# DIY CO2 in a stainless steel container? *updated pics*



## Mr. Rick:13 (Mar 24, 2009)

Title pretty much says it all, I want to do a diy co2 for my 3gal nano at the office.. I have a 20oz stainless steel container, just like this one: (http://www.unitedlabsinc.com/images/ae_photos\A199.jpg)
details: (http://www.unitedlabsinc.com/usa/catalog/shopexd.asp?id=1244)

Would this be okay to use with a yeast and sugar recipe? I know i'd have to modify the cap a little, but would be extremely easy to do.. Just making sure the "recipe" will have no side effects with stainless steel. sorry if a newb question.

Heres a pic of my tank right now. About 4 months old.(sorry 'bout pic quality)










plants:
anacharias
anubias
micro sword
numerous marimo balls
water sprite

Fish/Inverts:
3 L/F golden zebra danios
1 oto cat
2 small ghost shrimp

Right now only dose with flourish excel and prime. Any other suggestions would be awesome. Lighting is standard eclipse hood bulb, I think 8 watts.

Dont have water parameters unfortunately, but will post them soon if necessary.

Thanks in advance. Oh and Hi, first post here!


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

The yeast/water/sugar mixure will be unaffected by the stainless steel. It will look much nicer than a green, 2L bottle, that is for sure. I am curious to see how you will rig this. The SS bottle is designed to spray liquid at the press of a button. Obviously, this is not how you plan to use it... 

Please post your results. I'd like to see what you're up to.


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## metageologist (Jan 10, 2008)

ss will not affect the reaction it is the most nonreactive of man made metals


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## Regloh (Jan 17, 2009)

Wow, that bottle would look really nice compared to most other DIY CO2 setups  much better than mine, that's for sure. 
Don't forget to put some kind of bubble counter/separator in between the bottle and the tank to avoid yeast getting into your tank... Maybe you can find something similarly slick for that. 
I would also like to see the final setup.


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## Mr. Rick:13 (Mar 24, 2009)

Thanks for the replies guys.. Glad to hear my idea was feasible. My other concern was not being able to see the mixture itself inside, will this be a problem, does the mixture need to be visually monitored for any reason?

I will deft. be using a check valve and will have to figure out some sort of "trap" to stop the yeast and sugar mixture from accidentally getting into the tank by mistake.. I think i will be making a trip to the home depot and my LFS this week for a few supplies to complete this project.

Also, any ideas on a good mixture for this setup- 3gal eclipse, 20oz co2 bottle. i would hate to overdose the small tank. This is my first time doing anything with co2 in an aquarium. but google has deft my friend and ive found soooo much helpful info out there on the net..

I will keep everyone updated as i get this system up and running.. Thanks again folks.. Much much appreciated!:icon_wink


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## Regloh (Jan 17, 2009)

If you make yourself a bubble counter I can't think of a reason to look at the yeast culture. You can see when the bubbles start dying down and replace the mixture then. I used to have two bottles. When one started getting weak I'd start the next one. Once the bubbling on that one had kicked in fully I'd swap the bottles out.


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## Mr. Rick:13 (Mar 24, 2009)

Regloh said:


> Don't forget to put some kind of bubble counter/separator in between the bottle and the tank to avoid yeast getting into your tank... Maybe you can find something similarly slick for that.


could you elaborate on this bubble counter/separator doohicky anymore for me please? And would you have any suggestions as to specific kinds/brands, etc? Again, this is my first go around and could use any help at all.. Thank you


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## Regloh (Jan 17, 2009)

Yeah sure, I can elaborate 

Ok I made a bubblecounter from an old juice bottle. I used one with a somewhat wider lid, so it's easier to get two holes next to each other. One of the holes should receive the hose from the CO2 source. That hose should go most of the way down into the bottle so that the end would be below the water line, when you fill the bottle half with water. The other hose is the output that goes to the tank. 
Making the hoses leakproof in the bottle cap is the trick here. Everyone does it differently. Some people use undersized drills and then force the hoses through. Some add silicone for good measure. I am a firm believer in standard push-to-connect air fittings, but I have access to these at work, so that's what I use. 

I can see if I can take a picture of my bubblecounter if you like. Just have to figure out how to post pictures here  I'm just a newbie too


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## Mr. Rick:13 (Mar 24, 2009)

great idea, bubble counter and sludge trap all in one.. i work at a tool and die shop and have access to those same push to connect fittings, so i will be snagging a few of them for all my airline fittings.

to post a pic here, tinypic.com is awesome. even gives you the image tag to post on a forum. cheers..


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## Regloh (Jan 17, 2009)

Ok, this is a bad picture, but I am too lazy to go over there again...










Notice the CO2 bottle in the background? Yeah I upgraded recently


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

Please, start a thread in the DIY forum, describing how you do this. I don't know how many people have access to those SS bottles at a cheap price, but this could be a very nice project. I notice that the bottle you referenced to can be filled with compressed air to 200 psi, so it either has a relief valve, or it is made to withstand about 500+ psi without any danger of exploding. That suggests you could let the DIY CO2 build up some pressure in the bottle, and easily get CO2 through a ceramic disc diffuser. But, that also subjects the bubble counter to that pressure, so be careful.


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## Mr. Rick:13 (Mar 24, 2009)

I will deft. start a diy thread on this project.. the bottle i snagged from work, they had a few they wouldnt miss.. I just got the push-to-connect fittings for the airline this morning, i think they're going to make it so much easier and cleaner looking.. just a couple more tiny parts and ill have all i need. then i can start work on it and documenting as i go.. I work at a tool and die shop, so im modifying the cap with the fittings today i think, depending on how busy it is..

oh, and that SS can does have a pressure relief/fill valve sticking out the side of the neck on top. Yeast and sugar probably wouldnt be able to come near the 200max psi would it? just curious.. anyways, back to work.. gotta pay the bills :icon_conf


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## Mr. Rick:13 (Mar 24, 2009)

Modded the cap today, came out pretty damn nice if i might say so myself. heres some pics.

heres the bottle im using:








Closer look at the cap:









This is the piece the "sprayer" was connected to. Drilled it out, threaded it and added a push to connect airline fitting.









All the peices of the cap apart:









The other fitting you see sticking out lower is a pressure relief valve< this bottle has a rating of 200psi max. if needed.









all put together:









Lots of fun parts left over!









Never have been much for words, hope the pictures kinda explain themselves any thoughts/suggestions or feedback would be awesome..

oh and the reason i cant show a picture of it all together yet is because the bottle is soaking to get that damn sticker off of it. heh

dinner time!!


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## Mr. Rick:13 (Mar 24, 2009)

Here's the final, working product, leak free. (pressure tested the system)

Just added the recipe about an hour ago.. hoping i can see some progress in the mornin" ill keep ya guys updated.










modified mini industrial airline moisture catcher.. using it as my bubble counter/trap.


















Again, sorry bout the picture qaulity.. Any thoughts comments or suggestions?


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## airborne_r6 (May 2, 2008)

Hoppy said:


> Please, start a thread in the DIY forum, describing how you do this. I don't know how many people have access to those SS bottles at a cheap price, but this could be a very nice project. I notice that the bottle you referenced to can be filled with compressed air to 200 psi, so it either has a relief valve, or it is made to withstand about 500+ psi without any danger of exploding. That suggests you could let the DIY CO2 build up some pressure in the bottle, and easily get CO2 through a ceramic disc diffuser. But, that also subjects the bubble counter to that pressure, so be careful.


I have personally put around 100psi into a 2L bottle without any issues.


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## Regloh (Jan 17, 2009)

NICE!!!

That is a great idea to use a standard air dryer as a bubble counter... brilliant... I will go down to the lab in a few minutes to see if we have one of those kicking around... 

This is definitely the nicest DIY setup I have ever seen!!!:thumbsup:


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## Mr. Rick:13 (Mar 24, 2009)

Thanks for the thumbs up.. 

I am pretty pleased how it turned out myself.. Hopefully ill get some action out of the thing some time today.

Doing a little research now on diffusers, etc. At the moment i have just a micro airstone in the tank under my intake until i figure out what i want to do..

And yeah, i had a couple moisture traps, brand new, laying around. they're the smaller ones too, so they work perfect. A light bulb literally came on over my head when i started trying to figure out what to do for a bubble counter.. Yay for misc parts laying around the garage and shop..​


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## Mr. Rick:13 (Mar 24, 2009)

Quick question.. would i be able to diffuse through my filter intake on my marineland eclipse filter system? Anybody have any suggestions on a good diffuser for a tank this size? rather not have anything bulky in their, kinda tight as it is..


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## Mr. Rick:13 (Mar 24, 2009)

yup, me again.. couple new pics. check it:



















dont mind the airstone.. its temporary.. Or the dirty ass marimo patch, needs a vacuum..


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## Cactus Bastard (Jun 5, 2007)

airborne_r6 said:


> I have personally put around 100psi into a 2L bottle without any issues.


Don't try this at home kids :eek5:

I pumped one up to 150PSI once, and my bottle didn't blow, but it did noticeably swell. I didn't really want to get too close once it was charged, so I used a stream of flaming brake-clean to, um, "vent" it.
Went off like a gunshot.


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## airborne_r6 (May 2, 2008)

Cactus Bastard said:


> Don't try this at home kids :eek5:
> 
> I pumped one up to 150PSI once, and my bottle didn't blow, but it did noticeably swell. I didn't really want to get too close once it was charged, so I used a stream of flaming brake-clean to, um, "vent" it.
> Went off like a gunshot.


We had a launcher that shot 2L bottles into the air with compressed air. They went really high with around 40psi from a foot pump so we hooked it up to the compressor. Really cool. Probably shot 100ft into the air.


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