Slimy thing on my CO2 diffuser

[patoloco]

Hi people. Long time no see.

I've been away from the forums for some weeks, but have kept close to my fish.

A few weeks ago I starting dosing my planted tank with co2, using a DIY mixture (yeast+jello) and a Hagen ladder typr diffuser.

At the beggining, it worked like a charm, but after a few days, the bubbles started to get stuck in the ladder, and it would take 3 or 4 bubbles to push them up again. I took the ladder out and it was covered with a slimy clear substance and some fish debris. I washed it with a tootbrush, and re installed it.

It worked fine for a week and again it's covered with that slime and the bubbles getting stuck.

Any suggestion? I wonder if it has something to do with the jello recipe or if it's normal for plastic to get "slimy"?

[Dirk]

Hi Crazy Duck, where's your avatar?

I'm no expert, but I suspect your slime growth is encouraged by the jello. Perhaps yeast and sugar would be both cheaper and better for your latter. I doubt too many people would keep a latter if you had to clean it every few days.

[Leopardess]

What's happening to you is common. It happens with just sugar and yeast, also. It's nothing to worry about, but it is a PITA. You can set up a "depository bottle" to hold that junk instead of allowing it to go to the diffusor. This basically would consist of, say, a 20 oz soda bottle plumbed into the air path of your CO2, the gunk collects in the bottle, the co2 goes into the tank. It is a bacteria, I believe. Comes and goes. I'll try to find a more specific link.

As for links, it's hard to find because no one calls it the same thing. Some call it slime, some residue, some "goop". But if you google co2 and white and slime or whatever, you do get hits.

http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/CO2/co2-ferm.html#12 - that guy even looked at it under a microscope LOL.