DIY co2 system (baking soda and cirtric acid)

[Ayden.h]

I was thinking about doing a diy co2 system if anyone has ever done a diy system and could let me know if it would be worth it and if it works because in the future.Regulators are really expensive and id rather see if diy works good. Thanks

[exv152]

I used to do it about a decade ago when the yeast & sugar method was more popular. But I soon came to the conclusion that it was too much work, and I was spending a bit of money on the yeast & bags of sugar, and the worst part was the unpredictibility. You'll have virtually no control over the amount of co2 produced by the mixture, so if you have sensitive fish or shrimp you might want to think twice. I don't want to discourage you, but I'm just reiterating my own personal experience. There is another DIY method that uses baking soda and citric acid or vinegar, but I've never tried it. I went pressurized and never looked back.

[charlie]

Does it work - yes, but as stated by the previous reply it is an unstable generator of CO2 and quite a pain to be honest..
It is believed  to be  more effective in smaller tanks under 20 gallons, personally i think under 10 gallons, the issue with it apart from weekly mixing etc, is a new batch/mix will rapidly  peak it`s supply in a few days and then start to slow down as the sugar/energy is depleted, this leads to inconsistent co2 levels which can trigger algae outbreaks.
The newer DIY of citric acid and baking soda theoretically should be better, but i have no working knowledge with it.
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weP4cOo3eY8
Like exv152 said, pressurized is the way to go, even a basic paintball  set up is superior in every way of the above mentioned 2 on smaller tanks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rbo5yHsojFM