Diy Co2 With Bubble Counter, Gang Valve

[llamalord305]

Alright, hello everyone.
I'm doing an experiment about CO2 affecting the growth of plants. I was planning on doing multiple 2 liter DIY yeast and sugar reactors. I was planning on putting a gang valve between the bottle and the tank, or a new bottle, half filled with water, one tube going into the water and one on the empty part of the bottle where the air is. A giant bubble counter, if you will. My Dad disagreed, he thinks that there will not be enough pressure to "push" the gang valve open, or for the other one to work. Anyone have experience with these? Who is right?

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

You could always set up a split valve with a check valve on the main line leading to the diffuser, but yes the larger the drop checker the more gas buildup that will be required.

The bigger issue I can see is how unstable DIY CO2 is. Changes in temperature can decrease or increase the sugar consumption rate of the yeast thus changing the amount of CO2 produced. The amount of yeast vs sugar left, plus rising levels of alcohol in the bottles will curb the amounts of CO2 produced. I have a DIY CO2 unit on my tank, and week by week, even using the same amount of yeast and sugar the bubble count will vary...to the point I still have to dose with Excel to combat BBA which loves fluctuating CO2 levels.

Not trying to dissuade you from trying to experiment, but just a warning that your results may not be as accurate as you'd like.