DIY co2 not bubbling

[jcsaad]

After researching the subject thoroughly i decided to do my own DIY co2 for my 20 gallon tank. The recipe was taken from many forums: 1/2tsp yeast,2 cups of sugar miced in lukewarm water.
Anyways I did it and now its been more than 12 hours and still theres no bubbling going on in the tank,There is bubbling going on inside it so could this be a leak though ive secured the cap and everything
heres a pic of the bottle:
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh28/josedemierda/Image0008.jpg

 

[BigJim]

A few questions for you:
- Did you shake up the bottle to dissolve the sugar?
- What are you using to diffuse the CO2 into the tank?
- How deep in the tank is your diffuser?

When I change bottle on my DIY CO2, I usually have to give the bottle a good shake after a few hours to get the CO2 going, then shake the bottle once a week or so. I also had to raise my diffuser in the tank. I was using a piece of bamboo skewer in the end of a rigid airline at the bottom of my 29g and the CO2 pressure wasn't enough to overcome the water pressure for very long. I slanted the airline so it's about halfway down in the tank and it bubbles much more often. At the moment I have a leak in one of the caps of my CO2 bottles. It's hard to notice unless I shake up the bottle and release a lot of CO2. The only way to tell was the top of the cap was sticky.

 

[jcsaad]

Yes I shook the bottle until i was sure that the sugar was totally dissolved
The airtube goes right under where the water comes out of my powerhead filter so its in the middle of the tank.
I can see little bubbles forming in the bottle (very slowly) but absolutely nothing is going in the tank Could it be that its just a bad mixture or is it more probable that theres a leak?

 

[BigJim]

If you actually see bubbles in the bottle, I'd say the mixture is good. How much air volume do you have in your CO2 system? I use a Gatorade bottle as an overflow bottle. It adds some extra volume that needs to be pressurized before the CO2 makes it to the tank, so it takes longer to see bubbles in the tank. Try squeezing the bottle just a little to see if any bubbles come out in the tank.

 

[WhiteDevil]

while squuezing listen for leaks.

sometimes a homebrew can take up to 24 hours to 3 days to start producing.

I gave up on DIy when I had your problem, them I decided to up the amount of brewing I had going on, I am at 4 2 liters with a 2 liter for an accumulator/pressurizer.

try using the power head to distribute the Co2 into the tank, instead of having it under it, the powerhead will create a small vacuum thus aiding the Co2 gas in venting from the bottles.

 

[neilanh]

I agree, don't give up hope just yet. Depending on how much backpressure your system has it can take a day or two before you actually start getting bubbles all the way into the tank.

 

[coke-g]

i'm currently running a Diy Co2 system in the same size of tank as yourself and have came across the same problem as your having and found my mix wasn't right as it took ages to get going but i found using bread yeast bought from a local supermarket works a treat. my mix is as follows...

1 sachet of yeast
6 desert spoons of sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda

Dissolve the mix in warm water and place in a 2lt bottle top up to no more than 3/4 fill (or it will build too much pressure and blow out... believe me i know!!!... it spray's everywhere!), it usually starts producing Co2 within a couple of hours and lasts around 2-3 wks. I have an airline from the bottle with an adjustable valve and one way check valve running into the tank connected to my diffuser which is made up of a piece of 1" plastic pipe around 6" in length with 2 elbows on each end. I capped both ends of with stoppers drilled one stopper and run the airline in through and connected it to an airstone in the pipe, the other stopper is also drilled and is connected to the base of a spray bar sitting verticaly... drill a small hole in the plastic pipe and place the hole facing forward so that the co2 bubble sits at the top of the pipe, the water flowing through dissolves the bubble and exits into your tank (photo's on my profile). You only want around 2-3 bubbles per second so adjust the valve for this before connecting the airline to the airstone.

If you require any additional information please feel free to contact me.

 

[jcsaad]

Hey Coke, thank u for ur informative answer I just checked ur pics on ur profile and i must say u have a beautiful tank!
Concerning the recipe, isnt a whole sachet of yeast a lot?? ive read that the more yeast you put the less the mix will last and the average is 1/2 tsp of yeast!

 

[coke-g]

Hey Coke, thank u for ur informative answer I just checked ur pics on ur profile and i must say u have a beautiful tank!
Concerning the recipe, isnt a whole sachet of yeast a lot?? ive read that the more yeast you put the less the mix will last and the average is 1/2 tsp of yeast!

HI Jcsaad thanks for the compliment! The yeast i use is powdered and although i've never actually measured the amount at a rough guess i reckon its somewhere in the region of a desert spoon full in the sachet. Your best bet would be to do what i done and just experiment until you find a level that works best for you, i started of using the recommended 1/2 tsp and it just didn't work for me.

 

[HeathB]

Rather add to this existing thread than make a new one, but I'm having a few problems on my 2 litre co2s. My 500ml for my 5 gallon is working great, but I have as yet to even see any bubbling going on in the 2 litres themselves, let alone the tank. I gave the bottles a squeeze, and lots of bubbles came out tankside. Would adding maybe a pinch more yeast to each bottle get things going, or does it just take a lot longer to get things happening in the 2 litres?

Considering I don't see any reaction in the bottle itself, is it safe to assume that if I add a tad of yeast, it might get things going? Or could there be a leak thats letting oxygen in and causing the yeast not to react?

 

[BigJim]

IME, there won't be bubbling in the 2 liter bottles. I see some foaming at the top of the solution after I shake it, but normally, there aren't bubbles.

What mixture are you using to make your yeast solution? Small changes can make a big difference. I typically use 2 cups sugar and 1/8-/14 tsp yeast for a fresh batch. Add the sugar to the bottle, fill 80-90% of the way to the top with warm water and dissolve the sugar. Activate the yeast by stirring it around in a little warm water for a few minutes and pour it into the bottle. Shake to mix. This generally gets me through a month. Remember to fill the bottle nearly to the top with water. If you leave a lot of air, it's just more volume of CO2 that you need to produce to get the gas to the tank.

Also, the depth at which you place your diffuser makes a difference. I use pieces of bamboo skewers as diffusers at the moment and I originally had them at the bottom of the tank. The CO2 mixtures for my 29g wouldn't last very long before they'd stop bubbling. I raised the diffuser halfway in the tank, thereby reducing the gas pressure needed, and my mixtures last longer.

 

[HeathB]

I'll have to try that on my 20. I did add a teeny pinch of yeast to both bottles and I saw a few bubbles come out in my tank though, so at least I'm pretty sure its not a leak. I'm currently watching my betta trying to fight the occasional bubble that escapes the bell. XD

 

[rusilja]

It can take up to 24 hours until my CO2 get's going, try putting it in a colder or warmer place.

 

[cabezon]

you might try dissolving the powdered yeast in a small cup of warm water before putting it into the main bottle. My DIY has not been working lately. I bought some zip ties to strap down the tubes to the connectors really well.

 

[HeathB]

you might try dissolving the powdered yeast in a small cup of warm water before putting it into the main bottle. My DIY has not been working lately. I bought some zip ties to strap down the tubes to the connectors really well.

I actually had better luck the other way around, haha. I couldn't get anything going with the premixed yeast, but the moment I sprinkled a tiny pinch of dry it was going in about 30 minutes.