Carbon dioxide reactor for aldrovanda

[goldtrap2690]

i need to know exactly everything I need to know about hot to make this like how much yeast , sugar , water , when do i replace it , what do u replace , how big of a container , what type of tube , and all the other stuff .

 

[purp-guy]

I used a gallon plastic milk container filled about a third with water and to this I added about a cup of sugar (shake it up a bit to dissolve sugar) and tablespoon of yeast. Don't think that measurments need to be that accurate as things will go fine but don't have too much water or yeast/ sugar solution will bubble up into the other tank.
I had a flexible aquarium type air tubing in this set-up coming out the top of milk jug sealed with some silicon goop.
Be cautious doing this as increased carbon dioxide levels might increase growth of dreaded algae.
Hope this helps

 

[goldtrap2690]

thanks , but how about if I wanted to double that how about if I put in the correct amount of water but I double on the yeats and sugar . and how long will the reactor last andhow do I replace it .

 

[ludwig777]

Hello goldtrap, this may not help your situation but I had a CO2 tank rigged up for a while with a reactor driven by a water pump which forces the CO2 bubbles through a long coiled chamber, dispersing the CO2 evenly through the water.  The benefit of this is that one tank of CO2 will last worry-free for almost a year, but the downside is that it is quite expensive.  If you have access to a CO2 tank, the reactor itself is not too expensive.

I had a 60 gallon tank running on this system and the plant growth quadrupled what it was before instalation.  CO2's effect on aquatic plants is amazing; if you ever get serious about aquatic plant gardening CO2 injection is a must.  I read a good description of your approach in Carnivorous Plants by Tony Camilleri.

 

[BobZ]

Hi goldtrap2690,

I have a good idea why you are asking this question

My setup is similar to purp-guy, except I have been using gallon glass wine/juice jugs and a rubber lab stopper with a single hole in the top. I find the glass and rubber stopper arrangement makes it easy to get an airtight seal without gluegoop. I put one end of plastic aquarium tubing into the rubber stopper hole and attach the other end to an airstone in the bottom of the aquarium. I have two identical setups running at the same time, but I start a new batch of water-sugar-yeast in one of them about once a month. I find a batch will produce bubbles for 6 to 8 weeks, depending on temperature.

If you want to read more:
http://www.carnivorousplants.org/cpn/samples/Cult284CO2.htm

 

[D muscipula]

Be very careful about using something made of glass for this purpose!  In the advent that the tube gets plugged, you don't want the failure of your reactor to be accompanied by shrapnel.

It's a good idea to have a pressure release valve of some sort.

The Krib has a lot of information on CO2 reactors, which have long been used in tropical aquaria.  There are also some horror stories of what can (and does occasionally, apparently) happen that you should be aware of, too.

I'm making one of these myself soon out of two liter bottles.  I guess this is probably obvious, but make sure you keep the bottle upright- tipping it over can lead to the explosive buildup i mentioned at the start, because the liquid will seal the exit tube.  Either that, or end up in the tank with your aldrovanda.  Yuck!

Cheers