DIY CO2 For a Large Tank

[Nelson]

What am I looking at in the way of a DIY CO2 reactor/defuser that would be appropriate for a lightly planted 120gal tank?  I'm told I would need about 4-5 of the retail generators which is out of the question.  BigDaddy showed me a PVC reactor he built which is interesting but he says it would still require a commercial valve/guage addition.  Is the guage a requirement, no matter what?

[BigDaddy]

Nelson:

You could do yeast batches for a tank that large... but you would have multiple bottles running.  Don't buy the retail Hagen kits, 2 litre pop bottles will suffice.

The setup I was recommending is a pressurized CO2 route.  For a used tank, and a new regulator and needle valve, you'll spend about $200 bucks.

Now, you could run two yeast generators and double the usual receipe for generating CO2... but honestly the amount of money you'll spend on yeast and sugar over a year would probably be close to what you'd spend on a pressurized rig (well maybe 2 years  :lol: ).  Plus, you wouldn't have to deal with mixing up batches and having the CO2 petering off as the batch runs out... pressurized is consistent.

Just remember... CO2 isn't a REQUIREMENT until you get into the higher light levels.  How many watts and what kind of bulbs were you planning on putting over the 120 again?

[Nelson]

I replaced my original bulbs with four 4' 40w full spectrum bulbs....only 1.3wpg but the new bulbs seem very bright.  Having said that the low-medium light plants I have in the tank now don't seem to be doing that great - but I may be too impatient :lol:

Do you have a source for the ~$200 bottled system you described?

[dpatte]

you could DIY sugar and yeast bottles, but have 4 going and change one every ten days or so. This would keep your CO2 consistant

On my 75 i use two bottles and change one every 3 weeks.

[Nelson]

you could DIY sugar and yeast bottles, but have 4 going and change one every ten days or so. This would keep your CO2 consistant

On my 75 i use two bottles and change one every 3 weeks.

Dave and BidDaddy, is there a site that has illustrations of the system you're using?

[BigDaddy]

I replaced my original bulbs with four 4' 40w full spectrum bulbs....only 1.3wpg but the new bulbs seem very bright.  Having said that the low-medium light plants I have in the tank now don't seem to be doing that great - but I may be too impatient :lol:

Do you have a source for the ~$200 bottled system you described?

http://aquariacanada.com/osCommerce/product_info.php?cPath=1_66_105&products_id=247

There's the regulator, solenoid, needle valve and bubble counter with built in check valve.

Then, you can get a used tank for about 50 bucks at a fire extinguisher place downtown on Percy.

You don't NEED the bubble counter or the solenoid... in which case the regulator and needle valve combo is about $105.

The webstore is run from a guy's place in Hull, so you can arrange to go pick it up.  I have bought a few things from Ivan, and his customer service is very good, no complaints.

[BigDaddy]

Dave and BidDaddy, is there a site that has illustrations of the system you're using?

Ask and yee shall receive....

http://www.qsl.net/w2wdx/aquaria/diyco2.html

I was using the DIY reactor on that page with great success on my 75 gallon.  It worked well with my pressurized rig, and it did the job when I was doing yeast batches with it on a 25 gallon.

If you have a canister, though, the inline reactor is nicer for one simple reason:  One less thing inside the tank!


P.S. - If anyone wants to know where to get the foremost bulkhead fittings, there are a few locations in Ottawa that carry them.

As well, I didn't use an airstone in my reactor, I just had the rigid tubing open up inside the reactor, and that was good enough.

[Nelson]

I'm almost convinced the pressurized system is what I want.  Is the bubble counter the method used for adjusting flow?  If so, what determines the appropriate flow for my tank?  How is the CO2 injected?

[Nelson]

How's this for a deal??

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4357133973&ssPageName=MERC_VI_RSCC_Pr4_PcN__Stores

[BigDaddy]

CO2 resistant tubing will run from the top of the bubble counter to either the input on your inline reactor or the rigid tubing on your powerhead/gravel vac reactor.

Given the size of your tank, you probably want to go with the inline reactor.  This ensures that the water coming out of your spraybar is CO2 enriched water... as opposed to the water in and around the vicinity of the reactor listed in the link above.  When I used the powerhead reactor... there was a .4 variance in the pH from one side of the tank to the other.

The bubble counter helps to determine the flow... but testing pH and kH to determine the CO2 levels the first couple of days you hook it up is the best bet.

[Nelson]

CO2 resistant tubing will run from the top of the bubble counter to either the input on your inline reactor or the rigid tubing on your powerhead/gravel vac reactor.

Given the size of your tank, you probably want to go with the inline reactor.  This ensures that the water coming out of your spraybar is CO2 enriched water... as opposed to the water in and around the vicinity of the reactor listed in the link above.  When I used the powerhead reactor... there was a .4 variance in the pH from one side of the tank to the other.

The bubble counter helps to determine the flow... but testing pH and kH to determine the CO2 levels the first couple of days you hook it up is the best bet.

Please excuse my ignorance on this subject BigDaddy..."inline reactor"?     "powerhead/gravel reactor"?

[BigDaddy]

The gravel vac reactor is in the article in the link I provided on CO2.

The inline reactor is in an article on the main page:

http://ovas.ca/mod.php?mod=userpage&page_id=35

[Nelson]

The gravel vac reactor is in the article in the link I provided on CO2.

The inline reactor is in an article on the main page:

http://ovas.ca/mod.php?mod=userpage&page_id=35

Totally missed that....sorry!