Does anyone know how to make a co2 reactor

hey guys its me again just wanted to say thanks for all your help last time i got the tank up and running but my plants are starting to fade so i heard you can make a great and cheap co2 reactor out of a coke bottle

 

Plants are fading?
Are you feeding them any thing?
How often do you feed the fish?

Kent Marine makes liquid supplements that may help.

Here is a pic of a CO[sub]2[/sub] reactor I made:



I modeled it after this setup:

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hills/2637/DIY_CO2.html

Hope that helps Matt.

 

fading as in fading away there dieing and i know co2 will bring them back and bring them back fast

 

Well, how about some of the questions I posted? That info would be helpful too.  

EDIT: JUST CURIOUS. I found my plants were fading until I upped feeding to twice a day. Old lights might do it too.

 

well what if i make a co2 reactor out of a coke bottle add the sugar and yeast , run an airline out of the top of the bottle, then drill a hole in the water intake in my filter and as the water goes though the propellers of the filter it would mix the co2 into the take and i don't have to worry about any of that.

 

Are you looking to diy it or do you want to buy a product. If you are wanting to buy, than look at this...
http://www.petsmart.com/global/prod...t_id=2534374302023693&bmUID=1089513060970 HTH



phil

 

na im making my own

 

[quote author=matt link=board=Freshwater;num=1089499526;start=0#4 date=07/10/04 at 19:20:29]well what if i make a co2 reactor out of a coke bottle add the sugar and yeast , run an airline out of the top of the bottle, then drill a hole in the water intake in my filter and as the water goes though the propellers of the filter it would mix the co2 into the take and i don't have to worry about any of that.[/quote]

I had similar thoughts, opted to put the output near the biowheel because I was unsure what the effect would be when it passed through the carbon. Still don't know actually.

Diffusers are pretty cheap actually, you use a bottle for the yeast and suger and just buy the diffuser. Most aren't as big as the one in the diagram I posted.

Thanks for joining!

@cannon - I've seen that one in action. It's pretty neat to watch the bubbles go down the ramps!

 

thanks ill have to check that diffuser out

 

If you have fish in your planted tank watch out for pH swings. The co2 will drop the pH, plants start giving off co2 lowering the pH during lights out. When the lights come on the plants start giving of O2 causing the pH to climb.

My diy co2 reactor consists of a mini gravel vac which is connected to the output of a small power head with airline from the yeast bottle going into the large rigid end of the of the vac. The co2 rises against the flow from the power head dissolving into the water.

The power head is on the same timer as the lights so the reactor stops when the lights go out keeping the pH swing to a minimum.

Because fermentations start out slow then pick up after a day or two then slow down as they finish, I use two bottles with an in line T and rotate the bottles changing one every week but leaving each one to ferment for 2 weeks. This seems to keep the flow of co2 fairly constant.

Cost about 15$ US and takes about 5 minutes a week.