Diy co2 and pH?

[evil Nick]

So I read the co2 lowers pH and running at night can cause pH swings due to the plants shutting down. Mine just went up a bit ago and has not yet started producing bubbles. My question is in like an hour my light shuts down. Should I pull the tube out? I have no air stones and not a TON of agitation. Does the diy actually produce enough to worry about? Its a 29g planted. Its basically a 2 liter setup.
Thanks.



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[fish wrangler]

My pH seems to be holding steady at 7.5 with my co2. If there is any change it would be gradual so the fish should be fine. It isn't like taking fish from 7.0pH water and adding them to 8.2pH water

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[evil Nick]

My pH seems to be holding steady at 7.5 with my co2. If there is any change it would be gradual so the fish should be fine. It isn't like taking fish from 7.0pH water and adding them to 8.2pH water

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Thanks
How long does it take your yeast to start producing bubbles? Mine seems to be taking a while

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[fish wrangler]

I start seeing bubbles in the 2 liter bottle almost immediately. Are you filling the bottles with warm-hot water?

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[evil Nick]

Warm yes. This is actually my second go. I read elsewhere it could take an hour or more. What's your mix?

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[fish wrangler]

2 cups sugar and .5 tsp yeast, optional is 1 tsp baking soda. I have added the baking soda to two bottle now and don't think it makes a difference. I am running 3 bottles, haven't made a new bottle in a while though.

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[evil Nick]

Sounds like mine.

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[fish wrangler]

Do you have any leaks? I didn't have any for a couple weeks, and then one popped up where the tube entered the cap.

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[evil Nick]

Checked everything with soap water and by blowing in the lines. No leaks.
I'll let it sit and see if the bubbles start up.
On my first batch if I shook the bottles it would make bubbles for a minute then stop.

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[fish wrangler]

Look closely, the bubbles are really small. A flashlight helps me see the bubbles sometimes.

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[evil Nick]

I'll check but I have the bubble counter third bottle. When I got bubbles they where fairly large.

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[fish wrangler]

Bubbles in bubble counter will be large, the ones in the 2 liter bottles will be really small.

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[Fresh2o]

If you are concerned about CO2 buildup overnight, you can connect a timer to an air pump, powerhead, small filter, or anything that would increase surface turnover. Set it to run over night.
I ran DIY CO2 for a year and did not notice any wild pH shifts or distress with the fish from excessive CO2. The drop checked did not indicate a CO2 excess at any time.


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[evil Nick]

Im thinking the yeast I am using is no good. I got the little packets not the jar.
I woke up today and before work looked and still no bubbles. If I shake the yeast bottle I get a few but then nothing. I feel the bottles and they arent hard like they are filled with co2.
I know there arent leaks. I actually had one leak in the valve but removed it completely.
Kind of frustrating but Ill figure it out. When I had the valve on there I would close it completely and let the pressure build then slowly open it and get bubbles. But they would eventually stop. So its making something but I guess just not steady enough to keep up.

 

[evil Nick]

okay day 3 and NO BUBBLES unless I shake the things. I took out the check valves and back blew into each bottle and had no leaks.
I used
1/2 teaspoon of yeast
1 cup sugar
3/4 full of water in each 1 liter bottle.
I started by activating the yeast in warm water first.

Kind of sucky honestly.

I think Im going to try and get small bulkhead fittings and rebuild the setup and buy the yeast in the jar and see if I get better luck.

 

[Fresh2o]

Sorry to hear about the lack of CO2. If it is a leaking issue, what has worked for me was drilling a 3/8" hole into a plastic lid and forcefully pulling silicon airline tubing through it.
As for the yeast, I microwave a half cup of sugar water and get it to 105-115 F. I actually heat it higher than that and I use a baking/cooking thermometer to see when it falls into that range. Then I add the yeast and stir. That should properly activate it.


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[fish wrangler]

Hot glue is your friend...i tried silicone and it just kept on leaking

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[evil Nick]

Sorry to hear about the lack of CO2. If it is a leaking issue, what has worked for me was drilling a 3/8" hole into a plastic lid and forcefully pulling silicon airline tubing through it.
As for the yeast, I microwave a half cup of sugar water and get it to 105-115 F. I actually heat it higher than that and I use a baking/cooking thermometer to see when it falls into that range. Then I add the yeast and stir. That should properly activate it.


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Thats basically how I had to do it. I forcefully had to pull them through and still used silicone. I know its not a leak.
the hot water alone could be my issue. I kept reading use luke warm water to not kill the yeast. Ill try and heat the water more. Mine was probably around like 80-85 degrees F

 

[fish wrangler]

Bad yeast maybe? I use the jar type and haven't jad a problem with making the co2

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[Fresh2o]

Bad yeast maybe? I use the jar type and haven't jad a problem with making the co2

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Maybe it's old. I've used both packet and jar with similar results (good).


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