DIY co2 bubble rate

This co2 system was driving me mad, so I went down to my basement and got my fish supplies box and looked to see if I had anything in there that would help me. And I came up with the briliant idea to use a gang valve. This way I can control the flow by allowing the execess co2 off into the open air, much like Tony explained, and it seems to be working great. Also instead of letting it bubble from the bottom with no diffusion I am running it in through my filter like MyShrimp has.
 
15 is a good start

15 is good, 20 is better, 25 top of the good range, 30 is getting too high.

15 - 25 is where you want to be.

Don't get anxious until you are above 25 or over 30 even.
 
Great! Thanks anonapersona! I was wondering how fast should my bpm be to ease them into a change? my pH is 7.6 and KH is 180.

Also how often do I need to change the co2 bottle?
 
It's hard to tell how fast things are changing by counting bubbles.
What you need to do is monitor the pH and increase the Co2 slowly so that you are not changing the pH more than .3 or .4 in 24 hours.
As far as how often to change the bottles, it depends on what your recipe is. Average is probably about two weeks. You can experiment with different recipes to see what works best for you.
Lol - you wouldn't believe the amount of sugar and yeast I've been through experimenting with stuff:D I probably could have bought a high pressure system with the amount I've spent.
 
I just wanted to add a little here. For the past year and a half Ive been doing the diy co2 in a 20 gal. I tried different types of yeast to get a more stable output. First was bread yeast and homebrew yeast both acted the same. High output at first then dying off. So I thought why not some wine yeast? Bread yeast dies off when the alchol level reaches around 5 to 6 percent. Wine yeast dies off at 17 percent. What I got was a much more stable and longer lasting mixture. With no explosion at the start. Wine yeast is a little more expensive but to me well worth the cost.
 
I got it a few different places if you dont have a local wine making store just do a search for wine making supplies. I use lalvin K1-V1116 it cost around 85 cents for a 5 gram packet. And dont store it in the freezer. Tim
 
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