DIY CO2 and Last But Not Yeast

[Roan Art]

I've been having problems getting my DIY bottle to get to 20ppm and last more than 4 days. I even had to up the amount of yeast to 2 tsps from 1. I don't like these fluctuations in pH and CO2 at all.

Anyhow, as I was mixing a new bottle tonight it suddenly occured to me that I may be killing much of the yeast. Yeast are fungii, right? Will ammonia kill them?

I have 1.0 ammonia straight out of the tap and have been mixing my yeast with that. Tonight I decided it couldn't hurt to add some Prime and so I did. The difference is either amazing or I am hallucinating.

Usually it takes about 15 mins for the yeast to start to bubble and overnight before I can hook it up to the airline and inject.

After I added the Prime and shook the bottle up, it started to fizz almost immediately and was producing HUGE CO2 bubbles within 10 mins. I had to wipe down my diffuser to get the bubbles into a finer form

So, am I hallucinating or is this for real? Does ammonia kill yeast and would it effect the solution that much?

Roan

 

[reiverix]

I'm not sure about ammonia but chlorine/chloramine in the tapwater might be harmful to the yeast.

 

[Roan Art]

John,

I just tested the bowfront that I had put the "dechlorinated" CO2 solution on last night and, get this:

pH: 6.6
KH: 4
Calc CO2: 28.278

I have *NEVER* been able to get the CO2 up that high. Highest I could go was 20 and change.

I bet you're right. It's probably chlorine/chloramine and it probably inhibits yeast growth.

Roan