Different kinds of yeast and experience with each

[JRagg]

Ok, so I've read up on different yeasts for DIY CO2 mixtures and I was wondering what all people have tried, and what works the best. From what I've read it is generally the alcohol levels that kill the mix, not the acidic pH.

Active dry yeast (for baking): I only got about 9 days out of and I've read that it maxes out around 14 days (reeked of alcohol when I dumped it out).

Rapid active dry yeast (for baking): I only got about 3 days of very rapid CO2 release and now it's all but done (I added baking soda as well).

Red Star Pasteur Champagne Yeast: This is supposed to last longer due to a high alcohol tolerance (about 12% tolerance). I ordered some of this today since it was so cheap on eBay.

Now, I found a yeast on eBay that has an 18% alcohol tolerance. Here is the link to it. It has some extra info there about its versatility.

Has anyone tried that last yeast? That seems like a very strong producer that could last for quite a while.

**Edit**
And finally for my curiosity. If I take a sip of the used DIY mixture, will I go blind (not that I actually plan on doing this)?

 

[maxwell1295]

Here is the yeast I use: http://cgi.ebay.com/Red-Star-Premie...ryZ38172QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I get it for .50 a pkg and it lasts a good month before I have to mix up a new batch. With the wine/champagne yeast and jello mix, you can probably double or even triple the time between changes.

 

[fish_4_all]

My mixtures last about 3 weeks with Red Star Active Dry Yeast. I have had it last a month but I change them out every 2 weeks to keep production up as high as I can. I have had it last 8 days but that was because I followed the recipe I found initially. Since then, I put 1.5 cups in a 1 liter bottle, 2.5 in a 2 liter and 3 cups in a 3 liter bottle and they all last about the same amount of time. I also have not had a bottle that I added sugar water to that was almost dead not take off so they culture was only dead in the fact it was out of sugar. If you can find the saturation point of sugar water then I would use it for all your DIY as I don't think we actually reach terminal alcohol content nor pH on a single batch. I don't think I ever have anyway.

Most also say it doesn't make a difference but I get 3 weeks only out of the ones I add Baking Soda to. Not using it only gives me 2 weeks at best.

Don't drink it, it burns the skin after 3 weeks so drinking it can't be good. I would imagine it could be very detrimental to ones health.

 

[Purrbox]

I get 4+ weeks using Champagne Yeast and no Baking soda.

 

[JRagg]

So exactly what mix of sugar/water are you guys using?

Right now I'm doing 2cups sugar/2cups water in a 2 liter bottle. Should I be using more water?

 

[Purrbox]

Mix for 1 Liter Bottle:

In Bottle:
3/8 Cup Sugar
Fill with tepid water to top of label

In Small Bowl:
1/8 tsp Champagne Yeast
1 T Sugar
Fill with tepid water to about 1/2" above sugar

Let sit for 30-60mins then and the contents in bowl to bottle. Cap and give a really good shake to thoroughly mix. Swith to DIY cap and hook up to reactor.

 

[JRagg]

Silly question, but would I double that for a 2 liter? I'm guessing so, but just making sure.

 

[fish_4_all]

I don't mean to hijack the thread JRagg but I had to throw this in. How big is the tank you feed that way Purrbox? My 10 gallon tanks need smaller bottles and if 1 liter bottles work that well I will be swtiching soon. No to mention the sugar savings.

 

[JRagg]

Hijack away!

I'm here for the information. I love reading about this stuff.

 

[Zezmo]

Before getting pressurized I used a DIY CO2 set up on my 55gl Planted tank. I would replace my DIY CO2 after 4 weeks, but even when I replaced it it wasn't totally dead.

I can only speak to my own experience, and I got all my info from other folks internet pages. That said...

I have used several brands of yeast, including fleischmans and star brands, all lasted over a month, champaign was "steadiest" production.

For each 2-liter bottle: Put 1/4 tsp yeast with 2 tsp of sugar in a cup up filled with Tepid water (tepid should feel neither warm nor cold). Mix this completely, and set it aside for an hour. The yeast should be at room temperature before you start (if it was stored in freezer).

Then take a 2-liter bottle. In each bottle, put 2 cups of sugar, 1 scoop protein drink powder, 1 tsp of baking soda, 1 tablespoon of dark molasses. Then fill the bottle with water to about 3-4 inches from the top, which is just below where the bottle begins to curve at the top. Mix this very well.

Then mix the cup of yeast again, and add it to the 2-liter. Let this sit; uncapped (open) overnight before hooking it to your aquarium.

A bit more complex than just tossing in some sugar and yeast, but I used this formula for a few months with a lot of success.

I would recomend at least 2 bottles, on an alternating schedule to keep CO2 production more even. Change 1 bottle every two weeks.

If you have not made a gas separator/bubble counter. Look into making one out of a soda bottle. IMO it is a must have with DIY setups.

 

[MarkP]

Forgive the newby question...

What is the purpose of the gas seperator? I haven't read all the articles in the sticky, but I have read most of them and haven't seen this component addressed.

 

[Purrbox]

To use my recipe with a 2 Liter bottle you would double all ingredients except for the Yeast. Apparently 1/8 tsp is more than enough to get these smaller cultures going.

I'm using 2 x 20oz bottles on my 2.5 gallon and 2 x 1 Liter bottles on my 5.5 gallon and 10 gallon. Please keep in mind that I am also using a DIY Inline CO2 Reactor on all three of these tanks which is highly efficient at diffusing the CO2. If I were to switch back to a less efficient means of diffusion I would probably need to bump the size of the bottles for the 2.5 gallon and 10 gallon. The 5.5 gallon CO2 levels are running a bit higher so it would probably be fine as is. As an alternative I could try a more efficient mix like Zezmo's but with the current setup it's unecessary.

A gas separator is a bottle between the generator bottles and the tank. If any yeast gets into the tubing it will end up the the gas separator instead of your tank. If you put a little water in the bottom and extend the input below the surface of the water, it will act as a bubble counter as well. Another nifty gadget that I recently found instructions for involves using a medicine shringe and check valve to create a bubble counter. Nice and compact. Might try that one before long.

Some thing else to keep in mind, is that if you are using the inexpensive plastic check valves they do need to be replaced periodically since the CO2 will slowly eat away at the plastic, much like it will slowly affect most tubing that is used for these DIY setups. Probably something to consider replacing about one a year.

 

[Peyton]

I use bread machine yeast from red star. I have had the jar for at least 2 years. Mater of fact the expiration was sept 05. I just fill 2 liter with lukewarm water add dechlorinator, then two cups sugar. Shake well till sugar is dissolved then add 2 tsp yeast. Lasts about 2-2.5 weeks but I usually change it anyway after about 1.5 weeks.

 

[JRagg]

So Purrbox, how do you run a DIY inline reactor on such small tanks? The ones I've seen that you built (did a search) looked like they were made for cannister filters.

 

[Purrbox]

They can be powered with a canister filter (which are actually available for nanos) or a water pump (which is what I use).

 

[Guest]

This is like one of my specalties, LOL I have been running a DIY Co2 system for 3yrs on a 75g midum lighted tank and can grow just about anything I want. But stargrass and a couple of other. My Co2 stays a 22 to 26ppm for 18days then around the 19th day starts to drop. That was before I added a fourth 2 liter bottle to the system. I keep a 26ppm Co2 level at all times for 22days. I use active yeast for sour doe bread. with 1 3/4cp sugar with 2.5 cps of distilled water. I add 1/8th of a teasp. of baking soda and add 1cup of jello to the bottle. Works great for me and I've tryed a crap load before i found this recipe.

 

[JRagg]

Thanks for all of the recipes. I'll give a them a shot next time I replace my mixture. I've got another bread yeast mix going now, and I'm going to replace it with the champagne yeast next time. We'll see how that fares.

I've had really poor CO2 absorption lately. I picked up an aqua clear filter last night and piped the DIY into it. Pretty noisy filter without the CO2, and its even louder with it. So here's a question. Does water temperature drastically affect CO2 absorption? I'm sitting at around 7.0 pH with a dKH of 5, so that puts me at around 15ppm (blah). I can't get my temperature below 82 in the daytime. I switched to a glass hood yesterday, pulled the lighting kit about 3/4 inch off the tank (need to make something to get it even higher), and put a fan next to the tank blowing on the light. I guess the test to see if it all works out will be when I get home from work.

**EDIT**

Update:

The bread yeast mix is frothing like crazy. It's got about an 1/8" white foam above the water, which is much more than I saw the last time I did this mix. I added a little more water this time, so it was probably more like 3 cups of water to 2 cups of sugar.

Plumbing into my new aquaclear made a HUGE difference. I'm up around 30ppm now, and my watersprite is pearling. I may actually have to prune that stuff before long, it has taken over the right side of my tank.

I would have to recommend the aquaclear filter many times over my old penguin. Due to the flowpath of it the bubbles that don't get mashed up by the impeller sit under the foam filter and have water pushed past them. They are dissolving very well.

Snails are showing up this week, and fish next week. I'll get some pics when it's all done (and I finally have fish in there). Ghost shrimp are interesting, but they aren't fish.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Question. What happens if you add too much yeast? I'm wondering if the reason my DIY won't last more than 2 days is because of using too much yeast.

 

[Peyton]

Question. What happens if you add too much yeast? I'm wondering if the reason my DIY won't last more than 2 days is because of using too much yeast.

How much are you adding and into what size container?

 

[Purrbox]

More Yeast = Higher CO2 Levels + Shorter Reaction Time