DIY CO2 newbie support group

[rpumer]

not a check valve... a cut-off valve... for airline tubing pressure adjustment. much like a gang valve but one input and one output.

I have been using check-valves between the bubble counter bottle and aquarium feed and also a check valve between each yeast bottle and the bubble counter. They just automatically cut off when I remove an individual bottle and if you squeeze the yeast bottle it prevents back flow into either the bubble counter bottle or the squeezed yeast bottle.

Ultimately I chose the check valve solution because I feared I would forget to re-open the the cutoff valve and lead to an exploding yeast bottle. Yeast dripping all over the family room would not conducive to a harmonious marriage. It protects me from my forgetful tendencies.

Dundadundun is correct in that cut-off valves enable you to completely and securely shut off any portion of the circuit. Cut-off valves are also a about 1/2 the price of check-valves as well - so that is a bonus.

 

[cobfreak]

I'd like to get my new system with the two juice bottles and the gas separator/bubble counter running this week. To do that, I thought I should go ahead and mix the stuff in the two bottles and get them primed; I've seen that suggested somewhere, multiple somewheres. I have a question, though, that I thought maybe someone could answer: If mix it up ahead of time in a bottle with a regular cap, should I then leave it sitting for a day with the lid off? Or should i leave the lid on (that seems like that can't be the answer.)

For this go-round i'm going to use the following recipe for each bottle:
2 cups sugar
3/4 teaspoon yeast
1/4 cup hot water (105 - 115 degrees)
1/4 teaspoon sugar (for yeast activation)

1 teaspoon? baking soda
2 cups sugar (for main mixture)
? water (to fill bottle to fill line/shoulder of bottle)

I've got another recipe using jell-o that James0816 sent me that I'll probably try next time. Currently I don't have any jell-o and I don't have any real urge to go shopping.

 

[connor_09]

Hey everyone, newbie to the DIY CO2 system, thought I'd post on here everything I have so far as I am going to try and make my system tomorrow.

In picture one I've got all my equipment, Sugar, yeast, check valves x2, silicone tubing, small separator bottle, large yeast generator, I also have some silicon sealant and my glass diffuser is coming tomorrow (fingers crossed).

In picture two I have my little DIY box I knocked up today to house the yeast generator and separator in (as its going in my wardrobe figured I best).

Finally in picture three you can see the overview of my tank/ wardrobe/room. As said the generator and separator will be kept in the wardrobe in the box, my tubing will then run from there behind my drawers to the far left hand side of my tank (as this is where my filter is) into the tank connected to my diffuser and ready to produce CO2 hopefully!

Any tips, things I've missed, or generally anything you think if wrong with my plan would be very, very helpful!

 

[cobfreak]

That's a nice layout, and I love the idea of putting the generator in a nice box. A couple of things:
Are you going to drill a hole/cut a slot for the tubing to run out of the box?
Also, the separator bottle also can work as a bubble counter, in which case it's a good idea to remove the plastic covering from the bottle (unless it's not a transparent bottle.) I know your diffuser will have a built-in counter, so you might just choose to not worry about that part. Aside from that of course if it's all inside the wooden box you wouldn't be able to see it anyway.

Keep us posted when you get it all setup! You've got your plan more spec'd out than I did (or still do) so it'll be nice to see the progress.

 

[connor_09]

Thanks, yeh drilling a hole in the box and the side of my wardrobe to feed the tubing toward the tank, I hadn't planned on but as the plastic will come off of the bottle I don't see why not. All the equipment is ready just unsure of my recipe which is the most important part I guess, hopefully I can figure a gooden out.

Will do, I'll hopefully have some more pictures up tomorrow afternoon.

 

[jasonG75]

Formula.
2-3 cups of sugar
1 teaspoon of yeast
1/2 teaspoon of Baking Soda
2 litter bottle.

Guys I am scratching my head at this point. I have sucessfully completed 4 DIYs. Now I went to re-do one because it has expired and I am not getting anything. First attempt= no bubbles, Second attempt=no bubbles...Third time I threw the airline, airstone, and 2 little bottle away and started over. 3rd Attempt=NOTHING.

Why now am I not getting anything, same formula as I have always used, now something isnt right....

Could my Baking Soda be bad? I bought a different brand of yeast after the second attempt, still nothing on the third. WHAT GIVES.


:wall::wall::wall:

 

[texasguy]

How long did you wait before trying again?

 

[connor_09]

I wasn't aware that baking soda could be used...what advantage does it have? Also the recipe you gave, would that be sufficient for my 54L tank? And as you probably guessed I wouldn't have a clue on your recipe failures due to my lack of experience...

 

[cobfreak]

Formula.
2-3 cups of sugar
1 teaspoon of yeast
1/2 teaspoon of Baking Soda
2 litter bottle.

Guys I am scratching my head at this point. I have sucessfully completed 4 DIYs. Now I went to re-do one because it has expired and I am not getting anything. First attempt= no bubbles, Second attempt=no bubbles...Third time I threw the airline, airstone, and 2 little bottle away and started over. 3rd Attempt=NOTHING.

Why now am I not getting anything, same formula as I have always used, now something isnt right....

Could my Baking Soda be bad? I bought a different brand of yeast after the second attempt, still nothing on the third. WHAT GIVES.


:wall::wall::wall:

I don't think the baking soda would be related to starting it. More on that in a sec. My guesses are that you didn't wait long enough, or your yeast is not working. When I set mine up, the one that is working now and is in my original posts here, it didn't work for a couple of days. I kept having to shake it. Finally, it just took. But it really did take a couple of days for some reason. Now it's been going strong ever since. But at least you could try shaking it while it's attached to your system and see if bubbles come out that way. Because that definitely released a lot of bubbles for me each time I did it, even before it actually made it keep going.

I wasn't aware that baking soda could be used...what advantage does it have? Also the recipe you gave, would that be sufficient for my 54L tank? And as you probably guessed I wouldn't have a clue on your recipe failures due to my lack of experience...

The baking soda, from what I understand, is a buffering agent, and I think it's meant to help protect the yeast from the alcohol that is being created.

Speaking of that, and this is a dumb question but I'm sorta curious: has anybody drank this stuff after it's done? You know, filter the liquid out, and then taste? :silly:

 

[jasonG75]

How long did you wait before trying again?

24 hrs.

Usually about 30 to 45 min after the setup I get bubbles, sometimes within 15 minutes (before)