what DIY mixture to use for hagen co2

[mr funktastic]

i have a hagen co2 bottle and extra ladder that i am not using since i upgraded to 2 2litre bottles. i was wondering how much sugar/water/ yeast should i use in this bottle. i was going to hook it up on my 5 gal just to see if it will improve growth at all. thanks.

 

[Purrbox]

The Hagen Bottle is basically a 1 Liter bottle. Fill with sugar to the first mark (~3/8 cup), water to the second mark (~3/4 Liter), and 1/8tsp yeast.

 

[7Enigma]

That little sugar? I've been using 2 cups for my 2L setup so I would assume you could scale that down to 1/2 (1 cup of sugar) in the bottle.

 

[Glenc]

Purrbox is correct. I to have extra hagon containers and have tried many recipies. More sugar than the first mark in tne container will kill your yeast off fast. The container just does not hold enough water to put any more sugar in.

 

[7Enigma]

Hmm,

Glen, then how much do you recommend for a 2L setup that is filled 80%? I have been using slightly over 2 cups and have been happy with the output, but not the longevity of the solution. I thought the amount of sugar was independent of the rate of production. I was under the impression that too much sugar will allow the yeast to overproduce alcohol and kill them, but that the rate of production (and ultimately death) was completely regulated by the amount of yeast used?

 

[malkore]

7Enigma,

yeast reproduces in the first 48 hours to meet a colony size that'll be able to tackle the available sugar. That's why any more than 1/8tsp is really un-necessary.

I've always done about 1cup per liter of bottle, no baking soda, and a 1/8tsp of baking yeast.

 

[mr funktastic]

i use 2 cups of sugar to 1/2 table spoon of yeast in mmy 2 litre bottles. maybe i will try cutting down the yeast and see what happens. i will set up the hagen system tonight and experiment with the mix. i didnt think it was even a litre. i will have to measure the container tonight.

 

[JRagg]

I've swapped over to a mix that I found on aquatic-gardeners.org.

It has 1C of sugar in a 2L bottle (with only 1/8tsp of yeast) as well as some other ingredients. I'm really interested in how it's going to turn out. It has been going for about a week now and just seems to keep getting stronger.

 

[7Enigma]

I've swapped over to a mix that I found on aquatic-gardeners.org.

It has 1C of sugar in a 2L bottle (with only 1/8tsp of yeast) as well as some other ingredients. I'm really interested in how it's going to turn out. It has been going for about a week now and just seems to keep getting stronger.

Care to share the secret recipe. And I've really got to measure my yeast from now on. I've been eyeballing it and it really is affecting my consistency. Thanks Malkore for that info as well.

 

[mr funktastic]

ya i assume u are trying the recipe that involves the protien mix and other sugars such as mollases and syrup. i would love to hear the actual reciepe though

 

[CaptnIgnit]

Here is the recipe that I believe he is looking at


Improvise at will, but here is a good start:

• - Use 1 cup sugar per 2L H20 (tank water is great or dechlorinated tap -- chlorine, but not ammonia, kill yeast. ) (they like ammonia)
  - Add 1-2 tsp of a protein drink mix
  - (optional) Add 1 tsp of ammonium sulfate, otherwise use 1 T mollasses. (or both)
  - 1 tsp baking soda is also nice to keep the pH from crashing (they like it >pH3-4)

Leave yeast from previous mix in the bottom.

Original link to the powerpoint file is here:
http://www.aquatic-gardeners.org/Nyberg_yeast.ppt

 

[JRagg]

Yup, thats it. One neat thing about it is that if you use a champagne yeast vs. a bakers yeast, the yeast stays at the bottom instead of the top. That means it won't foam and therefore leads to less mess going through the tube, and the big thing is that you can reuse the yeast in the bottom. There was quite a bit of yeast in the bottom of my bottle the last time I emptied it out.

I didn't use the baking soda, but I will next time. I also used nonfat dehydrated milk instead of protein drink mix (couple pages later on the powerpoint) since I had it on hand.

They also don't say how much yeast to use. 1/8 tsp worked well for me and took about 8-10 hours to start producing.

 

[7Enigma]

I had read somewhere that baking soda is bad to use due to the sodium being harmful to the yeast.

What is the purpose of the ammonium? I know its a food source for plants but didn't think that the yeast used it. If its the sulfate they are after I'd rather use potassium or magnesium sulfate...

 

[CaptnIgnit]

Speaking of champange yeast, anyone know of some common stores that carry it.

 

[Glenc]

Hey 7Enigma, sorry I didn't post earlier, just got in from work. I to use 2 cups of sugar in my 2 litre bottles. I use 1/2 teaspoon of yeast. This mix produces quite rapidly for a little over a week. I am not going for longevity, just good production. I change the bottles out every week, bubbling or not. I do go through a fair amount of sugar, pressurized is on the horizon for sure. I don't think that little Hagon container is even 1 liter as mr. funktastic has mentioned. I find using more sugar seems to burn through the yeast quicker, not sure why, just know it does. Depends what your after. I want only good production, not concerned about longevity. I'm only after a week of high production. I have found that less sugar, more water with the same amount of yeast slows the mix down considerably. Just my experience. Trial and error!

 

[Purrbox]

If you're lucky enough to have a home brew store in your area they should carry different types of yeast, and quite likely the Champagne yeast. If not you can always order it pretty inexpensively online.

 

[JRagg]

I ordered mine from ebay. I paid $5 for 5 packets (shipped). If I can manage to reuse the yeast like suggested I'll never go through all of that.