Diy Experiments

[Vethian]

Heya...I have been adding plants into my tank.  Wisteria, java fern, anubias frazeri and a small to grow amazon sword.  I've been using API co2 booster, but the mad scientist in my head took over.  I played around with multiple bottles, but had leaking issues.  Finally came across a 3 liter water bottle.  drill a hole, inserted an airline and siliconed it.  For the diffuser, cut another water bottle in half.  drilled some holes in the top.  put a suction cup on the side and another hole towards the bottom of my DIY diffuser.  I slid the air line into the hole and attached an air stone.  
 
a question popped into my mind as i was typing this.  Should I stop the CO2 Booster? 
 

 


oh...my recipe.  
 
1.25 Cups Sugar
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
4 Teaspoons Active Yeast
 
I am going to order a bubble counter to splice in on my next payday.

 

[DrRob]

DIY bubble counter is easy. Another bottle (doesn't need to be very big), two holes in the lid and half fill with water. Input from the generator has a tube opening under water near the bottle of the bottle, the other takes from the gas at the top of the bottle. End result one bubble counter/non return valve in one. It also stops any generator overflow ending up in the tank.

 

[Vethian]

hmm...i think i understand.  OK, I will make one 

 

[Vethian]

ok, made a bubble counter.  AHHHH....seems fast to me for a 29 gallon tank.  3 bps.  
 

 

[eaglesaquarium]

The trick with DIY CO2 is the mix of sugar to yeast...
 
 
There have been some truly inspired scenarios I've seen around here.  One involved a rotation of multiple bottles... as the bottles will produce CO2 slowly in the beginning, then it will hit a peak for a while, then it will slowly die back as the yeast are killed off by their own byproducts.  So, his solution was to have a 3 bottle rotation, where one bottle was always in 'peak', one was just starting, and one was just finishing.  He'd actually worked out the ratio for him to get a 3 week production from each bottle so that he would change out the 'dying' bottle at the end of the week.
 
The reason is that fluctuating CO2 levels can be worse than low CO2, in terms of algae growth.  The CO2 booster could be used at a diluted rate, if you are interested in doing that - to try to maintain a minimum availability of carbon, as well as working as an algal inhibitor.  
 
 
In the meantime, I'll try to dig up that old thread.

Found it!  http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/341090-the-yeast-co2-method/
 
Its still pinned at the top of this section!

 

[Vethian]

The trick with DIY CO2 is the mix of sugar to yeast...
 
 
There have been some truly inspired scenarios I've seen around here.  One involved a rotation of multiple bottles... as the bottles will produce CO2 slowly in the beginning, then it will hit a peak for a while, then it will slowly die back as the yeast are killed off by their own byproducts.  So, his solution was to have a 3 bottle rotation, where one bottle was always in 'peak', one was just starting, and one was just finishing.  He'd actually worked out the ratio for him to get a 3 week production from each bottle so that he would change out the 'dying' bottle at the end of the week.
 
The reason is that fluctuating CO2 levels can be worse than low CO2, in terms of algae growth.  The CO2 booster could be used at a diluted rate, if you are interested in doing that - to try to maintain a minimum availability of carbon, as well as working as an algal inhibitor.  
 
 
In the meantime, I'll try to dig up that old thread.

Found it!  http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/341090-the-yeast-co2-method/
 
Its still pinned at the top of this section!

 
Cool, thanks!

 

[Vethian]

Well, I think I will setup a planted tank to play with until I get a good grasp on this.    

 

[eaglesaquarium]

One suggestion... keep a journal.  You'll be able to better track where you have success and where you have failures if its written down somewhere for you to go back and check from time to time.  Change one variable at a time, and be patient.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
oh yeah... and have fun with it!!!  

 

[Vethian]

One suggestion... keep a journal.  You'll be able to better track where you have success and where you have failures if its written down somewhere for you to go back and check from time to time.  Change one variable at a time, and be patient.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
oh yeah... and have fun with it!!!  

yes...a journal I shall keep!  Thanks!

 

[Akasha72]

Vethian ... you need to change your name to Igor ... loving the mad scientist in you 
 

 

[Vethian]

Vethian ... you need to change your name to Igor ... loving the mad scientist in you 
 

 
 
haha...i do love to play!