View Full Version : Poll: What type of CO2 do you use?
If you use some other contraption, or if your system is listed above but has an interesting tweak, please detail. :)
Matak
03-09-2003, 10:02 PM
OK, to start the ball rolling, I use a DIY gelatine/sugar/yeast recipe. Works great!
NJ Devils Fan
03-09-2003, 10:03 PM
What exactly do you mean by DiY sugar/yeast and store bought sugar/yeast? You can't exactly make your own sugar and yeast. I think you should get rid of the "store bought" option and just say "DiY with sugar/yeast, compressed CO2, and other"
Matak
03-09-2003, 10:11 PM
Hagen makes a yeast based CO2 generator in this kit (http://www.hagen.com/usa/aquatic/product.cfm?CAT=1&SUBCAT=118&PROD_ID=01076900020101)
carpguy
03-09-2003, 10:31 PM
I've been struggling with DIY sugar/yeast and DIY sugar/yeast/gelatine and have actually done a bit of research into yeast in an effort to optimize and smooth out production. I am shopping for a pressurized rig and hope to have one in place over the next few weeks. DIY just seems like too much work and to irregular in output.
NJ Devils Fan
03-09-2003, 10:40 PM
What have you been struggling with? What has been your problem?
I've got a DIY Yeast/Sugar setup, but I haven't planted the tank yet so I guess that doesn't really count.
Richer
03-09-2003, 11:58 PM
I got hagen's system and a compressed system going.
-Richer
nvision
03-10-2003, 12:46 AM
i'll be pulling out and revitalizing my pressurized co2 for the 50g, but also have recently ordered 2 hagen kits for my 20g and 10g tanks. i'm really hoping these kits will pull through, because i couldn't get myself to invest in 2 additional pressurized setups just for these smaller tanks, which are all in separate rooms.
carpguy
03-10-2003, 1:00 AM
Originally posted by NJ Devils Fan
What have you been struggling with? What has been your problem?
The first two go arounds I just took a 2 liter Powerade bottle, addded some water, sugar and Fleischman's Yeast I got at the supermarket. Didn't really last very long or give me very good production. I don't think Powerade bottles seal as well as soda bottles for one thing (I know this is the case with my DIY bubble counter, which took quite a bit of epoxy and silicone to seal). And aside from the leaks, I just wasn't satisfied with the production.
I got inspired by some experiments being carried out by some of the folks at AquaBotanic and started studying yeast and winemaking techniques. (One of the guys over there has been trying to recreate the Hagen mix and I think he was getting somewhere). I hit a winemaking store and set up the über-yeast generator. A stout 1 gallon glass jug, champagne yeast, gelatine and sugar rich water. I think my biggest problem was that I managed to overdo the sugar.
I followed some directions I found on a winemaking site about creating a yeast starter culture. I was at 50+ bpm after 24 hours, topped out in the low 60s on day 3, was back to the mid 40s after a week. The jug was completely dead after about 3 weeks. Too much work and too unstable, too variable. I've been thinking about trying less sugar, more gelatine, and even adapting some sake making techniques. There is a fantastic amount of info available that I think has been largely untapped by the DIY crowd. And I generally am very pro-DIY. But I've been running around the clock for weeks and have more money than time.
The cost had scared me off at first but I want to add another 30 alongside the first and the convenience and predictability of pressurized is becoming irresistable. For me, it seems like the best approach. Your Mileage certainly May Vary.
Compressed.
At one point, I never thought I'd spend the money on a compressed setup. But, after having it up & running for a year, I wonder why I waited so long - it's the best!
Skippy
03-10-2003, 3:34 AM
In agreeance with GCVT.
After having tinkered with various DIY set ups, I got a tank and regulator and now would go back in time and buy myself one as a present just to keep from having gone through the DIY phase.
There's certainly something to be said for not having to touch my compressed C02 system since last March 27! DIY was more of a pain in the ash than i realized at the time. And, compressed costs less in the long run - how long only depends on what you pay for sugar and yeast. The convenience of compressed, of course, makes it seem even cheaper.
P.S. Skippy - just cuz Fred Durst says it at the Grammy's doesn't make "agreeance" a word :p ;) :p ;) :p
I use a gelatine/sugar/yeast setup. I get about 1½ to 2 months out of one batch which is longer than most do. Here is why it works for me: [list=a]
I have a smaller planted tank (30 gallons)
I have fairly high KH (15°) so what CO2 my system does produce goes a long way
The gelatine mix produces a slower, longer reaction
I make larger (three litre) batches
I spread the champagne yeast very evenly over the top of the mix and use only ½ the required amount.
[/list=a]
In spite of the longevity of my mix, compressed CO2 is looking very attractive to me. It is one of my long term goals to buy & install one someday, but for now, DIY rules.
NJ Devils Fan
03-10-2003, 7:43 AM
carpguy, what probably happened with the first setup was that the mixture was too cold for the yeast to ferment. What people do to keep the bottles warm is they(me included) put them in a bucket with water and an old, cheap heater to keep the water warm. That way, the yeast will actually ferment.
Faramir
03-10-2003, 8:05 AM
Mine sits on top of the fluorescent light controllers. This makes it cooler at night and warmer by day, varying slightly the CO2 production just as I want it.
carpguy
03-10-2003, 8:32 AM
NJ,
Both types of yeast that I used are very happy at room temps and slightly lower (mid 50s to mid 70s). Heating the mix will increase output, but in the third go around I would have wanted to slow it down if anything. I think some very good yeast burned through very available sugar and blew themselves out too fast. A different gelatin setup might have slowed things down and stabilized things but I haven't had the time to tinker.
Like I said, I like DIY solutions and if it works for you thats great. I think its possible to get very solid results with it. It doesn't fit what I have right now. Compressed is more convenient and stable if you don't mind the startup cost.
125gJoe
03-10-2003, 9:12 AM
Pressurized is sooo nice! I got mine from Florida Driftwood....
CO2 Stuff (http://www.floridadriftwood.com/subcatmfgprod.asp?0=217&1=252&2=-1&6=1)
Ordovician
03-10-2003, 11:04 AM
I started using compresed last year and I have never looked back. Only thing I don't like doing is going to the store to buy more CO2.
djlen
03-10-2003, 12:25 PM
The only thing worse than going to the store to buy CO2 every 6-8 months, is going to the store every other week to buy sugar.
Man, it was getting old after a while. Especially when I was running 3-4 bottles to keep a 55 gal. at the pH I wanted.
I just set up my pressurized system and am very happy with it so far. The cheapie needle valve I got at Home Depot is working very well BTW.....so far. The jury is still out.
I'll keep everyone posted.
Len
anonapersona
03-10-2003, 12:26 PM
I'm doing gelatine DIY in two tanks and Hagen in the last tank.
I'm getting a month out of the gelatine, with a stable pH. Only moderate CO2 levels, but that is probably more due to the HOB filter than the yeast.
I will be moving to a larger one gallon bottle on the 29 G soon, just to see how much longer it might go, but it is all under control now so I'm done experimenting until after some holidays.
Currently, I'm using gelatine with 1 cup of sugar in a 2 liter bottle with baking soda and salt.
In a few weeks I'll set up a side-by-side test of champagne yeast, ale yeast, and bread yeast using gelatine only. When I have those daily bubble rates charted, I'll do it again with the same yeasts and baking soda, then again with yeast nutrient. theres a lot of different types of yeast nutrient so I'm not sure how many of those I might test.
anonapersona: I will be anticipating those results with baited breath!
carpguy
03-10-2003, 11:34 PM
Hey Anonapersona!
Anonapersona is the person over on the AquaBotanic board who inspired my yeast researches. He has a few long running threads on the topic and they're well worth reading for anyone interested in DIY CO2. I'm hoping he(?) turns it into an article at the end of the day.
I feel almost guilty for bailing, but there just isn't enough time in the day or sugar in the cupboard. Maybe I'll try one last batch while I'm assembling the rig.