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DIYco2 (fertilising your aquatic plants) by Fishlovers Co2 is used to get faster and better plant growth. It has become very popular in planted tanks in the last couple of years but the pressurized set ups are so expensive so what I am going to show you is how to make a Diy co2 unit that costs around $5 probably less but first off you will need a bit of equipment:
Ok now you know what equipment you need I will now tell you how to make the co2 unit. 1) Now find a drill piece that is just a tiny bit smaller than the diameter of the tubing and then drill a hole in the centre of the bottle cap. 2) You can now cut the length of tubing you need, Don't forget to leave a bit extra just in case you need to resituate the bottle or for any other reason 3) ok choose the end of the tubing that is going to be in the bottle and cut it on an angle so that that the tubing has a point. Now push the point of the tubing into the hole you have just drilled, Then once you have push it in as far as it will go you then can grab the pliers and pull the tube about 3cm into the bottle. 4) ok if you have chosen the right drill piece then it should be leak proof but if you want to add the sealant just to make sure it definitely won't leak then this is how you do it. So now bring out the sealant and put some in the cap against the tubing to make a seal. Let it sit for40 minutes to an hour for it to dry. Then repeat the same thing for the top and let it sit. Once you have done sealing the tube don't mess with it much because it may move the tube and stop the sealant from sealing properly. Diffuser Now that you have built the co2 unit you will need a way of introducing it into the aquarium. Their are many ways of doing this, these include:
I would not recommend the air stone as it doesn't completely dissolve all of the co2. personally I use the injection through the power filter and it works great. their are many other ways of introducing co2 into the aquarium but their are to many to list. Recipe Now that you have made the co2 unit you now have to make the recipe but before we jump in and make the mixture we need a few things first
Their are many recipes you can use but I prefer to use the recipe containing 2 cups sugar and 1 teaspoon of yeast. different recipes last different length of time .remember yeast eats the sugar and produces co2. so the more yeast you use the more co2 you will get but it will not last as long. Also less yeast means less co2 but it will last a lot longer. So it is up to you but I prefer to use the 1tsp yeast recipe. 1) ok now grab you 2l bottle and put the funnel in the top of the bottle than get 2 cups of sugar and pour it into the bottle. 2) now fill the bottle up to where it starts to curve with warm water if you use hot water it will not work. Find a cap and screw it on tight then shake the bottle up so most of the sugar is dissolved 3)now put the funnel back in then add the 1 tsp of yeast. Never walk away and leave the bottle with a lid that has no hole as it will become very messy because co2 needs a exit point other wise it will build up pressure in the bottle and explode. 4) now put the lid with the tubing on it back on the bottle and hook up to your choice of diffuser. Now that you have hooked up you co2 it should take between 10 minutes to 24 hours to start if you used warm water then it should only take between 10-30 minutes to start producing co2. Written by Jake Roberts
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