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DIY CO2 Reactor for a Planted Aquarium

by Sgt.Waffles on March 15, 2008 Table of Contents intro: DIY CO2 Reactor for a Planted Aquarium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 1: Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 2: STEP ONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 3: STEP TWO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 4: STEP THREE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 5: STEP FOUR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 6: STEP FIVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 7: STEP SIX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 8: STEP SEVEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 9: STEP EIGHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 10: STEP NINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 11: STEP TEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 12: STEP ELEVEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Advertisements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Customized Instructable T-shirts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 6 6 6 7 7 7 7

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-CO2-Reactor-for-a-Planted-Aquarium/

intro: DIY CO2 Reactor for a Planted Aquarium

This instructable will show you how to make your very own cheap and effective CO2 Reactor for a healthy, green planted aquarium.

Image Notes 1. Beautiful green aquarium! 2. Guppy.

step 1: Materials
You will need: A one liter gatorade bottle (or similar) Several feet of airline tubing (vinyl is ok, but silicon is better) An air diffuser A suction cup to fit your tubing A check valve Aquarium grade silicon A planted tank (duh?) Scissors

Image Notes 1. scissors 2. silicon and nozzle 3. airline 4. air diffuser 5. 1 liter gatorade bottle

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-CO2-Reactor-for-a-Planted-Aquarium/

step 2: STEP ONE

You want to make a hole in your bottle cap that is just a wee bit smaller than your airline tubings overall diameter. I used a pair of scissors to carve a hole, simply for the fact that I was too lazy to get out the drill, find the appropriate bit, and put it away, just for one hole. If you have more gumption than I, by all means, go ahead and drill it.

Image Notes 1. just a bit smaller than the airline

step 3: STEP TWO

Make a slanted cut in the end of your airline tubing. This will make it easier to get in the hole on the cap.

step 4: STEP THREE

Pull your airline tubing about 1.5" through the cap. If you are having troubles, try pulling with a pair of pliers. If you are STILL having trouble, you can shave a bit from the hole with a pair of scissors, or use a larger drill bit. Your call.

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-CO2-Reactor-for-a-Planted-Aquarium/

step 5: STEP FOUR

Ok, this is the part where I messed up when I was taking the pictures. Bear with me. About 6-10 inches away from the cap, cut the line in half, and plumb in your check valve. MAKE SURE that the arrow is pointing AWAY from the bottle cap, otherwise you will have a ticking yeast bomb sitting under your aquarium. The picture is of the finished project. Just pretend you don't see that part though ; )

Image Notes 1. ARROW POINTS AWAY FROM BOTTLE!

step 6: STEP FIVE

Now, here is the messy part. You want to use your aquarium silicon to put a nice bead around the inside and the outside of the bottle cap, sealing your tube to the cap. To smooth out the bead if you messed up, you can dip your finger in rubbing alcohol, and run it along the silicon. This will keep it from sticking to you too much. You want to let this dry for 48 hours before using the setup.

Image Notes 1. Gorgeous bead.

step 7: STEP SIX

Now, you want to make sure that your cap still fits. I got silicon on the threads of my first bottle cap, and it really messed with it, and I couldn't use it. I don't think I need to explain how to put on a bottle cap. I'll give you guys some credit.

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-CO2-Reactor-for-a-Planted-Aquarium/

Image Notes 1. Lefty loosey, righty tightey. True story.

step 8: STEP SEVEN

Now, plug your air diffuser into the other end of the line. It should fit fairly snuggly, and thats what we want.

Image Notes 1. Make sure its tight 2. Beastly man hands not necessary, but helpful

step 9: STEP EIGHT

Now, you want to add you suction cup to the end of the line with the air diffuser. Depending on your suction cup, the last step may or may not come before this one. I had to cut the side of my suction cup to get the airline to fit, so it came after in my situation.

Image Notes 1. Should hold it pretty tight.

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-CO2-Reactor-for-a-Planted-Aquarium/

step 10: STEP NINE

Now you are ready to place the air diffuser in your aquarium. the ideal placement is low in the aquarium, and next to a filter intake, so the CO2 will diffuse more efficiently.

Image Notes 1. filter intake 2. air diffuser 3. hard water deposits. Not to self, wipe tank down BEFORE taking pictures.

step 11: STEP TEN

Ok, now its time to mix up your "CO2 juice". I don't have any pictures of this, but its just like following a recipe. First, you fill your bottle half way up with pretty warm water. You don't want it too hot, but not too cool. Now you want to add 1of cup sugar. You will need an extra cap that fits the bottle. You want to shake the hell out of it until you can dissolve as much sugar into the bottle that you can. Fill the bottle up to about 2 inches away from the top with COLD water. Put on the other cap, and shake it some more. You want the water to be a little warm. Too hot, and it will kill your culture. Now add teaspoon of bakers yeast, and just a pinch of baking soda. Give it a gentle shake. Take your contraption to your tank, and screw on the cap with the hose, and let it sit. It might take up to 3 days to start bubbling, but soon, the yeast will metabolize the sugar, and produce CO2. The more sugar you add, the longer it will produce CO2. The more yeast you add, the faster CO2 will be produced, but it will deplete pretty fast. The baking soda is to keep it steady. Every three days, give the bottle a gentle slosh around to mix it a bit.

step 12: STEP ELEVEN

Have a beautiful planted tank. At night, when your lights are off, run an airstone to prevent pH swings.

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-CO2-Reactor-for-a-Planted-Aquarium/

Image Notes 1. Golden Lloydelia 2. Anacharis 3. jungle val 4. cabomba 5. amazon sword 6. 40 watts of 6700k CFL 7. thanks to Algenco for the recipe suggestion 8. Flourish liquid Iron supplement 9. Fertilizer tabs

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Comments
33 comments Add Comment

KDSinLA444 says:

Jan 19, 2009. 12:59 AM REPLY I built a CO2 reactor very much like this one about a year ago, hooked it up to my (very small, 2.5 gal) tank, watched the little bubbles form abd float around, went to bed, and in the morning three of my fish were dead. I immediately disconnected it. And then started to wonder what was going on... ...Obviously, as this biological CO2 reaction is going on, carbon dioxide is being produced... But is not the only thing being produced! I understand that such reactors seem to work quite well for other aquarist, but when I took a whiff of just what WAS being pumped into my aquarium what I smelled was ALCOHOL! Now, of course, the brew is supposed to produce alcohol... But alcohol is also extremely toxic, and I can't imagine that some of it wasn't evaporating out of my CO2 reactor and then getting pumped into my little tank along with the desirable CO2. I have read several articles about these home-made CO2 reactors but I have never seen anyone address the issue of the possible absorption of the highly-volatile alchol into aquarium water. And I don't understand why... I mean, the stuff stinks! Who wants to pump "stinky" gas into their aquarium??? Also: couldn't I just hook up a bottle of carbonated water to my tank once a week or so and let the released CO2 from that provide me with all the carbon dioxide I need? And wouldn't this be safer than risking alcohol poisoning my fish? I am currently considering trying to used compressed CO2 from a local paint gun store, but I do not have the money to spend on regulators and bubble counters. I need a cheap, effective, and NON TOXIC method to aid my plant growth in a planted and fish-occupied MINI tank-- and I really don't want any more dead fish... Ideas??? Thanks!

chuckr44 says:

Jan 19, 2009. 9:35 AM REPLY Clearly, your Co2 setup produced way too much CO2 for your tiny tank. These setups are generally sized for 10g-20g tanks. You could try doing a little more research to find out if there is a formula for sizing to your tiny tank. Also keep in mind that plants produce CO2 in the absence of light. I.e. at night.

noidea says:
What size tank is most suited for? Would this be ok for my 180 litre tank? And what size is the air line? i have lots of 6mm....

Dec 17, 2008. 7:19 PM REPLY

profquatermass says:

Oct 29, 2008. 4:35 AM REPLY Here is one version you may like to try. Take the bottle and fill to near the top with water. In the tank place a small plastic container with the open end pointing downwards. Insert airhose from bottle to the inside top of the container. Go out and buy the cheapest Denture Cleaning tablets you can find. I find these are 30p in the UK for about 20. Place one Denture cleaning tablet into the bottle with water. The gas given off is CO2 and is collected in the open-ended container in the aquarium. As the water circulates inside the tank, the CO2 dissolves over several days. Once every month replace the water in the bottle as it becomes saturated with the chemicals from the tablet. Note: it is important not to have too much aeration or surface water disturbance during 'lights on' as CO2 is very easily removed by this action. Have it on at

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-CO2-Reactor-for-a-Planted-Aquarium/

night though as plants generate their own CO2 at night. Note: you'll get better results if you add some cheap plant food. See PMDD http://theaquariumwiki.com/PMDD (Poor Mans Dosage Drops) This method I use very successfully in a 20L tank at my work for 2 years now. It's fun hunting down suitable containers in a supermarket. Try the kiddies section. They tend to have tonnes of useful small containers. This is a posting from The Aquarium Wiki Encyclopaedia.

marcosbrandy says:

Nov 14, 2008. 6:39 PM REPLY Dear Sir Could inform me the ingredients indicated in the package of the tablets , i will try to find a similar one to test it. Why this solution is not sugested by other, probably people does not know. regards

tcassaday says:
I'd like to know what the overal price is for this set up

Nov 13, 2008. 4:32 AM REPLY

Tuttleo says:

Aug 12, 2008. 8:06 PM REPLY Neat! I've just set up the contraption to your specs for my new, planted 20 gal--It seems to be working--I think, or at least the check valve and expansion of gasses is working, since it's bubbling into the aquarium. I guess if the fish start gasping for air at the surface, I'll know it works a little too well. Is there some sort of test I can do to make sure that my CO2 levels don't exceed 30ppm? Do smaller tanks need smaller reactors? Also, how often will I need to mix up a new sugar water/yeast batch?

Sgt.Waffles says:
Can you put that in a coherant sentence please? It doesn't need to be silicon tubing. Regular tubing works just fine.

May 4, 2008. 2:28 PM REPLY

davart says:
Air tubing in to be CO2 grade, really aquarium tubing will harden and crack.

May 2, 2008. 4:48 PM REPLY

Mitten says:
Silicon =/= Silicone!!!! That is my BIGGEST pet peeve. Silicon is the metalloid used in semiconductors. Silicone is the caulking and breast implants. And now you know!

Mar 23, 2008. 3:57 PM REPLY

Sgt.Waffles says:
Maybe you would get more out of an instructable if you didn't fret about trivial things such as an "e" or lack thereof. But thanks for the heads up.

Mar 23, 2008. 11:26 PM REPLY

NachoMahma says:

Apr 6, 2008. 11:53 AM REPLY . Maybe you would get more out of constructive criticism if you weren't so sensitive. ;) There is a BIG difference between silicon and silicone.

Sgt.Waffles says:
Minor details such as that don't really matter in the long run. You got the point I tried to get across, no?

Apr 7, 2008. 8:17 PM REPLY

Sgt.Waffles says:
I do what I can ;)

Apr 7, 2008. 8:17 PM REPLY

Guppymom says:
Thanks a bunch for the inexpensive CO2 contraption. You just saved me at least $130 & my plants look great! You're the best!

Apr 7, 2008. 3:36 PM REPLY

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-CO2-Reactor-for-a-Planted-Aquarium/

zwild1 says:
Great instructable! But how do fish like it? They won't drown in CO2?

Apr 2, 2008. 11:10 PM REPLY

Sgt.Waffles says:
Fish don't use it. If you would have read the first Sentence, you would have noticed its for the plants, not the fish. The plants thrive with the CO2. The plants then remove nitrates, keeping your aquarium balanced.

Apr 3, 2008. 3:36 PM REPLY

zwild1 says:

Apr 3, 2008. 10:12 PM REPLY Obviously fish don't use it. I'm not that thick- I'm curious though whether an aquarium fed by both an air pump and a reactor would be fish friendly.

Sgt.Waffles says:
An air pump would drive out the CO2 that you are putting in, defeating the purpose of a reactor in the first place.

Apr 4, 2008. 5:39 PM REPLY

You only want to run an airstone at NIGHT, because when the light go out, the plants run on O2 instead of CO2. Since they aren't using CO2, they CO2 levels build up, and you get really large pH swings that a lot of fish can't survive.

MakerBreaker says:

Apr 3, 2008. 12:31 PM REPLY its a possibility but I would sugest buying a co2 plant grower from a lical pet or aquarium store because those give off the perfect amount.

sgt.pepper says:
Hey Alle you got featured! +1

Apr 2, 2008. 2:22 PM REPLY

unjust says:

Mar 18, 2008. 9:09 AM REPLY a note on brewing-- you cold also use simple things such as grape juice, or apple juice and brewing yeasts to produce your own wine instead of a mildly alcoholic water, or get fancy and use a home brew kit which is still remarkably easy. yeast don't produce high pressure co2, so you want your diffuser in as shallow water as possible, i'd suggest in the pump if you use an external filter as the water flow will help with disolving more co2. you could improve the pressure problem by running an air pump line into the cap, so that you're pressurizing the inside of the bottle to typical air line pressure, however this may (will) introduce a lot more oxygen into the brew than the yeasts may be used to/happy with, depending on the yeast, and evaporate some of the water.

Jakob Lell says:

Apr 2, 2008. 7:54 AM REPLY I don't think there is a problem with the co2 pressure. The brewing process always has to work against the atmospheric air pressure of about 1.0 bar. If the diffuser is 50 cm below the surface, this will increase the total pressure to 1.05 bar. This means that the pressure will only be increased by 5%. This small change will probably not make any noticeable difference.

unjust says:

Apr 2, 2008. 9:22 AM REPLY not quite. the brewing vessel and it's contents (if they're not rigid, as yours are not) are at equilibrium with the atmosphere (why you'll occasionally see bubbles back into a brewing vessel when there's a big weather change) as is the surface of the water. you're effectively adding a 50cm column of water for your co2 to overcome. while it will do this, it's adding 50cm of pressure to the container. not a lot, but it means that in order to get finer bubbles which will get more gas into the water, you need to overcome even more pressure to get it out of the fine aristone/wood. with a small enough hose this is reduced, however then you're looking at some capillary action. as a side note, how much co2 is a cup of sugar yeilding? as i recall glucose is 1:1:1 to co2 and ethanol, with table sugar a little less efficient. how much co2 does this translate into dissolved in the water vs lost to the surface, and how much do the plants need to make a difference? it's a really neat idea, i'm just not certain that it's terribly practical or significantly effective. (of course if you're using waste co2 from brewing it's somewhat practical.)

deth2all says:
i was thinking this could make booze while reading the instructable,

Apr 2, 2008. 12:31 AM REPLY

unjust says:
you -are- making booze with this instructible

Apr 2, 2008. 9:06 AM REPLY

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-CO2-Reactor-for-a-Planted-Aquarium/

deth2all says:
so i guess the real question would be when to change the bottle as to not spoil the precious precious booze

Apr 2, 2008. 10:51 AM REPLY

unjust says:

Apr 2, 2008. 11:35 AM REPLY it would depend on what you're brewing. to use this as a co2 harvesting from brewing byproduct, i'd say disconnect it when it stops bubbling, and then let it age or continue slow fermentation as appropriate for what you're using.

Sgt.Waffles says:

Mar 18, 2008. 4:56 PM REPLY You don't want to run an air pump while the lights are on. When the lights are on, plants use CO2. The extra oxygen with using an air pump would displace the CO2, making the setup pretty much worthless. At night, plants run off of O2. All of that extra CO2 builds up, and swings the pH drastically, so its wise to run an airstone only at night to keep the CO2 from building up. A lot of people plumb these lines into the inlet of cannister filters too.

ultrauber says:

Apr 1, 2008. 7:17 PM REPLY this is great.. i already know how to do this, but it's still pretty cool. you have a good looking aquarium. all i keep is 2 java ferns in a 30 gallon tank with 15 watts of light. if i added CO2, i'd have to upscale too much on light, but i'll favorite this so i can come back to it. +++++++++++++++++++++1

CHAOUS says:

Mar 17, 2008. 6:59 PM REPLY Good Idea, I have been doing this for years. However you can skip the messy glue part by using a 2 ltr soda bottle, and getting a #4 rubber cork with a predrilled hole for the line. We have a science and surplus center in Milwaukee that I get mine from.

Gjdj3 says:
Nice job Sgt. Waffles. I'll show this to my brother. He has a fish tank.

Mar 16, 2008. 3:06 PM REPLY

Sgt.Waffles says:
It won't do him much good if he doesn't have live plants though.

Mar 17, 2008. 10:29 AM REPLY

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-CO2-Reactor-for-a-Planted-Aquarium/