question regarding diy co2.

terror

terror

AC Members
May 23, 1999
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Manila, Philippines
anybody here using diy co2?
i just finished my diy co2 injector..
tried blowing into the hose, and its really hard... didn't even produce bubbles in the diffuser..
will yeast co2 produce more pressure than my breath??:):confused:

will add it in later... just waiting for my sugar solution to cool down:)
 
Just started with no problems except that I didn't use enough sugar so it was slow bubbling. Sounds like you need new tubing.

Yeast and Sugar will produce as much pressure as your container can handle, so yeah, way more than your lungs. Although that doesn't mean that that's what you want.;)

There used to be a member around here, DIYMatt, who appeared the resident expert on DIY CO2.

Is this your recipe?
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1043
 
recipe..

thanks:)
my recipe is just 2 cups water, 2 cups sugar and 1/4 tsp yeast.
what i did was pour the 2 cups water and 2 cups sugar into a pan, and heat it to dissolve the sugar, then i poured it into the bottle.
i added 1/4 tsp yeast to a bowl with some water, then dissolved it.
after about 5-10 mins i poured it into the continer, where the sugar solution has already cooled,
there was no reaction..
did i do it wrong? should there be any reaction ??
 
thanks!

Originally posted by RTR
This is not a chemical reaction, but a biological one. You will not see bubbles produced for several hours to over night.
Click to expand...


thanks!
i thought there was supposed to be some bubbling:)
will wait and see...
hope this works:)

thanks!
should i test the ph of my tank water????
usually its 7.5.
 
Imporant

Yes, you need to test your pH, and your KH.

This is really important. Go to a chart and see that your target pH is that gives you Co2 of about 20ppm (15ppm - 25ppm) and find your pH limit at CO2 of about 30ppm. Remember those values.

Next, is there only 2 cups of water in the bottle? You need to fill the 2 liter bottle to about 4 inches from the top.

Now, you might also test your yeast. First read the package to see if it is expired. Then, take a cup of lukewarm tap water, not really warm to the touch but not cool. Add a pinch of sugar, then 1/4 teaspoon of yeast. After it dissolves you should see a very tiny bit of foam on the top after 5 minutes or so, this is "proofing the yeast" as done in cookbooks to be sure the yeast is good. I often do this when I am mixing a new bottle, just pour that into the bottle.

What sort of diffuser do you have? The glass type will only allow CO2 to pass, I think. An airstone should allow your breath to pass. If not maybe there is a check valve installed backwards?
 
Re: Imporant

thanks!
just tested my tank water. the ph is 8.
but mostly our tapwater is 7.5
the yeast is vacuum packed.
there are some fine bubbles on top of the mixture:)
how to know the ppm of the co2 in trhe tank..
do i need a tester for this?
my diffuser is the glass type with ceramic on top. :)
I read that only 2 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar was used...
so i need to fill up the caontainer till only 4 inches of air in on the top part?
should i add more sugar and water??


Originally posted by anonapersona
Yes, you need to test your pH, and your KH.

This is really important. Go to a chart and see that your target pH is that gives you Co2 of about 20ppm (15ppm - 25ppm) and find your pH limit at CO2 of about 30ppm. Remember those values.

Next, is there only 2 cups of water in the bottle? You need to fill the 2 liter bottle to about 4 inches from the top.

Now, you might also test your yeast. First read the package to see if it is expired. Then, take a cup of lukewarm tap water, not really warm to the touch but not cool. Add a pinch of sugar, then 1/4 teaspoon of yeast. After it dissolves you should see a very tiny bit of foam on the top after 5 minutes or so, this is "proofing the yeast" as done in cookbooks to be sure the yeast is good. I often do this when I am mixing a new bottle, just pour that into the bottle.

What sort of diffuser do you have? The glass type will only allow CO2 to pass, I think. An airstone should allow your breath to pass. If not maybe there is a check valve installed backwards?
Click to expand...
 
Still don't see anything there for KH, which you really gotta know before you start adding CO2.

One note, until you have a good feeling for how much your mixture's going to foam, err to the side of extra space between cap and mixture. Otherwise you may end up with yeast/sugar in the water.
 
Originally posted by happychem
Still don't see anything there for KH, which you really gotta know before you start adding CO2.

One note, until you have a good feeling for how much your mixture's going to foam, err to the side of extra space between cap and mixture. Otherwise you may end up with yeast/sugar in the water.
Click to expand...

Agreed, happychem is right on that! At Least 4 inches of air space, maybe a bit more!

Once you have the KH, you can go to Chuck Gadd's webpage to see his CO2 calculator, or find a chart in the library of Aquabotanic.com, sorry don't have the link on this computer, just Google for Chuck Gadd CO2.

On the chart, you'll see that for a given KH and pH, what the CO2 content is (assuming no unusual buffers like a bunch of pH down type stuff) Take note of what pH gives you 15 to 25 ppm of CO2 given your KH, and what pH gives you 30ppm or higher at your KH -- that is your Ph limit, don't go past that.
 
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