# DIY Co2 Issue



## davesnothere (Oct 14, 2008)

I have been using DIY Co2 for around 2 months now, using one of those Hagen Elite Mini as a diffuser.

Lately I have been noticing grey dust like film on top of all the leaves. I can just agitate the water around and the film sort of clouds the water around, to settle back on the leaves afterward. This seems to have started happening around the same time I took the sponge out from the outlet of the diffuser. The water is not as clear as before either. In the beginning I was using the sponge in the outlet. After reading a few threads here on the same topic, I decided to take the sponge out. 

Seems to me a lot of us here use the same as Co2 diffuser. Anyone else had this issue ? My water parameters seems to be all right. This filament on the leaves are surely not algae. It's like a gray dust coating, that can be easily wiped off. I did a big water change yesterday and everything was fine , this afternoon i see every leaf covered with the same. 

I put the sponge back in this afternoon. The reason for asking, I want to make sure I am not overlooking some bigger issue and it's just simple Co2 snot / gunk accumulating on the leaves. Interesting to note is that my "gas separator" bottle is clean, and I do not see anything accumulating there. Does this gunk get created as a reaction between co2 and water ?

I am not using any check valve between the co2 generator and gas separator bottles or between gas separator and diffuser. Would adding one check valve between either of them fix the problem or is sponge in the outlet the only solution ?

Any suggestions / comments would be appreciated.

- Dave


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## ghengis (Jun 11, 2008)

davesnothere said:


> it's just simple Co2 snot / gunk accumulating on the leaves.


I use a glass diffuser that collects "snot" around the lip. I can see how this "snot" would be sprayed all over the tank, if I was using a powerhead for a diffuser...I think you should put the sponge back on.



davesnothere said:


> I am not using any check valve between the co2 generator and gas separator bottles or between gas separator and diffuser. Would adding one check valve between either of them fix the problem or is sponge in the outlet the only solution ?


Can, if you like, but I don't think that is the problem... And I don't think a checkvalve will stop the gunk from making it to your powerhead. Could you switch to a glass diffuser?? Might make a difference. Just make sure you clean it regularly.


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## robinnight (Feb 3, 2009)

The glass diffusers really work well for me...


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