# CO2 DIY or kit?



## hiyamoose (Nov 27, 2010)

I want to set up a CO2 dosing system for my son's 20 g long tank. Now at @ 13-15 plants with fish. Have been adding flourish excel 2x / week @ 2 ml per dose with seachem supp. 

I picked up a glass diffuser and am toying with a DIY CO2 system, but have so many questions.

First, how often will I have to change out the bottle contents so that the yeast mixture is producing CO2? How do I control the flow of CO2 to ensure the fish don't die? How many bubbles will work for this size tank? 

Will a kit be easier/less expensive in the long run? Thinking about the Fluval Pressurized CO2 kit. Anybody know how reliable it is? Good for small tank? How often will I have to change the cartridge?

I am getting into the plant part of aquariums, which is a first. Always did aquariums with just fish, or salt water tanks. The plants make the tank look great. The plants do great with the excel, which makes this more addictive, but have been told a CO2 system will do even better.

Thoughts, advice for this newbie are much appreciated.


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## livingword26 (Nov 4, 2007)

You can't make enough co2 with a single diy unit to injure your fish. I change mine every 5 or 6 days when the bubble count starts to fall below 30 bubbles per minute, it starts at 1 bubble per second. I have heard of people using brown sugar and having better results though, I'm thinking of trying that. Pressurized co2 is always the best way to go if one can afford it. A stable co2 level can prevent some algae problems.


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## gBOYsc2 (Nov 26, 2010)

I am not a big fan on DIY CO2 as I never had much luck with it so I can't answer your questions there. 

If you are talking about using the Fluval CO2 88 kit it would be extremely expensive in the long run. The canisters are very small and quite pricey. I can't see them lasting longer then a couple weeks on a 20g. I bought one for my 2.5 before noticing that the refills run at about 60 bucks for a 3 pack. I am not sure how long these will last on a 2.5 but it sure wont last long in a 20. I think a regular pressurized setup would be much cheaper in the long run. 

Check out the Green Leaf Aquariums website and you can check out the general costs of setting up a pressurized co2 system. I am new to pressurized as of this year, gla is where I got mine from and I am very happy with my purchase. Once you have everything infront of you it isn't as confusing as I thought it was all those years before taking the plunge.

Hope this helps!


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## Lizzz (Nov 28, 2010)

i know if you add about 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda, itll make your yeast last a bit longer. no clue why though. you can also reuse yeast, simply scoop some of whats floating a day or so after fermentation begins, and throw it into a sterile airtight container, it should stay alive for a few months in the fridge, and can be reused over and over again, same method used for reusing yeast in beer brewing. (gotta love how close they relate!)


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## hiyamoose (Nov 27, 2010)

Thanks for all the responses. I checked gla and have a quick question. Which system do you recommend? Pierce or the WaterPlant kit? How long will each 135ml cartridge last? They seem expensive to replace.


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## Lizzz (Nov 28, 2010)

hiyamoose said:


> Thanks for all the responses. I checked gla and have a quick question. Which system do you recommend? Pierce or the WaterPlant kit? How long will each 135ml cartridge last? They seem expensive to replace.


as long as youre not using threaded cartridges, theyre pretty cheap to replace, less than a buck. Look around in the gun and ammo section of a sporting goods store for co2 cartridges for airsoft, or bb guns. you can also find them for inflating tires, carbonating kegs, and anything else in the world you can think of. i would stick to the water plant though, being that its refillable. i smiled pretty at the gentleman at my local oxygen and gas supply store, and he didnt even charge me to fill up my 20# tank.


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## hiyamoose (Nov 27, 2010)

Do the non-threaded work in these kits? Otherwise, from reading other posts here, I'm thinking of going with a 20 oz co2 paintball tank. Seems long-lasting, cheap to refill, and effective.


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## Lizzz (Nov 28, 2010)

If they come with threaded cartridges, then the regulator screws directly onto them. In the long run, a paintball canister is your best bet; cheaper and easier to maintain as you don't have to constantly switch out cartridges. A regulator is a little pricey, so I guess it depends on how much money you're willing to spend. I ran a Hagen yeast reactor for a long time and was completely satisfied with the result. I upgraded to pressurized co2 only because I was given a tank and regulator by a petco employee


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