# Consistent Problem with DIY CO2



## Darkblade48 (Jan 4, 2008)

DIY CO2 tends to generate the white fungus like growth that you observed on your diffuser. It cannot really be avoided, though if you add a gas trap in between the bottle containing the CO2 mixture and the diffuser, it may help a bit.

Do note that some diffusers will not work with DIY CO2, as it cannot generate sufficient pressure.

If you remove the diffuser, do you see CO2 bubbles coming out of the end of the airline tubing? If not, you also likely have a leak somewhere along the line; I would thoroughly test your entire setup to ensure that no leaks are present.


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## RobberyinCSharp (Oct 30, 2011)

Darkblade48 said:


> DIY CO2 tends to generate the white fungus like growth that you observed on your diffuser. It cannot really be avoided, though if you add a gas trap in between the bottle containing the CO2 mixture and the diffuser, it may help a bit.
> 
> Do note that some diffusers will not work with DIY CO2, as it cannot generate sufficient pressure.
> 
> If you remove the diffuser, do you see CO2 bubbles coming out of the end of the airline tubing? If not, you also likely have a leak somewhere along the line; I would thoroughly test your entire setup to ensure that no leaks are present.


I had no idea - that's really good to know! I'm super frustrated because this worked on my old tank with DIY CO2 and I never got this fungus before. I'm not at my house right now so I don't know if there are bubbles coming out of the general tubing end, but there ARE some CO2 bubbles that escape between the fungus. 

I never saw this buildup before when I did the exact same procedure on an old tank I had. Perhaps the diffuser is shot? Is there a way to delay the fungus growth (as it's suffocating the CO2 movement through the tank and causing my plants to die)? It only takes a day or two for this bad boy to really cultivate and it's insanely frustrating to clean almost daily....


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## comatoast (Mar 11, 2009)

I believe darkblade's "gas trap" could be what I called a diy "bubble counter" when I was using one. That would just be another plastic bottle (smaller than a 2L) with the tubing going down into water at the bottom of the bottle and exiting through more tubing coming out of the cap (requires two holes in the bottle cap). When I was doing it that way, I never had any of the "white fungus" build up on the diffuser. Hope this helps-


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## RobberyinCSharp (Oct 30, 2011)

comatoast said:


> I believe darkblade's "gas trap" could be what I called a diy "bubble counter" when I was using one. That would just be another plastic bottle (smaller than a 2L) with the tubing going down into water at the bottom of the bottle and exiting through more tubing coming out of the cap (requires two holes in the bottle cap). When I was doing it that way, I never had any of the "white fungus" build up on the diffuser. Hope this helps-


Yeah, this seems to be the consensus all around. I'm definitely going to give it a try because I've wasted a ton of money on plants and it's miserable watching them die despite your efforts! (Not to mention the AWFUL water quality while the plants degrade...)


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## Paxx (Dec 17, 2012)

Something like this ...


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## fraviz (Dec 7, 2012)

I use 2 bottles 2L + DIY buble counter... and everything that could go out of the generator stays on the buble counter.. nothing gets to the tank.... I've done it that way for 3 tanks for the last 3 months.. no problems so far....


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## RobberyinCSharp (Oct 30, 2011)

Paxx said:


> Something like this ...


This is a great diagram! Although I've noticed most of the attachments are CO2 reactors. Is having a diffuser bad/less than ideal?

Also - is there liquid in the bubble counter? Eg. Water? Or is that just fluid that built up through draining? I thought gas reactors were supposed to be empty bottles


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## RobberyinCSharp (Oct 30, 2011)

fraviz said:


> I use 2 bottles 2L + DIY buble counter... and everything that could go out of the generator stays on the buble counter.. nothing gets to the tank.... I've done it that way for 3 tanks for the last 3 months.. no problems so far....


How'd you make your own DIY bubble counter? Any particular procedure in specific?



RobberyinCSharp said:


> How'd you make your own DIY bubble counter? Any particular procedure in specific?


Nevermind. I just looked up and realized I was mixing up terminology. :facepalm:


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## gSTiTcH (Feb 21, 2013)

What size Gatorade bottle?

2L is the standard for DIY CO2. Even then, results may vary.


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## RobberyinCSharp (Oct 30, 2011)

gSTiTcH said:


> What size Gatorade bottle?
> 
> 2L is the standard for DIY CO2. Even then, results may vary.


Wow, mine is significantly smaller. I have a 32oz bottle, which is apparently 0.9L. How much yeast/sugar/water do you add to a 2L bottle? Should this make a significant difference?


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## puopg (Sep 16, 2012)

RobberyinCSharp said:


> This is a great diagram! Although I've noticed most of the attachments are CO2 reactors. Is having a diffuser bad/less than ideal?


No. Reactors allow the CO2 to dissolve in the reactor prior to entering the tank. Diffusers increase the surface area of CO2 bubbles by making thousands of smaller ones and then dissolving IN the tank.


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## Bandit1200 (Dec 11, 2010)

puopg said:


> No. Reactors allow the CO2 to dissolve in the reactor prior to entering the tank. Diffusers increase the surface area of CO2 bubbles by making thousands of smaller ones and then dissolving IN the tank.


In your case as in the case of a lot of DIY co2, using a diffuser can be a bad idea. Most diffusers need something in the 30 psi range to function properly. You are very unlikely to see anything near that range. Unless you can find a diffuser that is designed to function in the 5psi range you could give yourself issues by using one designed for a pressurized system.

Also, why would you shake the bottle?


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## RobberyinCSharp (Oct 30, 2011)

puopg said:


> No. Reactors allow the CO2 to dissolve in the reactor prior to entering the tank. Diffusers increase the surface area of CO2 bubbles by making thousands of smaller ones and then dissolving IN the tank.


Hmmm. I wish I knew that before! I would definitely rather have a reactor!!! I'll see if there's a DIY method. Otherwise, is there any product you recommend? Or any DIY you'd recommend?



Bandit1200 said:


> In your case as in the case of a lot of DIY co2, using a diffuser can be a bad idea. Most diffusers need something in the 30 psi range to function properly. You are very unlikely to see anything near that range. Unless you can find a diffuser that is designed to function in the 5psi range you could give yourself issues by using one designed for a pressurized system.
> 
> Also, why would you shake the bottle?


I can't seem to find any info on the PSI information from the Fluval CO2 Diffuser but I bet you're right in saying it's not adequate. This is the amazon link, but it doesn't give a PSI spec:

Amazon.com: Fluval Ceramic 88g-CO2 Diffuser - 3.1 Ounces: Pet Supplies

I shake the bottle to mix up the yeast and sugar. I read that you should shake the bottle, especially when you first mix yeast and sugar-water, to really make sure it mixes evenly and gets the best CO2 yield. Once the CO2 pressure has built up to reach the diffuser, I always shake it occasionally to both increase the pressure a bit and make sure the sugar doesn't sit at the bottom instead of mixing properly with the yeast.


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## Mark Nicholls (Apr 5, 2020)

I have a "budget" diy co2 system running in my 50L setup and it works perfectly.
I DID need to do a few alterations to the kit in order to make it perfect but it's now spot on.
The original kit was one of the generic kits available from Amazon. I've had it running using sugar/yeast and soda/acid and the soda/acid works perfectly!
The alterations to the original kit are:
Replacing the supplied needle valve with a good quality one that also has a bubble counter.
Purchasing a good quality diffuser.
Purchasing a basic solenoid so that output can be controlled via Alexa.
I would estimate that in total, the complete setup cost around £40 and bicarbonate and vinegar are both cheap and readily available in most grocery stores.
The mix lasts approximately 2 weeks and output is consistent and steady.
The plants are all flourishing too!
If anyone is on a budget, this system simply can't be beaten!


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