As mentioned in the video, there are a million different ways to do this. This is what I do. It works well and it’s simple. I like to keep things as simple as possible so that’s what this setup is geared for. Feel free to make this more complicated if you want but you don’t need to 😊 One additional thought! Make sure to place the bottle somewhere where it won’t get knocked over 👍 Need some aquarium plants? Consider supporting the channel by purchasing through my website! 🌱aquariumplantlab.com Heres an affiliate link to the diffuser I use (I get a small commssion if you shop through this link): amzn.to/3XcQyLW
@@JNAQUATICS longer should work too. I’ve had one with probably an 8 foot section of tubing and it worked fine. It will take a bit more time to build up pressure but should produce co2 in time 👍
@AquariumPlantLab did you ever have issues with yours just filling up with water instead? I'm going to probably redo it if by tonight it doesn't set correctly.
I have not had that issue. But I always put the bottle on the same shelf as my tank or above the tank. If you put it below your tank it could create a strong siphon initially in which case a check valve should solve that issue 👍. If it gets filled with water definitely restart you could run into issues if the bottle is full of water.
I started using this kind of CO2 systems about half a year ago and I have seen some improvements with how long it lasts if you put the bottle in a cool place at night, the yeast stops working at night so the sugar stays in the water for longer to be consumed during the day. I have also seen minor improvements when i switched the yeast during refills for a bit of water from the old system, already established yeast seems to work better. Hope this helps ❤
@@kieranmitchelle7948 I use one of those porus air stones attached to the end of the tube so its easy to take out. It can be placed into a container so that it doesnt spread aquarium water everywhere
I tried this after being a bit annoyed from diy co2 and it way better than what I was doing before. The thing that makes it so much less tedious is use one bottle method, and instead of instant yeast use quick rise
Nothing will really compare to a dialed in pressurized co2 system, but a simple setup like this still brings significant benefit to plants 🌱 . Glad you enjoyed the video!
I would also recommend getting some wine yeast, ideally Lalvin EC1118. This yeast strain tolerates low temps, low nutrient environments, and it will continue to produce CO2 up until it reaches about 18% ABV. This variety is known to be low foaming too. Using this in a DIY CO2 setup means it will require fewer changes and it will continue producing CO2 for a longer period of time. Lalvin EC1118 has good flocculation properties too so you'll see when it's time to start a new bottle because the old one will rapidly switch from being cloudy (active fermentation) to the sentiment settling out of the solution and creating a layer at the bottom with relatively clear liquid above (i.e. the yeast going dormant due to a lack of nutrients or the ABV hitting the maximum tolerance for the yeast.) It will cost a few bucks to get a wine yeast but it will keep in your fridge for a long time.
If you feed the co2 directly to the diffuser using this method, I have found that it gets kind of clogged relatively quickly. What I do is filtering the co2 through pure water contained in a second bottle.
Yup that is another great method! I’ve found so long as I leave a sufficient gap of air above the sugar solution then only gas makes it to the airline. I haven’t had an issue with clogging personally. Occasionally I’ll give the diffuser a quick scrub and when I restart I always clean it 🌱
Thank you for this. 🙏🏽 …If there’s anyone’s method or opinion I would trust from YT, it would be yours! Simple, consistent & effective explanations! I’ve always thought of doing CO2, but it seems daunting; it seems like trigonometry or calculus or something, while I’m on Algebra 2 w my dirt tanks! Haha. But killing it. So my friend moved away & left me her entire CO2 setup, a solenoid regulator, diffusers/tubing, drop checker, plus a couple of 20 lb. refillable metal tanks, I think-they’re like 1.5’-2’ tall & heavy. But I’ve been so lost w what to do!! I need to pay someone to set it up. Or try the yeast method first. And tbh, once I saw the “light” with dirt tanks, the use of CO2 hadn’t really crossed my mind again, as the dirt really takes plants to another level; but I know that the addition (a low to moderate amount) of CO2 would be sublime. Still, even with dirt only, I have large Amazon swords; crinums, hairgrass and sagittaria running all over, several crypt species (no melt with dirt for me), plus huge vivid Alternanthera, red tiger & pink lotuses… so I do wanna see what CO2 will do to improve it, even more.
That is covered towards the end of the video. You can leave it running but you should take some precautions. So I suggest watching the video all the way through. 🌱
Olá, passando para agradecer o ótimo conteúdo que você proporciona, confesso que estou maratonando os videos de cultivo da anubia nana kkkkkk. Como ponto positivo para o seu canal, saiba que seus videos ja chegaram ao Brasil, abraços meu amigo 👊
I used an Amazon product for a two-bottle setup and it exploded one day and knocked a hole through the drywall on my ceiling. Solenoid may have failed.
So.... really all the air pump in an aquarium does as far as putting oxygen in the water by agitating the water, which your "circulation pump" is already doing, so no need really for an air stone or bubbler at night..... Right? The bubbles don't really put oxygen into the water, it's the movement of the surface of the water that makes that happen... your circulation pump is already doing that more than a bubbler would... Am I wrong?
@@1956tojo not quite, “surface”agitation is the key to increasing oxygen in the water of our aquariums, and to a lesser extent bubble surface area, not water column agitation alone. You need significant agitation where the air and water meet in order to increase oxygen. The best ways to achieve this are with airstone/airpump or a waterfall like influence. Both of those also help to break up biofilm on the surface which is good because that inhibits oxygen diffusion. A circulation pump would help to an extent because some surface water movement would result, but this wouldn’t create as much surface agitation or inhibit biofilm the same as an airstone/airpump, or waterfall. In nature waterfalls, and surface water wind ripples are some of the main ways oxygen diffusion is increased and O2 levels elevated. Also cool water can hold more O2 than warmer. You’ll see fish dive down to deeper cooler water in lakes during the summer months as oxygen is naturally more rich there. But I digress.
I have an air stone running constantly anyway.. would this mean I have to have choose between the two? (Except for at night as you already explained) thank you. This method has made me less anxious about giving it a go myself. Really clear instructions also. Following.
I’m just busy :) Haven’t had much time to make content for awhile now. I’m growing plants now to support a living so the plants are my first priority. I’ll make some more content this winter though, just need to get this expansion wrapped up first 🌱
I’m guessing when it runs out I will stop seeing co2 being produced through the diffuser? Is it just a case of re mixing sugar and yeast in the bottle?
thank you for the video. your advice is to close/stop the co2 at night. how? add a valve and close the hose between the bottle and the aquarium? or take the diffuser from the water at night and let the co2 still running? second question: it will be ok leave the co2 running inside the aquarium for 12-16 hrs a day?
Do NOT plug the bottle or attempt to stop the flow of co2 in any way, at any time, that will cause the bottle to explode. You have to leave it running all the time. Because you can’t stop the co2 at night you will want to keep an eye on your fish for a few days, if they are exhibiting stress it may be necessary to add an airstone at night to counteract the co2 in the water. I would watch the second half of the video again. Particularly starting at 8:18 Thanks for watching!
Going to set this up this weekend! I'm running just a 3gallon planted shrimp tank... I think i'll need a regulator of some sort to reduce the flow of co2. Any recommendations for one?
Not too sure if you figured something else out but saw someone use 2 tubes instead of one in the cap and just clamp the one outside the tank during the day and at night unclamp so that it releases out into the air. Hope this helps
What is the amount of co2 being added how we know ? I see people added co2 tank and their plants grow in 1 month. I have medium tank likght recently added aqua soil and even after 30 days the output is very less like 1 inch new leaves growth. I need your expert advice Light is roxin A-800 (22w) tank height 2feet
Hello I’m New to Chanel. Question how can I get a hold of you for some newbee question. On store website says general questions not awnsered . I want to purchase some plants for my Koi/Goldfish/Water Garden
If you’ve got questions about the plants I have to offer I am happy to help :) I put that on there because I was getting lots of spam emails awhile back. 🌱
I’m trying to figure out if it’ll work with a atomizer. I’m seeing a 20 dollar one on Amazon stating it need 40psi to work. Ig I’ll have to find out for myself if a plastic bottle can produce that kind of pressure
These just are not worth the risk. CO2 should be shut off at night as plants stop uptaking CO2 and can actually release some. You get a big surge in CO2 production from the yeast in the middle of the night and you could kill your fish.
Great video. I’m going to give it ago. How many hours are your lights on? And every two weeks or when the co2 has stopped do you just repeat the process?? Thanks.
My tank lights are on anywhere from 6-10 hours a day depending on the setup and how bright I have the lights set. Yup when co2 output slows or stops just take it out of there and repeat. 👍
could you just pull out the diffuser from the tank at night and just let the c20 dissipate into the air in your home? Then put it back in when lights are turned back on in your fish tank?
very informative video : ) one question I have as a newbie to the hobby: if I want to use a DIY CO2 system for a few weeks while a tank is cycling to help the plants grow faster, but then plan to remove the system before adding livestock, would there be any repercussions?
Stick with plants that do not require co2. If you do that then most likely the only thing you’ll notice when you remove the co2 is a reduction in growth rate and possibly some algae. Those would also apply if you didn’t use co2 in the first place. So in my opinion using co2 for the first month or two would only bring benefits.
@@AquariumPlantLab thanks for the tip! super helpful : ) follow up for you: any suggestions on some beginner friendly non-CO2 requiring plants? Would love some kind of carpet as well as a full/tall background behind the hardscape. Cheers!
@user-ml5mq1mx6u happy to help. I would recommend starting with some of the easiest plants to find success. Then branching out from there. Some good taller plants would be Water wisteria, Bacopa Caroliniana, Ludwigia Repens, and Java Fern. Good options for carpet types would include dwarf sagittaria, Cryptocoryne wendtii, and Pearl Weed. Crypt wendtii is a smaller rosette plant that is pretty easy to keep and Pearl weed is technically a very small stem plant but can be used for a carpeting look if trimmed and trimmings replanted from time to time to help keep them shorter. I actually sell all of these with the exception of dwarf sag which I am working on offering also. All of my plants are grown by me. You can checkout my website at aquariumplantlab.com good luck! Keeping plants is fun. There’s a learning curve but once you start having success with plants it’s hard to keep tanks without them 😊
i definitely dont get this amount of bubbles like the video unless i shake it up then its gone after a few seconds. Co2 drop checker i have doesnt even change colors. gona wait n see if anything changes but seems way better just to save up and get an actual tank.
hi i have a problem, i have a 2 month old aquarium and the plants were duing fine but now they start melting, even the floating plants help i start to panic
Most aquarium plants do not “need” injected co2, some do though. But co2 will definitely increase growth. Bioactive tanks and particularly those with soil base substrate produce low levels of co2 naturally but will still benefit from the co2 boost from a diy co2 system. I generally don’t use co2 personally but if I am looking to increase growth/propagation rate then it is helpful for that purpose :)
@@AquariumPlantLab awesome, Im going to use this method in my spare tank to propagate my Tank Grass and Rotala Indica, I would be crushed if I gassed out my fish, so sans fish for now lol 😭
Awesome! Good luck with your tank! If you do put fish in there keep an eye on them for awhile after adding the co2. Particularly if your tank is small. Cheers!
would it be a fair comment to say,,, that as the co2 bubbles are entering your wave maker or pump on the side glass, the bubbles are collapsing? i find the bubbles disappear in my tank wherever there is high flow, they just seem to collapse
Yup. The longer you can keep the bubbles in the water the more co2 will diffuse into the water. If they reach the surface before disappearing then you’ll lose some to the atmosphere. Putting a wave maker above the diffuser is a great way to increase efficiency. Getting the smallest bubbles out of your diffuser also helps here greatly. 👍
@@AquariumPlantLab I’m just running the diy in a 75G for now. Seems to be getting almost 2 bubbles per second. No change to indicator tho. I think I will move it to fx6 filter intake and see if it is absorbed more efficiently that way.
I did a diy co2 set up but i have a problem i dont get any co2 bubbles into my tank i did check all the holes no leak i think my diffuser is brocken or maybe you guys have some idea
With this method, you'll need a lot of sugar. If you wanna save more money, dissolve that sugar with agar. With sugar being hardened, it will minimize the use of sugar, just change the yeast solution every 1 or 2 weeks. Cheers!
I have a couple of planted tanks with co2 I want to take trimmings and put them in tank without co2 without killing stems because they are use to co2 how would I transition them
You shouldn’t need to do anything special. Provided the plants you want to move do not “require” CO2, just plant them as normal and let them be. They should adapt easily as long as you have quality light and nutrients available to them. 🌱
@AquariumPlantLab well the plants have been in co2 for over a year I don't want to setup another co2 tank with clippings and don't want to buy more plants when I have plenty to clip
Some plants require co2 to grow submerged but MOST don’t. If it is a requirement they will need it, simple as that. If co2 is not a “requirement” then it should not matter how long they have been grown with co2. They should always still grow without it. I would suggest looking up each species you want to move to the new tank and determining if co2 is required or not. Stick with the ones where co2 is not required. There may be some melt initially but they should adapt. Start with smaller clippings to limit this. Most aquarium plants are classified as emergent wetland plants in nature. They are very efficient at adapting to fluctuating water levels and co2 levels. Think about dry season verse wet season along the edge of a creek or pond in nature. Most of our aquarium plants originate from such habitats. 🌱
Yes but not as efficiently. The longer you can keep those bubbles suspended the higher the efficiency of co2 being dissolved into solution. Still without a circulation source you will definitely increase co2.
@@AquariumPlantLab thanks for your attention and reply sir, but I still have one question, wich one better between mix of sugar and yeast or citrus and soda ?
Hi Will! Just wondering if you’ve got any tips on growing plants emerse during winter? I’ve set some tubs up but doesn’t look like much humidity is building up due to the cold weather?
Do i have to use special tubing for CO2, or will airline tubing work? I currently have it set up for over 24 hours and nothing is happening. Not sure what i did wrong? I did get by accident water in the diffuser… is that bad?
Any airline tubing should work. Silicone may leak a little but shouldn’t be noticeable. If your yeast hasnt activated it could be old and dead, water initially could have been too hot and killed them, or the suger to water ratio could be off. Those are the most likely reasons for no output. After 24 hours it should definitely be working.
Not sure if it's a reflection from your camera lighting, but in the video, it seems like there is a cloudiness coming from the diffuser. Is that the case, or is it just the lighting.
Ideal size tank for this setup? I plan on setting up a 29 gallon. Also want to mention that hope to have plants in good condition before adding fish. Thanks, great video
Honestly I’m not totally sure! I don’t usually use co2. But I would guess 20 gallons would be a good estimate for a 1 liter setup. If you have a tank much bigger you could step up it up to a 2 liter bottle. If you have a huge tank though diy isn’t likely your best option. A high tech setup would likely be better suited. With that said even a diy system on a big tank would help!
I made one like yours. I am having problems with the co2 flow stopping all of a sudden. Then i have to shake the bottle to get it going again. There are no leaks on the hose, so makes no sense. The co2 can only go in one place. But it doesnt.
Can you please make a detailed in depth video on the fertilizer you use for the semi hydroponic set up you have? How much you use, how you dilute it for foliage spray etc. Thanks. I love your content. I’m hooked.
I really like your hydroponic systems, especially the ponds where you grew java fern and anubias were great, have you tried echinodorus in the same ponds? I want to try the same method for echinodorus, would you recommend?
I wouldn’t. You don’t want excess pressure to build in the bottle that could cause it to explode or your line pop off. If you want regulated I would get a regular commercial pressurized system.
hey i have a question, so basically i have this diy system, but i am running an air pump with the co2 for 24/7 day and night, is that fine? or problems will occur? can someone help me with this
Thought: could you splice in a valve to close off the co2 at night? 🤔 would this exact system & size benefit a 75g tank in your opinion? I’m subscribing. I like your style
No that would be dangerous. If you installed a valve the pressure in the bottle will continue to build causing the bottle to either explode or your line/diffuser/valve to pop off. The pressure needs to be able to flow freely to the diffuser at all times. If you want control like that I would invest in a formal commercial pressurized co2 system. If you want to use a DIY setup like shown in the video for your 75 gallon I bet you would see a benefit but I would probably go with a larger bottle like a 2 liter. Again, do NOT use a valve. Thanks for subscribing and for watching :) 🌱
@@AquariumPlantLab the valve part had me questioning. Maybe minimize the amount release. Turning it down at night vs having it on full time. I do run a sponge in the tank, that should gas off the co2? As far as a 2l bottle, double the sugar and yeast? Say 2 cups of sugar to 1 pack of yeast?
@@ccrazyfish to a point. Too much and you can overwhelm the yeast leading to slower or none at all. Not sure what concentration would cause this off the top of my head though. I would try the ratio mentioned in the video and increase slowly from there each time.
The airlines I use also contain silicone haha, I’m aware that co2 can diffuse through co2 to an extent. That concern likely stems from co2 silicone membrane diffusion applications. The rate of co2 loss through a thicker silicone material like this would be pretty negligible at low PSI so I’m not concerned about it but if I stumble across them I’ll probably pick up a few to have on hand for convenience! 🫧
I noted about running it at night. I have 2 air pumps and excellent water flow but worried running 24/7 might not be good for my fish. Only things in tank r 1 clown Louch and 1 muscle. Is 110L tank
I made your system and purchased a neo S diffuser. I’m a bit frustrated. When I attach the tubing to the neo diffuser, I can hear my plastic bottle expanding and no bubbles come out of the diffuser. If I just put the tubing in the aquarium, big bubbles are coming out. So, I’m getting co2, but the diffuser seems clogged. I soaked it for an hour first in water. I soaked I it in a bleach solution. No luck. Hooked it up to an air pump so see if bubbles would appear. No luck. Finally, got annoyed and got my smallest drill bit and popped a hole in the top. Big, likely useless bubbles come out. Your thoughts.? Lack of pressure? Clogged diffuser? Thanks. Your vid’s are great. Sam
Sorry to hear this! I’ve not run into that issue. Some pressure does need to build before it will start making the little bubbles. But you don’t want too much to risk blowing the bottle though. Unfortunately if you drilled a hole it in it would be ruined. I would suggest reaching out to the seller to see if you can get a replacement. Good luck!
@@samhennies6493 that’s bizarre. I would check for leaks in the lines and connection points. Make sure gas isn’t escaping before it can be forced through the diffuser. You need a pretty good amount of pressure to force the gas through those tiny pores in the diffuser. So you may be losing some gas somewhere. You could spray the system with some soapy water to look for leaks.
Good question. After a week or so you’ll see the output slowly reduce and eventually it will stop all together. I typically wait until output has stopped or is nearly there then I take it apart clean the diffuser and replace the solution. Another way to check on it is give the bottle a squeeze. When it is running out there won’t be much pressure left and you can feel it 🌱
