Disaster Diy

[KpT]

Hey everyone

I’m really bewildered by what’s happened.

I have read a few articles on DIY CO2 and eventually I made the system myself.
Gluing a tube into the cap of a 2 liter and filling the bottle with the mixture of:

Cup of sugar
Tsp of active yeast
And filling to taper of bottle with tepid water
SHAKED

After a whole day now, all the system has accomplished is to bubble over and stink!
There has been no bubble’s coming out the other end where the air stone is at all.

What could I have done wrong?

Thanks

Sam

 

[aaronnorth]

where has it leaked out? into the tank?

 

[KpT]

No the bottle is on the windersill next to the tank with airline going into the tank with the airstone on the end.

The bubbles have managed to escape out a very small gap in the hole i amde for the tube hehe

Cheers

Sam

 

[KpT]

Hey, how fast will the CO2 lower the PH of the aquarium if the KH is low, MINUTES OR HOURS??!!

I have the system working now at a fast rate by using my diffuser from the old bought system and the bubbles are comming through rapidly well.

What shall i expect?

I can take the tubing out and hope it lasts until i actually get some swords haha

Thanks

sam

 

[shelaghfishface]

read this it may help http/www.fishforums.net/content/Plants-a...sic-User-Guide/

 

[aaronnorth]

hours, typicallly, it drops the ph by 1. so if it is ph 7, it will drop to around Ph 6

 

[shelaghfishface]

why did u shake it?? i just used to stir mine

 

[angelmouse]

there should be no gaps, silicon around tube/hole. make sure bottle is not overfilled as it can go up tube and leak in tank, fitting a antisyphon connector is a bonus too.
regards Angel

 

[KpT]

Aaron

When you say it drops it by 1, is that like a rule or something.

Co2 can only drop PH by 1

Sam

 

[aaronnorth]

no, i dont mean it can only drop by 1, but this is usually the what it drops by. It might drop by 1.2, or 0.7...

The 1 is just an average.

 

[fozziebear]

aaron means it will drop by 1 when it is at the optimal level for plants and fish, if it drops more the co2 levels may be getting to high for some types of fish, but i wouldnt be too worried about this with a diy setup.

 

[OldMan47]

The biggest thing that I see wrong with your setup is that you filled the bottle too full. The water with the sugar in it should only fill the bottle about half way. When you build a new bottle, I have found it best to drill the hole in the bottle lid a bit too small for the tube. If you use scissors to cut the tube at an angle, you can get the pointed end through the hole and then grab it with pliers and pull it through. The slight give of the tubing in the hole will give a nice tight seal with no glue at all. What that means is no lost CO2. With the bottle only half full you don't get any spills and don't end up with the liquid in your CO2 tubing.