Reddit reviews CO2 Natural Plant System Bubble Counter with Suction Cup and Tubing
We found 7 Reddit comments about CO2 Natural Plant System Bubble Counter with Suction Cup and Tubing. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Ensures proper absorption of CO2 into aquariumHelps provide lush plant growthEasy placementBuilt with a suction cub for a strong hold
Why not just hook up your airlock to this:
https://www.amazon.com/Natural-System-Bubble-Counter-Suction/dp/B0002DI1W4
I'm using [this] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0002DI1W4/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1383012668&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70)
I've been running the 24/7 on my 55 for a couple months now. If you don't plan to do CO2, it will be far too much light (at least in 24/7 mode). I was battling hair algae for the first couple weeks until I started CO2. If you raise it up a bit, you may be OK.
I don't see much of a problem going with a slightly Shorter light. You may have slightly less growth on the sides, but I doubt it will be noticeable beyond what full length would give you.
Edit: my CO2 I currently run: DIY generator with bubble counter/diffuser. You need citric acid (canning area of grocery store) every couple of weeks with some baking soda. My indicator shows I can get plenty at about 1 bubble per second. I will likely upgrade to a pressurized system later, just wanted to test drive CO2 before investing too much money.
If you're doing yeast DIY I think the hagen ladder is the best option: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002DI1W4/ref=ox_ya_os_product_refresh_T1
I've used it with really good results.
It works as a bubble counter, and requires almost no working pressure. I also find that it's a little more forgiving of the unavoidable fluctuations that happen with yeast. When you have a new bottle pumping bubbles out, they move quickly and don't completely dissolve, preventing overgassing. When the bottle starts to slow, so do the bubbles, giving them more time to dissolve fully and keeping levels from dropping too much. Seems to help with overall stability.
The only problem I can think of is the diffuser. I've heard many concerns about using a ceramic diffuser on a DIY setup.
For my setup I'm using the Hagen Ladder and it works quite well.
It takes about a day to work fine, because at first the bubble will "stick" to the ladder.
Hahaha nice! Thanks for the feedback. Though I don't know if that may be too much for a 15 gallon lol. Considering I may have to go with another diffuser other than this one...
http://www.amazon.com/Natural-System-Bubble-Counter-Suction/dp/B0002DI1W4/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1422346279&sr=8-6&keywords=co2+diffuser
When you say "diffuser," I'm picturing a ceramic disc that the CO2 runs up under, something like this: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41LDxWbIrsL._SY300_.jpg
However, you can make a larger-pore diffuser with a bamboo skewer by sticking the pointy end into the tubing, sealing it in, and cutting it down to an appropriate size.
Another option for getting the CO2 into your water is a bubble ladder. The bubbles are much, much larger than you'd get with either a bamboo skewer or a ceramic diffuser, but since there's no resistance, you should be able to go longer before having to recharge your bottle(s). You can also use this as a bubble counter, too.
No, increased pressure won't increase your bubble rate. You'd need to increase the amount of CO2 you're generating in your DIY system to do that. Remember your gas laws, the pressure will always move towards equalization in a system—the only way a pressure imbalance lasts is if there's something providing resistance, like a diffuser; you can only have pressure with resistance. Picture an inflated balloon: it's tied off at the end, so air can't escape easily. There's a big pressure difference between the air that's pushing on the knot from the inside of the balloon vs. the outside. If you untied it (removing the resistance), the air inside the balloon would go rushing out, decreasing the pressure inside until it's equal with the pressure outside. Increasing the pressure inside the balloon (squeezing the balloon to make it smaller) requires that there still be a knot tied in the end of it, but once you untie it, you no longer have that increased pressure. To increase the rate air leaves the balloon once that knot is untied, you'd have to start off with more air in the same amount of space.