning

Recent Developments

                          Do It Yourself

DiY Carbon dioxide

        For those of you who are like me and a pressurized CO2 system is just too expensive, here is a great way to inject CO2 into your planted tank. You will need:

a 2 liter soda bottle
2 cups of sugar
1/4 teaspoon of yeast
airline tube
super glue (or silicon, either will work)


        First, fill the soda bottle half way with warm water. Next, add your 2 cups of sugar and your 1/4 teaspoon of yeast. (*) Use something like a drill or screwdriver to make a whole about the size of the tube in the bottle cap. Put some super glue around the top of the cap to make sure no air leaks from around the hole. Attach the other end of the tube in the tank to either a powerhead, a canister or power filter, or an airstone. Within an hour or so, you should see bubbles in your tank, that is the CO2.(**)

(*) I used to say to shake the mixture at this point, but I have found out that if you don't, the mixture will not ferment as fast and therefore, there will not be a very large burst of initial CO2. It will also make it last longer.

(**) Sometimes, it might be too cold for the mixture to ferment. If this is the case, put your bottle(s) in a small bucket of water with a small heater. This will keep the mixture hot so it can ferment.

DiY CO2 Diffuser

        This is one of the most effective ways of dissolving Carbon dioxide into your tank. You will need:

Gravel tube made by Python Products or something similar. (part #13-D)

powerhead

aqua Clear filter sponge or something similar.

BioBalls (your choice)*

super glue (or silicon, either will work)

        Drill a hole the size of the CO2 tubing into the top part of the gravel tube. Place the CO2 tube in that hole and put super glue around the top to prevent leaks. Put the Aqua Clear sponge in the bottom of the gravel tube. Make sure it fits snuggly. Attach the gravel tube to the powerhead output. That's it, very simple.

*You can put some BioBalls in the gravel tube before putting the sponge in to help break up the bubbles.

The final product should look something like this. I tied it to the powerhead to keep it still.