Using a DIY CO2 generator (yeast and sugar mix), Will this make a good
CO2 Reactor

instead of just releasing the CO2 via airstone, the co2 airline is fed
into a small inverted soda bottle filled with holes on top (500 ML,
thats about 12 inches in height) and is filled fibreglass ( the same
material used in filters) and placed at the bottom of the tank ???

Will the DIY CO2 generator produce enough pressure to press out the
CO2 (from the 2nd bottle inside the tank)into the water ?

Brent, I'm not an expert - but I believe that contact time and volume at
the co2 / water interface controls how much co2 diffuses into the water.

what this means, is that the larger the surface area of co2 you have in
contact with the water, the more co2 will actually get into the water.
the best way to increase surface area is to get the smallest bubbles
possible, and then keep them in contact with the water as long as
possible. I use a homemade reactor with the yeast method that works
fairly well - it consists of a powerhead, some tubing, and a section of
UGF (Undergravel Filter) uplift tube with a piece of filter sponge in
the end. the co2 is fed into the intake of the powerhead, where the
impeller chops up the bubbles into little ones. the output of the
powerhead has a short section of tubing connecting it to a plastic hose
barb fitting that is siliconed into a 8" section of UGf Tubing at the
top. the bottom of the UGF tubing is blocked with a piece of aquaclear
filter sponge to slow down the water flow and catch small bubbles of
co2. In operation, the sequence is like this: a bubble of co2 enters
the powerhead, is chopped up and spit out into the top of the reactor
body (UGF tubing) the bubbles try to float up, but the force of the
water from the powerhead keeps them suspended in the reactor body until
they all diffuse into the water. I get near 100% efficiency this way
(all the co2 diffuses into the water) and the cost was very minimal.
Even if you buy everything new, a small powerhead runs less than $20,
tubing, fittings, etc only run a couple of bucks apiece. I got the idea
from an article on the krib
http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/CO2/diffuser.html and used stuff I had on
hand to build it ;o)

--Robb Hammack


Brent wrote:
Using a DIY CO2 generator (yeast and sugar mix), Will this make a good
CO2 Reactor

instead of just releasing the CO2 via airstone, the co2 airline is fed
into a small inverted soda bottle filled with holes on top (500 ML,
thats about 12 inches in height) and is filled fibreglass ( the same
material used in filters) and placed at the bottom of the tank ???

Will the DIY CO2 generator produce enough pressure to press out the
CO2 (from the 2nd bottle inside the tank)into the water ?