# diy co2, no bubbles



## joaly (Mar 31, 2011)

i am using a 2 liter bottle with all the ingredients, and a diy bubble counter, i can see bubbles every sec, and i am using a fluval ceramic diffuser 88 and i see no bubbles coming out of the diffuser , the airline tubing is filled with water , i have a check valve installed too , any ideas whats the problem?


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## dstrong (Feb 13, 2011)

Is the check valve working properly? Where in the airline is the water?


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## JeffyFunk (Apr 6, 2006)

DIY CO2 doesn't generate the pressure needed to use a ceramic diffuser properly. I would use another method of diffusing the CO2


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## joaly (Mar 31, 2011)

how do i know if the check valve is working properly ? i just bought the check valve.

The airline tubing in the yeast bottle is just on the top , and the first airline tubing in the bubble counter is under water and is producing bubbles every sec and the 2nd airline tubing from the bubble counter is just by the cap , then the check valve and the ceramic diffuser almost at the bottom of the tank.

i think the fluval ceramic diffuser 88 requires a lot of pressure and aint working


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## joaly (Mar 31, 2011)

what about this diffuser

the price is wrong on the listing i bet lol 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/130557717074?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649


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## donh1298 (Aug 4, 2011)

When I was running DIY CO2, I used a plain old air stone. It worked really well. Be careful not to sqeeze the bottles. That will suck water from the tank into the air line. Take the lid off both bottles and clear the water out. Gently replace them and in 15 minutes or so you should start seeing your air stone bubbling away.


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## joaly (Mar 31, 2011)

from the point the airline tubing is attached to the diffused and little below the rim of the aquarium ,,..thats where the water is in the tubing .


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## wi_blue (Apr 5, 2005)

Sounds like a pressure issue. I have had this before and solved it by adding another bottle or you could pinch the tube just about the bottle and shake the bottle up. That should casue a quick discharge of CO2 which should force the water out. If that doesn't work you amay want to check for a slow leak.


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## joaly (Mar 31, 2011)

i can see 2 bubbles per sec in the bubble counter, shaked the mixture, saw many bubbles coming out from the bubble counter ...still nothing, will check for a leak thanks


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## wi_blue (Apr 5, 2005)

Old mechanic's trick: mix a little dish soup (a drop should do) with water in a spray bottle. Spray it on the area in question and it will bubble where the leak is.


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## joaly (Mar 31, 2011)

tried that cant see any leak, just applied little more silicon incase if there was, do u think its the diffuser or the airline tubing i am using ?


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## wi_blue (Apr 5, 2005)

Another approach is to go section by section manually checking the setup (blowing into the tubing). You'll be surpriced on how hard it is to blow air through a diffuser. If you can clear the water from the line and get bubbles out of the diffuser it is a pressure issue and you may need to add a bottle to the line to get it going good. Make sure to pinch the line from the bottle and rubberband it before disconnecting any lines, so that you don't loose any pressure/CO2 already built up.


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## joaly (Mar 31, 2011)

ok i had some extra tubing attached the diffuser and i put the diffuser in water ..bubbles started coming with very little pressure, started blowing through the short tubing of the airline from the bubble counter everything was working ...so a leak or less pressure rite ?


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## boognishmofo (Sep 26, 2011)

I know this is a little old but I am having the same issue.
No leaks, works fine when used with an airstone. I unhooked my co2 bottles and hooked the diffuser to an air pump and I still cant get any bubbles. Its a fluval 88 ceramic. I can get the thing apart either. Looks like the bottom screws off but I cant seem to get it to. 
I talked to a guy a my extremely reputable LFS and told him it was diy and asked what he recommended for diffuser. The two choices were the 88 and the 20g I think it was. He said the 88, so if it was a pressure thing I think he would have not recommended. I dont question his knowledge cause hes worked there for 25+ years.
Any help greatly appreciated.


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## aquaman555 (Mar 22, 2011)

I use a ceramic diffuser I got off ebay from somewheres in Asia with my DIY co2 2lt bottle and it works perfect. Bubbles start coming out within minutes.
Glad you got it worked out.

boognishmofo - only thing I can say that hasn't been mentioned here already is maybe your yeast to sugar ratio isn't high enough to create enough pressure through your fluval 88 diffuser. What amounts of yeast and sugar are you using?


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## boognishmofo (Sep 26, 2011)

aquaman555 said:


> I use a ceramic diffuser I got off ebay from somewheres in Asia with my DIY co2 2lt bottle and it works perfect. Bubbles start coming out within minutes.
> Glad you got it worked out.
> 
> boognishmofo - only thing I can say that hasn't been mentioned here already is maybe your yeast to sugar ratio isn't high enough to create enough pressure through your fluval 88 diffuser. What amounts of yeast and sugar are you using?


I went back to my LFS and the guy said he thought I would be back. He said he thought about it after I left and it might have been a problem. We tried another new item with same results. He swapped out for a different item no problem. It wasnt a big deal because it is inside of my reactor. I dont think the difference between a ceramic diffuser and a wood airstone matter when the bubbles are just being dissolved in the reactor anyway.


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## petsmartpro (Jul 17, 2006)

i have the same problem, i have the fluval ceramic diffuser and its hooked up to a diy canister, no bubbles are coming out...... should i just use an airstone?? i have an 80 gal tank, and also want to know if i should add another bottle? im running just one right now...


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