First off, this really works. But this is the problem I faced and how I overcame it. PROBLEM: Baking soda clogs easily. During the priming stage, when baking soda is going up the tubes, it can clog sometimes. When it clogs you can keep trying to prime but nothing will happen. You may think it is because of the CO2 pressure but the gauge is all the way at 0 and nothing is happening. It is because of clogging. SOLUTION: 1) Dismantle your system, clear your pipes of baking soda clogs. 2) Screw the baking soda portion back on. 3) Screw the acid portion back on but before it is firmly tightened, give the bottle a good press so some air escapes first, tighten the bottle in this state. It will help to draw baking soda into your acid bottle. 4) Shake the whole system. The purpose here is not to initiate a reaction but to get the baking soda in as liquid a form as possible. Baking soda settles very easily and very fast so there's a big chance it will clog in your tubes if you don't perform this step. When you see the baking soda is not settled at the bottom of your bottle, now is a good time to prime. 5) Priming. All you need is one good squeeze from your acid bottle. Because it is underpressured, it will suck back more baking soda after you squeeze it. Now that the baking soda is not settled it will flow through the tubes easily causing a reaction with your citric acid. Within seconds your acid bottle should pressure out and the needle should jump well into the green zone. This is the first instructional video I watched before I bought my system so I'm posting my findings here. It really works and if you use the CO2 for 8 hours a day, it should last more than a month. This is really for people who live far from their fish store and find refilling their CO2 canisters a real hassle. Or like me, you just like fiddling with stuff.
We may be over thinking this CO2 thing. I just visited the owner Justin of Ocean Aquarium in San Francisco , nice guy! He has about 50 tanks in his store and they’re all loaded with an absolute ridiculous amount of jungle green plant life. So much you think this is crazy how can enough light penetrate through the foliage with out the bottom plants dying off? All he has in every tank is an inverted empty quart size Gatorade like bottle he inflates with CO2. The CO2 just naturally dissolves, in I think about a week, in the water in about a 20 to 40 gallon tank. The bottle eventually falls low into the tank indicating to refill the bottle with CO2. He’s been doing this routine for about 30 years. Crazy simple! Some of his fans have made RU-vid videos on touring his store. Check it out. Great store! He’s rather fond of using bright red recycled plastic bottles for his high tech operation, funny!
Craig Riglin I have heard about his store, would love to visit it someday. I am curious...how does he keep the inverted bottles from floating onto their sides and releasing all of the CO2 at the surface? Does he weight them down?
He had it various ways but I think the easiest way is wrapping fishing line around the bottle neck and a rock anchor or something. I’m not sure how he did it. This way you will notice the dramatic fall of the bottle. The CO2 would dissolved slower than the diffuser, but that might be a benefit in that you can’t over due the gas, no CO2 is wasted while even with a diffuser only about 10% dissolves in water. Lastly your daphnia will be happier not being gas to their death.
@@Aquarimax I used to do something similar, but didn't use anything to anchor the bottle. I just used my aquarium lid to hold it down. As long as there is gas in the bottle, it would rise to the surface and stop at the lid. I was able to get 3 months out of my yeast/sugar co2. It was by far the most consistent diy co2 system I've used. I find that when it comes to DIY co2, passive diffusion works better for consistency. Ocean Aquarium uses compressed co2 to re-fill the bottles. I had an airline tubing from my yeast reactor.
Maurice Tan I agree. I used yeast CO2 reactors for years, and was actually quite pleased with how they worked. I would have 2 bottles and a T valve, and would replace one bottle at a time. CO2 production was quite consistent.
I have been contemplating getting one of these but was scared to as it all seemed so confusing. Now I think I will as you have explained it so clearly. Many thanks for sharing.
Nathanael Smith you’re welcome! Just keep a close eye on it, as sometimes near the end of the cycle it produces a burst of CO2...it can oversaturate the tank if you don’t have an airstone running when you have the light off.
@@Aquarimax Thanks again - I will be mindful of that, and to avoid suffocating fish with excess co2. I have been watching more videos about plant biology and co2 in the aquarium, and am wondering: if fish are themselves co2 producers, then if I get my plant to fish ratio right in the first place, my need to supplement the co2 should be minimal to none. Perhaps I should introduce x many plants for every y many fish...?
I have a 90 gallon tank and will be trying this. I bought the kit and waiting for it in the mail. Why I hear many negative comments that this won't work on a 90 gallon? I never get a straight answer.
Jose Lamar I think many people are concerned that not enough CO2 will be produced.Many of them are probably thinking of DIY yeast reactors. This unit seems to produce more CO2 than a yeast reactor. Regulating CO2 production with it can be a little tricky, but I think it has the potential to work. I’d be interested in hearing how it works for you.
Your video of setup was fantastic and I did set up as you suggested but Question: How many days the solution lasts? I'm having an issue. My citric acid solution runs out within 2 days and stops producing Co2. The baking soda solution remains there. What am I doing wrong or any suggestions. Thanks in advance.
Very cool,... That clip just didn't want to behave. I have used the yeast and sugar while camping to draw the mosquitos away from the area where people will be sitting. I should try this way out if I go camping this summer and let you know how it works out. Mosquitos are drawn to CO2 for some reason, maybe they figure if it breathes (out gasses) it will bleed. You gave me ideas. If I can use it to draw them into a container with water I should be able to drown them.
Vexing Cat Oh, I like really your idea of a citric acid CO2 mosquito trap! I think you’re right, I read about how mosquitoes are attracted to CO2 because it leads them to breathing sources of blood. If you were to put a little soap in the water of the drowning chamber, the reduced surface tension would probably help trap them. I have experimented with a similar yeast-based CO2 generator for trapping fungus gnats, with promising results.
Try the CO2 bell method! I experimented with it recently and it worked like magic. I generate the CO2 with citric acid and baking soda and fill up the bell with it, and the hydrostatic pressure generated by the CO2’s displacement of water generates pressure driving the CO2 into solution. I’m getting crazy pearling in my 55 gallon tank with this method.
James Gauntt Thanks! I have found the main drawback is that near the end of the CO2 production cycle, it will often produce a large amount. An airstone at night can help prevent suffocation f the fish is such cases.
do you see any reason why I couldn't use two bottles half that size (as long as it was a carbonated beverage bottle and the cap fits the bottle of course) with this kit? I am trying to come up with a smaller version of this for my tiny 2.6 gallon aquarium. And did I miss part two of this series or have you not created it yet? Thanks Rus! Loved this video. Very helpful for me personally. 'Tanks' again! ;-)
I think it has to do with the amount of Co2 generated, you may try smaller bottle but you should also proportionally reduce the ingredients else the bottle may not be able to hold the volume of co2 generated.
peninsulamike Yes, I have done that...the only problem is that near the end of the cycle, I got a big burst of CO2...far more than I wanted. I had an airline installed to run at night to gas off the excess, so my fish were ok, but for now, I have disconnected the citric acid system.
Drew Grows I used that method for years, it works quite well, but not necessarily better. This is an alternative method has the advantage of not smelling, and can produce greater quantities at a time.
4FunRC I never ended up making it. I like this CO2 device, except for one issue-after it has been running for a while, it tend to release a little too much co2 near the end of the cycle. Not a huge deal since I had air running at night, but still not ideal...
@aquarimax pets Can you please make a eksperiment showing the total amount of CO2 created by this metode... to see the Price vs. Buying a bottle of CO2 If it is more og less cost effektive ? Best regards Lasse - Dk
Lasse Thorsen I should try that, but I am fairly sure that in the long run, a bottle of pressurized CO2 is more cost effective and easier to regulate, even if the initial setup is more costly. 👍
@@Aquarimax Newer sets have a magnet included that you can use to get the hose in bottle A above the citric acid mixture in case of too much pressure. If pressure is in the lower green part (close to 1) you can put the hose back in the mixture. If you leave it like that after pressure is OK it should stay around 1 bar until the mixture has completely moved to B.
Be careful. Used to have a lot of fun making bombs this way. It won't blow your hands off, but the plastic can shred you pretty good, and it's unbelievably loud.
Craig Riglin I had the same question when I heard of this system. Apparently the vinegar doesn’t work as well as the citric acid...though it would be interesting to compare the two.
Rethinking this idea while vinegar and baking soda definitely yields CO2 . There’s probably a small residual of vinegar vapor introduced that over time maybe harmful. I mean what can live in vinegar? You may end up with pickle herring. I appreciate the time you spend doing quality videos.
I got the exact same kit, used 600ml for bottle A and 200 ml for bottle B. After 1 day at 1-2 bubbles per second, all of it is gone. I'm mildly pissed, I'm not gona change bottles _every_ day!
@@Aquarimax No it appears to be fine. I did, however, use just 1.25L bottles as opposed to 1.5L and may have over tightened them causing a leak perhaps... Mine did not come supplied with extra gaskets either, so no chance to change them. What I noticed is that as bottle A got close to being empty, it was hard to maintain pressure. Possibly due to the unfavorable amount of air volume left in bottle B. I've refilled the system using slightly bigger 1.5L bottles and this time I closed the supply for the night. After an 8 hour stint, both bottles have equal volume of liquid. I hope it will go better this time around!
hi there.. I have done everything you guide. my pressure builds everything is correct but when I open the valve for co2 after 10-15 bubbles it stops don't know what's going on
colinbarsby I ought to make a follow-up video...the system produced plenty of CO2, but near the end of the production cycle it would produce an excess. I want to go back to it at some point...for now I have disconnected it, as the guppy grass and pogestemon don’t really need it.
Hey I have a similar co2 tubing and connectors I got off wish and it says for tanks above 100 cm it lasts 20 days at 2 bubbles a second? You think it would last that long on a 90 gallon? I’m thinking of adding gluteraderal or something like excel to improve the effect of the diy co2
Vignesh I’m thinking you’d need more bps for 90 gallons, so you’d probably need to redo the solutions more often. The liquid carbon supplement may help though 👍
Hello! Im trying to use this method to my 20 gallon tank after the bottle is empty can you refill it again or reuse it? Or should I replace it? Also how many liters are the bottle you used? Im really afraid to try this method though since i heard they will explode if the pressures go wrong.
Hey I have the same setup of CO2 which shown in the video. The problem is that citric acid goes in to soda bottle just in a week and then left over gas continues for 3 to 4days. Over all this setup works for 10 days as per my experience. I just wanna ask if the left over water can be reused for CITRIC acid ??
Mark Garrett good question. When the lights are off, the plants are utilizing little or no CO2. This allows the CO2 to build up in the water, causing a nightly swing in pH, potentially a drastic and deadly one for the fish. The airline causes most of that excess CO2 to outgas, keeping the pH stable and thus protecting the fish.
@@Aquarimax wow that's interesting! That's the first time I've heard that watching all of the how to CO2 videos! I have a have yeast and sugar DIY kit. And it runs all night long. Is this hurting my fish?
I ran DIY Yeast CO2 reactors for years without additional air at night. In my opinion and experience, yeast CO2 systems are less likely to produce huge bursts of CO2, so it doesn’t seem to be an issue. The citric acid CO2 system has gone overboard a few times, and the airline was a lifesaver. 👍
Hi, did you make the video where you show your results from using this system? Can't find it on your channel. Also would you say this system would work in 200litres tank? Thanks
shantalle I haven’t made a results video yet, partly because I have disconnected the system for now. The plants I am growing don’t really need it, and I have had trouble with stability! After about 2 weeks, the system releases huge quantities of CO2...I mean to get back to it at some point though. With a 200-liter tank, I would probably go with a tank system, you would probably have to refill this one too often to make it worth it.
Thank you for your reply. I never had planted tank before other than few random plants. This time I want to try something new but don't spend the fortune. I shall look into other options.
amrithu mohan here is a link to a similar system : www.ebay.com/i/151321754485?chn=ps&ul_ref=https%253A%252F%252Frover.ebay.com%252Frover%252F1%252F711-117182-37290-0%252F2%253Fmpre%253Dhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.ebay.com%25252Fi%25252F151321754485%25253Fchn%25253Dps%2526itemid%253D151321754485%2526targetid%253D475515013341%2526device%253Dt%2526adtype%253Dpla%2526googleloc%253D9029702%2526poi%253D%2526campaignid%253D1482101415%2526adgroupid%253D56517111839%2526rlsatarget%253Dpla-475515013341%2526abcId%253D1139296%2526merchantid%253D108263808%2526gclid%253DEAIaIQobChMI26OchtHJ3AIVCJRpCh1VVwbCEAkYCSABEgIdLPD_BwE%2526srcrot%253D711-117182-37290-0%2526rvr_id%253D1616577526772%2526rvr_ts%253Df0e9e3f81640a9cc033512d7fff59a7e
Hi! , we have same reactor kit & doing well in my 10gallons tank using 1bubble per 3sec. However, i'd like this to turnoff at night & ON in the AM. Any ideas? Thanks
jayson galoso Without going the rather expensive route of a solenoid valve, the fix I decided on was simply to run an air pump at night to gas off the excess CO2. I used a Coralife Power Center. The air pump was on the night timer, the lights on the day timer, so that worked quite well,
@@Aquarimax Great!, im planning right now for a timer socket. However this what i did "Correct me if im doing it wrong"... Mine, lights is ON 7am - 7pm, OFF 7:01pm - 6:59am. So far plants are ok. Aerator: 7:01pm to 10pm. I hope im doing it right Sir.
jayson galoso that sounds pretty good, depending on your situation you may need to shorten the photo period. Also, consider having the CO2 coming on a short while before the light, so the plants can store a little up before they start photosynthesis. 👍
Aquarimax Pets As you said there is no need for co2 at night. Instead of adding the bubbler, can I just simply shut the valve from which the co2 comes out? Would this accumulate too much pressure inside the bottle and cause an explosion?
Also, please include a link for the item you used. The bottle connector with the gauge. You didn't even say the name so I have no idea what to look for.
It seams you run in the same problem i 'm having regarding reaction happening all at once in a few days . i think its due to citric acid . Before i used 8 gram packets of citric acid (alimentary use) and i used 25 of them to make 200 grams and the co2 production lasted 7 months for my nano planted tank . Since i 've been using 100 grams citric acid packets it seams the reaction happens all at once in a few days and that sucks. i will buy again the 8 gram packets and see if will get back to normal . I suspect citric acid its not the same ... or else i dont have an explanation why is happening giving the fact that it run 14 months without a problem with the 8 gram packs (25 of them ) and after i started to use the 100 gram citric acid packs the reaction happened in a few days .If anyone has any idea regarding the problem i would appreciate the input.
Gr8Success that is interesting information, thank you! I could usually get 1-2 weeks of stable CO2 production, and then just before it ran out, I would get a big burst...is that different from your situation?
Pamela Woolford Hi! A bubble counter is not 100% necessary, but does help you monitor CO2 levels, so it is recommended. The diffuser is not needed if you decrease the size of the CO2 bubbles in another way. One of my favorite methods is to feed the CO2 into the intake of the filter, where the impeller inside the filter will create very fine CO2 bubbles...and it costs nothing! 😊👍
Pamela Woolford you would probably see some benefit from CO2 even with low light...light would,become a limiting factor rather than CO2. You would not get the extremely rapid growth that is possible with CO2, high light, and fertilizer dosing, but you’d probably see a significant difference.
Hi, I installed this system 1 week ago. I tried to adjust the number of bubbles today, I opened the valve too much. After that, all the liquid in the citric acid bottle flowed into the carbonate bottle. Is there a way to prevent this?
Hello! I want to buy such a system, for an aquarium of 25 liters. Do you think there will be enough CO2 for a month? It is a pity that you did not show your cat = (
Z. M. Hi! For a tank that size, you might get enough CO2 for a month...thus far I have noticed that during the last several days of the life of the citric acid/baking soda solution, I get a large burst of CO2...a little too big, in fact, so be sure to monitor and regulate the flow carefully. You will probably want to do one of two things: 1. Turn off the CO2 when the lights are off, or 2. add an air stone on a timer that comes on when the lights are off to outgas excess CO2 at night, to avoid overdosing. I do have my cat showing up in some of my other videos. 🐱 👍
korzer I never ended up getting around to it. 😳 the tank is doing well, but I pulled the CO2 system and am growing a large Pothos plant out of it instead.
Hi there, Really helpful set of videos thank you. I purchased the diy co2 system off amazon. I also purchased the electronic solenoid so i can set up a timer with it. One issue i have is that the thumbscrew that comes with the DIY CO2 system is really hit and miss. I'll set it up for a number of bubbles in the bubble counter then ill check it an hour later the number of bubbles will be different. is it that the thumbscrew is broken or do i need some sort of pressure regulator? thanks in advance
Yes, he has a great video on a similar system, which really helped me...the one he used is a less expensive model with fewer features, but the basic principle is the same. 👍
Hi. This is Rus' wife. We appreciate everyone watching and supporting his videos. As he is far too kind and gentle to stick up for himself, I am going to do it for him. Please, people, lay off the fingernails. First of all, they really aren't that long. Second of all, I like them. And being that I am his wife, my opinion of his fingernails far outranks yours. Guess what I don't like? Stubby fingers with no nails like some people seem to think men should have. Please watch the videos for the information, not to look for ways to insult others.
Kelly Wilson the info was highly useful and helped me out a lot...... but for the amount of screen time his hands get, it had to be addressed. It’s not just a matter of it looking bad, but there is a lot of germs and bacteria 🦠 that get picked up and grow beneath the finger nails....... especially if your hands are in fish tanks a lot ..... so....... it’s more of a health issue. But the video was pretty informative, even tho he uses the wrong amounts of baking soda and citric acid.
ThePinerThings It has nothing to do with bacteria and everything to do with silly cultural norms and expectations. If this video featured a woman’s hands, with fingernails four times as long as Rus’s, no one would bat an eye. His nails are clean and cared for. No “addressing” needed.
Ok, guys, I need to apologize. Reading 1 Corinthians 13:5. I should know better than to allow myself to be provoked into engaging with these types of comments. Disengaging now.