DIY CO2

[Timinator]

I tried the DIY Co2 method last night.. did the mixture and put an airstone at the end.. I noticed that water was getting in the pipe from the airstone and thought to myself that the CO2 gas would eventually push the water out as the pressure built up.. well did that last night and this morning the water was still at the same point if not a little more in the pipe than when i first put it in.. I dissolved 3/4cup of sugar in hot water, then dissolved the baking yeast in cold water, filled the 2 litre bottle to about 4" from the top and put it underneath my aquarium for the night.. (The yeast was in the cupboard and was probably 2 - 3 years old) .. I'm thinking the yeast was old and thus nothing happendd... any ideas??

Thanks.

T.C.

[ChloroPhil]

I think your yeast was too old too. Try dissolving the yeast in warm water also, that tends to activate them. They're a fungus, and fungi like dark, warm places. Just don't go around with your bottle down your pants, ok? :)

[limige]

yeah, yeast will do nothing in cold water, use warm. also always use fresh yeast.

[Timinator]

OK so i bought some fresh yeast and made another batch.. started the solution at around 5:15pm and it's now 10:20 and i see the clear tubing turning slighlty condensated.. i have a checkvalve installed and there is water up until that point.. will the CO2 bottle create enough pressure to open the checkvalve and push the water out of the hose and also get through the airstone?.. the solution is starting to foam over now.. i think this is a good batch . how long must i wait for the CO2 to start flowing?

Thnks

T.C.

[ChloroPhil]

Tim,

Yes, the gas will build up enough pressure to push the water out of the tube.

Here's a question for you: Do you have a sump? If so, put the yeast reactor in there, it helps out a lot. If not, a bucket with a heater for a warm water bath with keep things moving well.

[Timinator]

thanks for the tip.. i will try that.. I was able to get CO2 happenin.. last night I put an in-line valve as I thought i might reduce some of the CO2 when my light goes out and plant rest.. After I installed the in-line, my Co2 stopped working... I can see the reaction still happenin' but maybe my valve is causing resistance or something.. (it is fully open) Anyways, should I worry about full steam injection at night and remove the valve? This seems to work great, I have already notice my plants grow just over the weekend!! There are new roots happening aswell.. this is amazing! I was monitoring my PH all weekend.. (i have a 55g tank) My PH was intially 7.4, and over the 2 days, it came down to 6.9-7.0 and it seems to be remaining there.. Anyway, my guess for my CO2 failing at the moment is probably the cause of losing the gas through the valve...
Please feel free to comment..

Thank you.

T.C.

[GulfCoastDiscus]

Any pics?

Dan ;D

[Paulio]

Tim,

Yes, the gas will build up enough pressure to push the water out of the tube.

Here's a question for you: Do you have a sump? If so, put the yeast reactor in there, it helps out a lot. If not, a bucket with a heater for a warm water bath with keep things moving well.


Or a bucket of water with the reactor in it in the sump ;D I wouldnt put the reactor in the sump directly. If for some reason it leaked your fish would be out of 02 in a hurry. I had a cat knock over a DIY reactor once. The brew made its way into the tank. Couldnt have been that way more than 30 minutes and in that time it was an almost unsolvable problem. Lots of food in a tank for all that yeast. The water would turn cloudy and the fish would be gasping at the surface within an hour of a 75% water change and I was doing them almost every hour. It took a few days like this to get a handle on it but I had already lost most of the fish the first day. DIY co2 is great if you take the right precautions. Get a milk crate or the like to sit your reactors in to keep them from getting knocked over. Use the one gallon Juice bottles as they are heavier tha pop bottles or at least rotate out your pop bottles every so often. Drill the hole in the cap about half the size of the airline tube and force it through the hole. This way there is no glue needed as the extra tube will seal it and provide a "possible" fail point should the line get a kink so the gas can leak rather than build up and blow the bottle apart. I had that happen once too :-\ Simple syrup is very hard to get out of the carpet.

Paul

[Timinator]

Thanks Paul.

I have my mix sitting on the floor in back of the aquarium. the total length of the airline would probably be 6ft. the mix only lasted good for a couple of days and doesn't seem to be producing enough CO2 anymore to send the bubbles throught the airstone.. How long do these mixtures normally last and if any, what can i do to make it last longer? I haven't tried the bucket idea yet as my tank is no where near my sump and not sure if i can fit a bucket in the back of my aquarium.. (it's sitting on a 45deg in a corner) If i was able to do so, adding a 3rd heater might trip my braker.. I have 2 heaters in the tank should one fail, not to mention the TV, the entertainment centre on the same circuit...

Thanks.

T.C.

[Brian-pdx]

A yeast reactor should go a week or two before recharging. If you can find a diy wine/beer shop, try a wine yeast, they last longer. I also found some yeast nutrient there (1tsp per feeding) that stabilizes the reaction, keeps the foam down and helps it last longer. Also, once you get it going, you can save a cup of the mix, clean out the rest, add sugar, warm water, nutrient, and dump back the cup of mix, and you never have to buy yeast again. Like a sourdough starter...

[Paulio]

You should get about 10 days out of a mix. I used to use two 1 gallon juice jugs (Minute Maid ;D) together. I would start one about 7 days after the other and then refresh one of them alternating every ten days. The mix I used was 3 cups sugar, 1 teaspoon yeast activated in warm water, and a pinch of baking soda. The two were enough to run a planted 75 well.