DIY CO2 Planted Tank! Can It Work? Aquascape Results (bonus DISASTER Included) 

Glad I’m not the only one that has a tank get overrun with floating plants now and then. 😀

I use gelatin with my sugar mix to keep the co2 more consistent with my DIY set up. I usually use ~300ml sugar water with 2 x 5g packs of gelatin and then an additional 300 ml of plain sugar water + yeast in a 2L bottle. I fine that works for ~3 weeks for me. :)

I've learned so much from watching your videos, including your mess ups. Thank you!

Not gonna lie, the amount of Frogbit that has overgrown is kinda becoming #goals for me since I really want my frogbits to grow like that.

It's so good to see you on your channel again, Tailor. You have been missed. Your aquarium looks great. Can't wait to see more episodes, going forward. I wish you and yours a Happy Valentines day. Enjoy it.

Don't do what Simply Betta does! 😂😂😂 Brought me to tears. I had that problem with Frogbit as well. It's a great floating plant till life happens.

so coooool!!! i have thought about trying this but haven't been brave enough - yet. Good for you for all the fun experiments that you give a try at. you should be proud!! cuz ya just never know until ya try!! i'm excited to see how your tank looks again in the future!! good job!!

It's so great to see you again! I hope you're doing great! I'm gonna go on another marathon of your content since it's my comfort content 😅

So glad to see you back! I'm sad now I didn't wait one more week before ordering Frogbit, I would have ordered from you.

I have pressurized co2 on 5 of my 7 aquariums and love it. Need to get the last two injected. 🌿 Nice to see a vid from you Taylor

It's really good to see you. Love this video. You made me smile. Have a blessed day.

Welcome back! I'm sure we all missed your crazy antics. Those are some beautifull multicolored bettas. My hubby said he missed your dramatics that make us both laugh. Keep it up, please!

nice to see someone also struggle with string algae I've been fighting it for months and never realized light could be an issue!! Also this may have inspired me to try and co2 my tank

Thank you for the update! It is nice to see your face again!!

Just had my first Betta in over 15 years so so happy with him. Good luck with the house move.

Today’s theme is “Don’t do what Simply Betta Does” Frogbit for sale on my simplybetta.com site, by the way:) Hi, it's been a little while! I'm back after a small hiatus :) What do you think guys? Have you have good results with any of the diy co2 methods?

Glad to see your face! My boy I got from you is still going strong and still bad at flairing.❤😂

Lovely video! I usually go lowtech but would love to try this method in the future 😊

Missed you. Welcome BACK!

been waiting for this video!!

So glad to see you again! Welcome back :) I've done DIY CO2 before but with citric acid and baking soda instead of sugar and yeast. (TL;DR - works well and lasts longer) I went this route instead since I read that the yeast gives off a weird smell as it eats the sugar. Bought a kit from amazon that had all the tubes, caps (same ones as yours), valves and pressure gauge, you just need to get the citric acid, baking soda and soda bottles yourself from the grocery store. It used two bottles with two separate solutions, a citric acid/water mixture in one bottle that flows into the other bottle holding a baking soda/water mixture, and the reaction when they are combined creates the CO2. Since the solutions are gradually mixed together overtime, instead of mixed all together at the beginning with the sugar-yeast method, new CO2 is constantly being produced until all of the liquids have been combined. I found that it works pretty well and it took me a couple weeks before I had to mix up some more. Spent less than $60 CAD and lasted me several months before I had to get more raw materials

So happy to see your video again! I'm just about to start my CO2 journey with a little big box store fluval kit, if I enjoy it, I'll invest in the big stuff eventually 🤣

Salutations Taylor happy to see you upload again

Oh my god the FROGBIT LOL Thanks for the video, I'm looking into the DIY route for Co2.

Nice video,love Your sense of humor :)

Today was our first day back from remote learning in our county, my new biology teacher has a fish tank, me and a friend couldn’t stop staring at the colorful fishies😂

You might have better luck using dechlorinated water with the yeast. Tap water tends to have chlorine, which still works, but I suspect will slow it down.

Yay! A simply betta video!

Your tanks have serious inspire me to awyascape

Pearl weed is pretty much an indestructible plant, like moss is. Please keep up the good work, Simply Betta.

Thanks for the info about DIY C02. 👽

Now I’m picturing Penny with a passion for fish tanks

WOW I didn't know you could do a DIY CO2!!!!!! Im trying it. Thanks :)

Heck yeah an upload!!

I love your sense of humor...

Hahaha that’s how my very first tank looked, and admittedly I really liked the look of it 🤷‍♀️ but it was also my only plant in the tank with just one betta 😂😂😂 (my cat then fished out and dried out all the plants so I lost all of it so I’d totally be interested purchasing some frogbit!!) 😍

I've never had any joy with bleach dipping plants. Either the solution is too weak or I didn't dip long enough in which case the snail eggs survive or alternatively the solution is too strong or the dip too long. That way you do get to kill the snail eggs but usually the plant also dies. Irene from Aquarium COOP posted a video on her girl talks fish channel entitled 'Plant Dip for Snails: Bleach, Alum & Copper Comparison'. It's well worth checking out - turn out that an alum powder dip is by far the most effective, it kills snails and the unhatched eggs and leaves the plants pretty much intact.

Loved watching this ♥️

This was fun. Loving the energy, reminds me of Laina from overly attached girlfriend. Looking forward to watch more on this channel

Hi, not really into the fish you keep tbh, but you make me more into them. I need to start a planted tank now, thanks lol.

Good story, beautiful little bettas.

omg your babies are SO pretty. really loving that curly plant too. i have one planted 20long and omg its so hectic since i started using fluval stratum. but man i wish i was able to have my own house so i could go gung ho on betta breeding and big planted setups, my space is super cramped since its shared, and its really hard to keep an efficient system that way. i'm renting a room in a trailer park too, and so we don't have to pay a water bill as its included in the pad rent, and its just like, you really gotta rub it in and taunt me????? fml x"D

Loved the video!

Welcome back. ;)

I saw a video on here for a similar set up. But the guy added gelatin to the sugar water mixture to slow down the fermentation. He says it last for about 5 weeks that way. Totally going to try it!

Lol, wow @ those frogbits. :D OK, I won't do what you did. :) Thanks for the tips.

Hi dear nice to watch you good again . If you used anathor method like sodium bicarbonate in first bottle and citric acid in second bottle you can make very high pressure of CO2 and large quantities in second and you can use a valves befor diffuser to select what quantity you need it . . But be careful don't mix large quantities the bottle may exploded . I used this method for years and it very useful and very very cheap

I have two 180lt tanks running on home made sugar and yeast Co2...both do amazingly...

Never clicked so fast in my life!!!!

I made the plunge and went with the paintball tank setup. I bought two paintball tanks thinking I'd be swapping all the time...3 months in and I'm still on the 1st on for my 10 gallon. I run the lights, CO2, and air stone on a smart power strip with individual control outlets I found on shamazon (careful which one u get, don't need to burn your house down). So far so good, real easy to dial in.

How often do you have to re mix the solution for the co2? never mind a minute after I typed this you said once a week in the video. I want to try this for my 7.5 gal. Thank you.

Looks good 👍

Hey! I ordered some of your frogbit from your website, do you have any idea when you’ll ship them out? :)) also so happy to see a new vid from you!

I have been running DIY CO2 on a tank for about 3 years now and it has always done well. I use citric acid + sodium bicarb and a solenoid valve so my tank is only getting CO2 when the lights are on. At 1 bubble per sec, I need to refill the 200g of each powder about every 2 months so it is no real hassle at all.

Good job looks nice 👍❤️

Your videos are so wonderful, what size tank is that with all of the plants in it?

hey missed you soo much how's new year?

Hi Taylor! Good to see you again. I thought you left us. How’s the family hope they’re great. Quick question did you used a 1lt or a 2lt jug for the DIY CO2? Need to do 2 generators for my tanks.

Wow baking soda co2 would of never thought of that it works probably cheaper as well so interesting how it works still, though I wish I nk could get my frogbite to grow out that much hehe

Nice video ☺️

I remember trying DIY CO2 years ago. And doing the bottles every week was a bit of a pain. I did find that making one fresh bottle a week on a two bottle system did keep the CO2 levels mostly stable. And the plant growth... crypts everywhere. And my water lily was wanting to grow out of the tank. So once everything got established plant growth was really good. Then came weekly plant pruning...

i was wondering how you were doing! i was sad recently. my redtail shark died after i had her for 6 years. loved her personality and she was one of my fave fish that i have. i then bought a new betta thats fins are messed up. im going to save her and nurse her back to health.

That crypt is gorgeous! For DIY CO2 in my 240l (63 gallon) tank, I'm using gelatin with the CO2, which prolongs each fill-up's life to about 4 weeks, and instead of a diffusor, I use a home-made topper, with the size calculated on the basis of my water's carbonate hardness and the tank's size. It's basically an overturned shallow dish fixed near the surface that has the CO2 line coming in from the top so that an amount that is determined by the topper's size gets passively absorbed by the water. It seems like there's little to read on this in English, apparently it's more of a German thing, but googling "Paffrathsche Rinne" will give you an impression. It's great for yeast bottle CO2, because it doesn't require the pressure that a diffusor does, and it balances any peaks and dips in CO2 output from the bottle by design.

For anyone listening, think of co2 as carbon, and most tanks tend to lack carbon. In a dirted tank, the soil contains organic carbon, though that carbon gets used up in time as it is converted to co2 through decomposition and released into the water. However, if you don't clean the substrate, the carbon you add via fish food eventually works its way into the soil as waste and is broken down. I've heard people talk about how they have to dismantle their tanks in time and replace the dirt, but that's only because they use light sifted compost rather than rich top soil, and they don't wait long enough to allow the fish waste to break down and the nutrients to work their way to the roots. Once that happens, there will be a continuous conveyor belt of nutrients, such that fertilizing and co2 shouldn't be necessary. Though counter to common recommendations, a low oxygen layer of soil at the bottom of the tank isn't harmful, and can even be beneficial provided you have a thick cap of aforementioned gravel/sand covering it and supporting large amounts of aerobic bacteria, which literally forms a symbiotic relationship with the anaerobic bacteria beneath it. High tech tanks using pelleted aqua soil that's not capped off with a thick layer of fine gravel or sand will eventually need to be removed as it breaks down. By keeping an aerated substrate, high tech tanks can be useful, as you'll be more able to grow a greater variety of plants that otherwise compete with each other. The problem is, it does also mean heavily regulating exactly what you're adding to the tank, ironically causing greater potential for toxins building up in the water column, and can get expensive and complicated. For my part, I do have some thick substrate tanks, but my main tank has a diy reverse flow undergravel filter with a thin layer of gravel at the top. Above that however, is a mat of susswasertang about 3 inches thick which sucks up the majority of the waste. I try not to feed or fertilize heavily so as not to build up toxins, so I've recently started experimenting with a co2 yeast reactor. This tank was designed to be able to support a large bioload of fish, and a lot of fish produces a lot of co2. I don't have a large bioload at the moment, hence the reactor (it's difficult to go heavily stocked in a thick low oxygen substrate tank without supplementing with additional filters, as the waste doesn't break down quickly). Btw, air injection via an air pump can help oxygenate the water, however it can also unfortunately remove more co2 than it adds.

You are awesome 👍 love from India

I used this diy system but I used a second bottle with just plain water where the co2 would go first then on to the tank. This prevent any contamination going in the tank.

Nice you see you!! ❤️

the bleach on the plants is that the one from the supermarket? and how mutch do you use?

Love it.

Would an air stone work in place of the difuser?

Good luck, Lucky Taylor.

Yea I've done this to make wine, never thought to use the co2 for the fish tank tho.

I like the overrun look. I think it’s healthy.

I use liquid CO2. Its not ideal, but I've definitely noticed more greenery. Best thing I've ever done for plants is root tabs. You bury them in the substrate and the plants go crazy. Swords and crypts go insane. I have to trim one of my tanks at least every month because of the new growth.

@Simply Betta This video could not have been published at a better time. I have been struggling with a DSM for Monte Carlo, St. Repens, Crypt. Undalata for almost 2 weeks. Considering introducing DIY Co2 system to a DSM system to see if that helps. **What are your thoughts on it?** Just FYI debating between Yeast+Sugar system vs. Baking soda+Citric Acid system for a tank in DSM in my bedroom. **Could that be dangerous?** Also, if you care to know I am using the following in my tank already for DSM growing: **Caribsea Substrate, API leaf zone fert, Misting with bottle with fert, 24/7 DIY humidifier system w. fertiliser water using an air pump, and cling wrapped top with 1 exhaust.**

“I’m sure you don’t do that.” Me: takes side glance at my two tanks with overgrown floaters, which I’m procrastinating dealing with by watching this video. *facepalm*

I saw an aquascaper who experimenting with saving the leftover plants he had in the fridge, not the freezer of course He had quite a lot of varieties of plant from moss, stem plants, floating plants, etc He wraps the plants in moist kitchen towels and put them in the zip lock bag before he stores them in the fridge He checks the plants' condition in a week, two weeks, and a month range Most of the plant could survive a week in the fridge, but some survive until two weeks and a month I guess that's why some of your plants could survive despite being transported in cold weather

Look into the jelly/jello method.. lasts a lot longer, it seems a lot more consistent too.. I've even used little 500ml bottles of some of my nano tanks which have lasted a month or more (because i forgot to change it out.. oops). Lol. Also Whats the names of those cryps again? Great vid though. Disasters and all.. x

Welcome back T ( The Betta Queen )

Personally, I preferred citric acid and baking soda due to the funky smell of the yeast and sugar method. The inconsistency of the CO2 was worrisome to me with either method, though. I found a cheap regulator on Craigslist after a few weeks of looking, but getting a GLA (Green Leaf Aquatics) setup is the eventual goal.

Great Video!!! I've been actually researching CO2 and I was thinking about going with a kit from Buceplant.com😁 This is what it's based on I believe!! This was really interesting and I enjoyed the video very much!! Thanks for sharing your experience!!I hope you and your family are having a wonderful Valentine's Day!!! 🙏♥️🌿🐟🌿💚

Don't feel bad. It happened to me too. Now I pull a 32oz cup of frogbit out of my ten cube a week 🤣. That stuff is crazy.

Can you do a vid about how to breed bettas? I’m having a hard time breeding mine

Just have to say you have some pretty bettas in there

You look like my sister in law...but the kinder version. Keep up the great work!

Watch out for the Fluval co2 tube, it's a betta killer. I may use it again stuffed with net but I can't even look at it.

Fun fact you can save yourself some yeast and lower of yeast smell if you pour out most of the yeast sugar mixture but save some and just add more sugar water.

Sisi am frm India I am planning to buy some large amount of fishes How can I order

Will there be videos of a new fish room when your in the new house?

Quick tip....add a few drops of Prime to your water to remove chlorine before adding yeast or sugar....

I'm a little of the mindset that slow growth isn't really a problem and co2 is a hassle. If your behind on maintenance to begin with, why try to accelerate the growth of your tank?

I've always been a "lights only" and very patient type of guy

Are you still using the DIy co2? If so how is it doing now?

so i found out about this channel and every time I watch it all I can see is Penny from RWBY talking about fish it's fricken adorable also I just really like these kind of video

I m sure it will do better this time

Maybe it's just me... but I like the frog bit.

I did this once. somehow I did it wrong and the bottles hit like 40 psi.. so not doing that again

Thats how all my tanks look like right now also 😔 hard to find the time.

I have 8 tanks for c02 but my issue with diy co2 is that it constantly adds c02 and you can't turn it on or off

Can I use a DIY CO2 bottle on a 160l tank? 🥺