A little thing I read about DIY CO2 for planted tanks...

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Lonewolfblue

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Here's a post from another friend in another forum. Pretty cool....

Mahamotorworks said:
Yes after the Mix can be flamable. Dose any one know why???? Here is the Reason it also explains why teh mixture dies off after 2 weeks.

Yeast is living, As it live its life it porduces 2 things 1. CO2 and, 2. Flamable liquid that will remain un-named. When you make the mixture you add water, A place for the yeast to live and Sugar Food for the yeast. As a result the yeast eats the sugar giving off CO2 and Flamable liquid that will remain un-named. The CO2 we add to our planted tanks and is use that way. The Flamable liquid that will remain un-named is not removed from the mixture till we dump it out. Because Flamable liquid that will remain un-named is a waste product of the yeast. The yeast will create a 12% or 24 Proof Flamable liquid that will remain un-named solutition, then die. The reason being it is drowning in its own bodily waste. Sound really sick when you think about it. And That is the reason why the mixture is flamable and dies off after 2 weeks or so.

Remember that all Flamable liquid that will remain un-named is made with Yeast. Remember you are drinking Yeast Poo

MAHA

Edited so Teens dont accidently set their room/House on fire.
 
What did you think you would end up with? You are using fermentation to create the CO2.
 
Is a 12 to 24 proof liquid flammable? I've never had much success lighting wine on fire.

I was under the impression that liquids don't burn unless they are typically over 40-50% alcohol. I've lit 80 proof liquid (40%) on fire before, but it barely burned at all.

Also, don't try this at home.
 
I would also highly doubt that it would burn and it would be aweful tasting. I think it takes super yeast just to get liguids above 10% without distilling?

About the only good thing is maybe it could help keep unwanted people/animals away if placed or vented just outside your door.
 
Yeah, 24proof isn't highly flammable...not enough vapor, way to high a flash point.

80proof doesn't even light up well, unless you spread it thinly.

now, Bacardi 151 proof rum...that's what you wanna use for 'flaming' shots ;)
 
Yeah, not that big of a secret. Nor that the highest you can get with yeast only is 12.5% (remember calculating it, but can't remember the formulae).. has something to do with the effectiveness with sugar and a max of 25% concentration of sugar to water..

The interesting part that most people don't realize is that yeast doesn't die, it lies dormant (you are drinking yeast and poo).. so you take a new 2 litre pop bottle, make a new batch without the yeast and add 10% of your old mixture to that instead of lukewarm water and yeast. Presto, instant production and you never have to buy yeast again. But people always want to start fresh. IMO, when you have a producing batch, that's the last time you really need to make it.
 
The only reason to start fresh is so that the "wild" yeasts that are in the air are kept to a minimum. Also all the bacteria that will thrive in that solution and build up over time. You should be able to get away with 10 or so refills before it would start to have "infection" issues. Plus the yeast is so cheap that it doesn't really matter. Common "wild" yeast smells are like an old barn, musky, "horse blanket", rotten eggs, etc.
 
I've never gone beyond 5 cycles with it since I went to pressurized after that (75Gal is too big for DIY to make a valuable contribution)
 
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