# DIY CO2 kit



## CanadaMoe (Sep 12, 2012)

Hello Everyone,

Would like to know if any one has tried or is using this kit?

Any feedback on this kit would be greatly appreciated.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Complete-DIY-CO2-system-Kit-planted-marine-aquarium-check-valve-US-/271056555731?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f1c3aced3

Thanks
Moe

(Moderators, if this is in violation of posting rules please feel free to delete the post.)


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Have not tried it, but I can see one possible big problem. That is the price of the ingredients, and their availability. 

Baking soda, while cheap, is not free, nor is vinegar. I think a four litre bottle of standard 5% vinegar is around 4 dollars, baking soda from Bulk Barn, not sure of the price, but it's cheap. Both are easy to get. 

But citric acid is another thing entirely. I believe a four ounce jar at Bulk Barn was something like $5. and it is actually quite hard to find.. I've been looking for it lately for another purpose and have had little success, other than the jar at Bulk Barn which is too expensive for me. But if you could get citric acid at a reasonable cost from some bulk supplier, maybe a food chemical company, price might be less of an issue. 

But it would be essential to know how much of each ingredient is needed to produce a given amount of C02, to be able to make a meaningful comparison to the cost of doing the yeast/sugar set up, or the pressure gas cylinder/regulator/etc. Once you have the hardware for the pressure bottle/regulator/etc. then your only other expense is getting the gas bottle refilled every so often, and every ten years it has to be recertified or replaced. 

Yeast/sugar systems need mainly their fuel replaced, but if you use enough of it, it will be cheaper to invest in a hardware system as above in the long run. But you can get some better pressure from yeast systems, and block leakage that weakens the pressure, but using little plastic bulkheads to connect the bottle tubing. They make a high quality seal to the tubing that does not leak, and cost about six bucks for a pair.,With no leakage you'd get better pressure from a yeast bottle. Can be ordered from your local hobby store that does a lot of RC kits. Made by Fore Most, for fuel line bulkheads in RC planes. Their fuel lines are identical to our silicone air tubing.

This new system, while it looks reasonably simple, needs some questions answered. It uses some consumables that may be too expensive to be practical, and difficult to buy in quantity. Plus, I'd want to know how much C02, at what level of pressure, and for how long it would last, from, say, an ounce of soda, an ounce of vinegar and an ounce of citric acid. While combining these three ingredients may well produce greater and more constant pressure, I still want to know at what cost ? If the system works well and is made well, that is still only part of the overall cost. The remaining ingredients may make it too expensive to be practical, at least here.

I do know that citric acid is used for a number of things. Food additive, as an acidity regulator, and also for cleaning such things as water distiller tanks and kettles. So it's a common item in some manufacturing, but that means finding a large bulk supplier or wholesaler, perhaps, to get it at a price that would make it cost effective. And you might have to buy a large amount to achieve a good price.. say fifty or a hundred pounds. These are all questions I'd want answers to before I'd try something like this. But that is just me.. If anyone knows a cheap source for citric acid I'd sure love to know it too.


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## CanadaMoe (Sep 12, 2012)

*Consumables*

Thanks for the input,

When I first saw this kit. I thought it would be good for a sugar/yeast setup. The needle valve would be a great help in trying to regulate the pressure of the system.

Any input on using this kit with a sugar/yeast setup?

Thanks
Moe


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## LTPGuy (Aug 8, 2012)

*Not good idea to use valve in Yeast Setup*

A needle valve is not a regulator but rather a flow control device. A regulator maintain a constant lower pressure at the output. A flow control device allows a certain amount of material to "flow" out at the output under a fixed pressure. If the pressure increase, the flow will increase when the device is not adjusted.

Why is a flow control valve bad for a yeast setup? The valve control how much CO2 can exit at its output. If your yeast generator produces more CO2 than what is being let out, you can guess what will happens eventually. If your generator generates less CO2, than the exit flow, then you don't need the valve.

Unless you add a pressure relief valve, the outcome is not going to be pretty or safe.


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## blackblack (Nov 29, 2011)

I picked one up recently but haven't set it you yet. I'll let you know. And I'm pretty sure you can use it with vinegar instead of acetic acid.


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

blackblack said:


> I picked one up recently but haven't set it you yet. I'll let you know. And I'm pretty sure you can use it with vinegar instead of acetic acid.


Regular vinegar is 5% acetic acid. You may be able to purchase 10% acetic acid (pickling vinegar).


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## blackblack (Nov 29, 2011)

I think the only difference that should make is in the magnitude of the reaction but it seems to work with just vinegar and baking soda. My main concern is consumption. It would seem as the pressure of the reaction in bottle B increases, it pulls in more vinegar from bottle A to which, when the valve is open wide enough is at quite a steady clip. My question though is, if bottle B is pulling in fluid from bottle A just to balance the pressure being released, couldn't it potentially pull in more vinegar than necessary? Or would the fact that pulling in the vinegar from bottle A creates a reaction in bottle B and therefore it would drain bottle A slower if the solution in bottle A was stronger? Say, a straight water and acetic acid solution. I dunno but this boondoggle from China works so I'm happy. Also, it's pretty easy to tell when it's close to empty and quick to refill as opposed to waiting for the pressure the build up with the yeast method.


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## CanadaMoe (Sep 12, 2012)

*Thanks for sharing*

BB,
Do you think the boondoggle from the Far East can be used with a sugar and yeast mixture? That was my original idea when I saw the contraption.

As Fishfur mentioned earlier, some of the ingredient are not cheap or easy to come by.

Thanks again for your input.


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## blackblack (Nov 29, 2011)

Oh for sure. You could set up both bottles with yeast sugar mix and go that way. Then you don't have to mess around with silicone glue and bottle caps. Unless you like that kind of thing!


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## CanadaMoe (Sep 12, 2012)

BB,

I use a nylon bolt with a small hole drilled through the middle of the threaded shaft and then put the bolt through a hole drilled into the bottle cap. The hole in the bottle cap should allow the bolt to fit snugly. Then I put the nylon nut on the other side of the cap and tighten. I seal everything up with hot glue.
Note: the diameter of the bolt shaft shaft should fit the ID of the plastic tubing.

I've use this setup on all my planted tanks in the pass. I'm just coming back into the hobby again after 10 years off. (Boy, have things changed!!)

I just ordered one. I'll post my result when I get it setup with yeast/sugar.


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## blackblack (Nov 29, 2011)

Awesome. Look forward to seeing it. 
I had thought about using nylon bolts originally but I couldn't find a source so just ended up going the old school, ghetto route with a knife made hole, air tubing and silicone. I like this kit because even if you're just doing yeast & sugar it's a pre-assembled setup you can purchase. Takes the DIY out of that method I suppose but I don't mind that. Few things worse than hunting for leaks with soapy water.


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## CanadaMoe (Sep 12, 2012)

That's what attracted me to this kit too was the pre-assembled setup.

The nylon bolts can be purchased from Home Depot


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