failed at diy co2 injection

[rickykline]

so i thought last night i would try a DIY co2 injection system.. but apparently i may be a bad *** auto technician but i cant seem to make a homemade co2 system work lol.. i woke up this morning and the entire tank was a huge white cloud.. im hoping i dont go home to a dead fish tank.. but i do want to get this co2 injection down and safe. can you all help me?

[JGUERRA]

Re: failed at diy co2 injection

SORRY CANT HELP IVE NEVER TRIED THAT BEFORE.. GOOD LUCK!

[Mzungu]

Re: failed at diy co2 injection

Did you use a check valve?

[rickykline]

Re: failed at diy co2 injection

no i didnt should i have???

[rickykline]

Re: failed at diy co2 injection

think it syphoned backwards?

when i get home im going to do a big water change to help out if the fish and plants arent all dead

[rickykline]

Re: failed at diy co2 injection

this is a 10 gallon tank also..

[Mzungu]

Re: failed at diy co2 injection

It's very possible that it siphoned back into the tank. If you have a check valve lying around, I'd hook it up.

Did you use a soda bottle and improvise, or did you use a store-bought DIY system? Just trying to picture the setup.

I definitely agree with you on the "big water change" idea. Hope everyone's doing okay in there!

[edkrueger]

Re: failed at diy co2 injection

Are you suggesting tank water back siphoned into the CO2 canister and then got back to the tank?

Are you using a venturi to put the co2 into the tank?

[Mzungu]

Re: failed at diy co2 injection

CO2 canister...? Do you mean the container in which the yeast, sugar, and water is sitting?

[rickykline]

Re: failed at diy co2 injection

i used a 2 liter sprite bottle and a piece of rubber air tubing and a air stone.. thats all..

[Brownsnoutuk]

Re: failed at diy co2 injection

You filled the bottle all the way to the top, when the yeast started producing co2 it increased the volume of the water/sugar/yeast mixture and it went up the airline into your tank. You should leave a 1/4 of the bottle as air. I run the bottles into another bottle first, then into the tank, so if it overflows, its into a bottle not the tank.

Sugar and yeast shouldnt hurt your fish any.

[ponyrandy]

Re: failed at diy co2 injection

Yeah, you should have a check valve, but it only keeps tank water out of the co2 bottle, not the contents of the co2 bottle out of the tank. If you need more volume, fill 2 or more bottles part way up and just hook them together.
Brian

[insomniaclush]

Re: failed at diy co2 injection

What was the placement of the soda bottle, was it under the tank some distance?
I've known some people to have this happen to them. Seems when thay had there setup above
the tank, gravity would help pull yeast water from the brewing bottles down into the tank.
If you keep having this problem try adding a secend smaller bottle for a gas separator.
I hope your fish are ok!

Here is a couple of setups I have for my smaller tanks

Two 64oz bottles for a 29gal

and two 32oz bottles for a 7gal cube

Both are hooked up to glass nano diffusers and sit around 28 inchs down from the bottom of the tanks.

[nacra99]

Re: failed at diy co2 injection

Besides not filling the bottle to the top, you need a "drip bottle" or a "gas seperator".
Lemme find a pic for you

[ponyrandy]

Re: failed at diy co2 injection

Yep, that is what I was talking about. But I must say that I started out with DIY like everyone else and once you go to pressurised you will never go back. It is well worth the money to not have to touch your co2 system for almost a year (depending on tank size).
Brian