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Sodastream CO2?
Has anyone from the UK on this list tried using 'Sodastream' CO2 cylinders as
a means of fertilising their aquarium? Is the CO2 they contain pure enough?
What pressure is it at? Do the cylinders take a standard sized fitting?
For those who have no idea what I am talking about, Sodatream machines use a
small CO2 cylinder to carbonate water in a special bottle, for making fizzy
drinks. Basically they shoot the CO2 through the water while keeping the
bottle sealed. This results in supersaturation and subsequent precipitation
of CO2 from the water. (It gets fizzy!).
I used to have a working machine before I broke all the bottles and couldn't
obtain replacements (found it easier to buy ready carbonated water, anyhew)
so I have 3 (possibly) half full fun-sized CO2 cylinders sitting doing
nothing very constructive in my garage.
What I thought I could do would be to remove the valve gubbins from my
machine, this comprising a button operated variable flow valve, pressure
reducing nodule and gas tight screw fitting, terminating in an airline-sized
piece of brass pipe. I could then arrange a screw adjuster for this valve,
allowing me to vary the flow by turning a knob.
If you can imagine, it would comprise a U-shaped frame with a bolt through it
from one arm of the U to the other. The valve fits into this sideways, and by
tightening the bolt the valve is activated and the gas flows. If I used a
slow-threaded bolt I could, I think, obtain a quite slow and accurately
controllable flow without need to recourse to expensive dooberries such as
needle valves and pressure reducers.
These bottles are about 12" long by 2" in diameter, grey coloured, having a
1/2" screw fitting on one end with a "pip" in the middle which when pressed
in allows the gas to flow. They ARE made specially for Sodastream, so they
probably have proprietary features built in. Particularly the CO2 may not be
PURE CO2, maybe they put some additives in to make the water taste nicer? or
not go flat so quickly? Both of which would not be appreciated by my
aquarium!
Thanks in advance,
Matt