I have a Nutrafin Natural plant system to provide CO2 for my 30 gal tank. Obviously the "mystery packs" that come with it are yeast and sodium bicarbonate, so I don't plan on ever purchasing their refills. Has anyone got a good recipe for the solution? I have tried fleishmans dry yeast, and even ordered some champagne yeast because I read that it lasts longer due to the yeast being more resistant to alcohol. Seems like any mix I try, it goes strong for about 3-4 days, and then slows way down. Any experienced DIY'ers out there, if you have a good recipe, please post. Thanks!
DIY CO2 - Anyone have a good recipe?
- Thread starter fort384
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FishCrazyBenBOMB
Aquarium Advice Addict
I use 1 teaspoon of yeast, 3/4 cup sugar, then around 6-8 cups of water. I use a 2 litter bottle. It's been working for a week and still going. Normally last 2-4 weeks then have to remake the mix.
Mine spits out around 1 bubble every 3 secs and works great.
Mine spits out around 1 bubble every 3 secs and works great.
FishCrazyBenBOMB
Aquarium Advice Addict
nope just regular dried yeast you would use in bread or something.
When I did DIY CO2, I thought the secret wasn't a long lasting mix, but rather the dedication to change alternating bottles weekly. As you noticed, DIY CO2 putters in and out. I think the Hagen bottle is just too small to dilute the alcohol for more than 4 days. Instead of complicated mixes that take forever to mix, I'd suggest:
1) Invest in a gang valve or some other way to turn off the supply from each bottle. Put the gang valve after your gas separator bottle(s) (so it doesn't clog from gunk).
2) Use two containers of a bigger volume of water than the Hagen. Or maybe two pairs of 2L (4 total) or something. More water volume means more time for the alcohol to become toxic to yeast.
3) Dump in a bunch of sugar in bottle (or pair) 1. On a 2L I went right past the bottom cap/curve.
4) Throw in like 1/4 tbsp of yeast.
5) Use warm water for a while than switch to lukewarm water until like 15% from the top.
6) Plug it in, open the valve.
7) Repeat 3 - 6 on the other bottle next week.
8) Repeat step 7 on the original bottle after emptying it down the toilet.
etc.
I had success with DIY CO2 and high uptake tanks when I realized the goal isn't to have your average output be your target ppm, but rather the minimum output to be the target ppm. Fluctuations above 30ppm are mostly (within reason) okay. Within a couple weeks you'll have all the steps above completed in under ten minutes a week, easy, and fluctuations in CO2 will be less important to your animals and fish.
1) Invest in a gang valve or some other way to turn off the supply from each bottle. Put the gang valve after your gas separator bottle(s) (so it doesn't clog from gunk).
2) Use two containers of a bigger volume of water than the Hagen. Or maybe two pairs of 2L (4 total) or something. More water volume means more time for the alcohol to become toxic to yeast.
3) Dump in a bunch of sugar in bottle (or pair) 1. On a 2L I went right past the bottom cap/curve.
4) Throw in like 1/4 tbsp of yeast.
5) Use warm water for a while than switch to lukewarm water until like 15% from the top.
6) Plug it in, open the valve.
7) Repeat 3 - 6 on the other bottle next week.
8) Repeat step 7 on the original bottle after emptying it down the toilet.
etc.
I had success with DIY CO2 and high uptake tanks when I realized the goal isn't to have your average output be your target ppm, but rather the minimum output to be the target ppm. Fluctuations above 30ppm are mostly (within reason) okay. Within a couple weeks you'll have all the steps above completed in under ten minutes a week, easy, and fluctuations in CO2 will be less important to your animals and fish.
Followed your advice - now have a 2 bottle system with a gas separator in between. Been up and running for a week, and has worked like a charm. Changed one of the bottles once... been testing CO2 levels via KH and pH, and it has stabilized at between 30-50 ppm CO2, which should be about right. Before with just the 1 bottle, I was getting wild fluctuations/swings in CO2 levels - not anymore! I wish I would have spent some time on here before I bought the Hagen system, I think all the parts to build my duplicate bottle and the gas separator cost me less than $5.
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blt831
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Don't have a CO2 system myself, but I did read about a guy experimenting with grape jelly for his mix. It was interesting.
grape jelly DIY co2 experiment
grape jelly DIY co2 experiment
FishCrazyBenBOMB
Aquarium Advice Addict
Hey fort, for your gas seperater, what are all the parts you used for that? I see you used a bottle with water in it, but whats the long tube going down it and what is that double nossel thing at the top that both the tubes are coming out of, because I was thinking about doing a double Co2 bottle setup like yours with the gas seperater.
Also do you run a diffuser at the end of your Co2 thing? If not I suggest one, I just made a video how to make one and i'll post it sometime soon.
Also do you run a diffuser at the end of your Co2 thing? If not I suggest one, I just made a video how to make one and i'll post it sometime soon.
the black things are just simple airline ball valves. I used them so I could isolate each side during reactor changes. The tube going down into the bottle is rigid airline tubing available at your lfs. I used smartwater bottles for the second reactor and the gas separator because they look the best and the label comes off easy. I used a one liter because it is closest in size to my preexisting hagan reactor, but they come in two liter size as well. The valves and airline connectors I bought from fosters and smith online. I just drilled holes in the bottle caps and fit the valves in snugly, then sealed it up with superglue. For the delivery system, I just use the bubble ladder that came with the hagan. Seems to work fine. I used the extra tubing that came with the hagan as well. I have read that u shouldn't use regular airline tubing because the co2 will corrode it. Of course if u can't fine tubing made for co2, airline tubing is cheap enough if u had to replace it once a year or something.
FishCrazyBenBOMB
Aquarium Advice Addict
Ok, I just have one co2 2 liter sugar and yeast bottle that runs into my DIY diffuser, and I was wondering if I did a secound bottle so I got more co2 if I just do the gas seperater or just run it into my tank like i'm doing now.
Ben,
I think either way you would be getting about the same levels of CO2. I just hooked both bottles into the same separator because I only have the 1 bubble ladder, no other way at this point for me to diffuse the CO2 into the water column.
For me it was less about increasing the amount of CO2 I could get into the water, and more about stabilizing it. With just the 1 bottle running, it would be heavy right after the change, and then drop way down as I ran towards the end of the cycle. With 2 bottles, I can stagger the changes and get a pretty constant (and a little higher) CO2 concentration. It did very well, and I had to add a bubble wall to gas off the extra CO2 every night during the dark cycle. This way, morning and night, monday through Sunday, my CO2 ppm seems to hover between 30-50.
I think either way you would be getting about the same levels of CO2. I just hooked both bottles into the same separator because I only have the 1 bubble ladder, no other way at this point for me to diffuse the CO2 into the water column.
For me it was less about increasing the amount of CO2 I could get into the water, and more about stabilizing it. With just the 1 bottle running, it would be heavy right after the change, and then drop way down as I ran towards the end of the cycle. With 2 bottles, I can stagger the changes and get a pretty constant (and a little higher) CO2 concentration. It did very well, and I had to add a bubble wall to gas off the extra CO2 every night during the dark cycle. This way, morning and night, monday through Sunday, my CO2 ppm seems to hover between 30-50.
FishCrazyBenBOMB
Aquarium Advice Addict
kk gotcha
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