DIY CO2 help!

[bry1105]

My diy co2 setup only produces co2 into my diffuser when I shake the bottle. then is see bubbles like crazy which lasts about 15 mins. but if i don't shake the bottle, no more bubbles. In a 1 liter bottle im using 1 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp yeast and 3 cups water. How can I get steady/constant bubles?

Ive also heard 2 things: Either one of them true?
1 - Hot water kills yeast. Therefore cool the sugar water mix before adding yeast.
2 - Boil the sugar water to break down the sugar into a form usable for the yeast.

 

[ing_monkey]

This looks to me like you have some leaks there. It would logically explain, what's happening. The things have to be 100% sealed, otherwise it will not work. Also depends from airline tubing used. They sell special one for CO2.
1 - True
2 - I think enough its if sugar is dissolved, you don't need to boil it. I never boiled it and always constantly works for at least 1 week, normally 2-3 weeks.

 

[th08tu]

For mine I always add warm water, never hot never cold and it usually goes for about 2-3 weeks. I think ing_monkey is right and you have a leak somewhere. to find it you can fill a bucket with water and put the whole apparatus under water when it is filled with air only. Wherever you see bubbles it where air is escaping.

 

[Jnam]

Did you use silicone to seal the reactor? What always worked best for me was to drill a hole in the lid slightly smaller than the diameter of the tubing you are using. ANd force the tubing through that hole. the pressure will seal the tubing that way when you screw on the lid you have well sealed unit. Your mixture sounds great but be careful with heating the water, anything over 90 will usually stunt your yeast. My mixture in a 2 liter bottle was usually 2 cups sugar 1tsp bread machine yeast and water to the neck. I can post a picture to help you if you would like. I would usually do a tandem 2 liter setup with a 20 oz seperator and my DIY was enough to produce pearling durring the day. LMK
Good Luck.

 

[ing_monkey]

I would usually do a tandem 2 liter setup with a 20 oz seperator and my DIY was enough to produce pearling durring the day. LMK

How big aquarium you have ? I am thinking the same because from my plants, only duckweed is pearling.

I use silicone, i don't think without it its 100% sealed. At least i had some leaks when i tryed it like that.

 

[Jnam]

55 Gallons the key is to leave in the blue piece of plastic that comes inside the lid. Silicone bonds poorly to plastics especially the kind used for soda bottle lids. So the seal works until you apply any kind of torque to it then you are out of luck. Drill straight through in and out. and the bit must be a smaller diameter than the tubing you are using, it should require a pair of needlenose pliers to pull the tubing through or its not small enough.

 

[WhiteDevil]

Yep, drill the lid smaller and pull the hose thru, I always cut mine on an angle, and a seperator on any size diy system is a good idea.

 

[ing_monkey]

so far, for 30 gallon tank how many bubles per minute should go out to ensure good CO2 levels ?
I have kind of low light, only 1 tube because i was not able to buy light cover for my tank with place for 2 tubes, and i desperately want my HC to grow faster

 

[Jnam]

What do you mean by 1 tube? and how low of light HC is light hungy and co2 hungry. Do you have a co2 monitor?

 

[ing_monkey]

I dont know. Don't have co2 monitor. What i read about HC, that its not that light demanding as CO2 demanding.
One tube - i mean one fluorescent tube normally used in aquarium lighting. I think its universal - They had 3 types of that size when i bought it and it was for plants, for making fish more colorful and universal. I took universal. It was like year ago when i was absolute newbie in aquarium.

 

[Jnam]

HC will grow very slowly in low light conditions, I am assuming you are reffering to the NO (normal ouput) bulbs that most Chain store lights come with you will find that you are only getting a few watts from that bulb and you HC no matter the amount of co2 wont grow that quickly or at all. With a NO bulb you may be at less than 1 WPG. IMO HC will be a very slow grower if at all with that.

 

[DeepThought]

Fermentation also slowed by Alcohol

Used to do a little home brewing.

Once you build up the alcohol level to about 3 or 4% then the yeast starts to die (Thats why most beers are at that level). Same yeast used to make bread rise.

Some stronger yeasts are available that will tolerate higher alcohol (many found naturally on grape skins so wines can get to 8%)

Barley is full of starch - so we wet it, let it start to grow and sprout, the growing plant needs energy so it begins to break the starch down into simple sugars (this is malt)

Traditionally water was boiled to kill any germs that might compete with the yeast and it was poured over the malt where it disolved the sugars and starches out better.

let it cool to blood temperature before adding the yeast.

Rather than a leak - it could be you're being too kind to the yeast - if you keep it nice and warm and give it lots of simple sugar then it will go into 'party' mode, froth lots, produce CO2 and alcohol and reach a level at which it kills itself quickly.

I had a demi-john (Glass one gallon) which 3/4 full would ferment in a cool room for months. Used a little water filled swan neck air-lock so the CO2 would escape but bacteria couldnt enter. would bubble once per 5 - 10 seconds.

Perhaps you could kill two birds with one stone - get a nice homebrew wine kit and that'll sort the CO2 production and you'll get a nice vintage at the end.

You might need a longer tube to move the fermenter away from the nice warm tank area - dont worry about needing special CO2 tubing - it's a very heavy/dense gas and you have no real pressure - standard aquarium tube will be fine.