# Repicating A Hagen DIY Yeast System



## Homer_Simpson (Apr 2, 2007)

O.k. when I first got into this hobby, I was anxious to immediately jump into things. So, I went and purchased a Hagen C02 system for $40. Then for a while I paid for the refill pack before I realized that these were not necessary and one could make a mix of yeast and baking soda to get the same effect.

I still use the Hagen C02 system on one of my tanks since I bought it, so today when I was batching a new brew, just out of curiosity I measured the water and sugar used. 5 0unces sugar and 14 ounces water. Now when you think about it, you could modify a 500 Ml soda/spring water bottle and build your own C02 system for a fraction of what the Hagen System costs. Now, I know this is not rocket science and it is common knowledge that one could easily make the popular 2 litre bottle DIY C02 system. For me though, the advantage of this is portability. I was looking to experiment with C02 injection at work on a smaller 2.5 gallon planted tank. Since there is not a room in my cubicle to place a large 2 litre bottle. The 500 ml bottle fits nicely and securely inside the unused hole used to pass plugs. Interestingly, the Hagen system spits out C02 for 3-4 weeks, which would give me reason to believe that a modified 500 ml bottle with the same ingredients wouldn't do the same. If so, there may not be any reason to use 2 cups of sugar a month when 5 ounces may do the trick. 

For newbies out there, don't spend a fortune on a Hagen DIY system when you can make one that will give you the same results using nothing more than a 500 Ml bottle and some tubing(preferably c02 resistant tubing).


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

Yep the 500 ml bottle will work fine, just be sure to silicon the tube into the lid tightly, otherwise your cubicle might smell of fermenting yeast (and won't work efficiently)!

It might be interesting to make several yeast mixtures using say 0.5 cups of sugar to (not sure maybe) 400 ml of water, then 1 cup sugar to 400 ml water, 1.5, 2 cups and let them ferment until no more bubbles come out. Then you could shake each mixture and give each one a quick taste test to see if they are still sweet. 

If the mixture tastes sweet after all bubbles have stopped then it means that too much sugar was added to the water before the alcohol (made by the yeast) killed the cells. 

This means you could essentially test to see +/- exactly how much yeast is efficient to add to a bottle.

No worries about tasting the brew - this is what beer / other alcoholic drinks come from (moonshine whoo)!! 

As a side note, the mixture tastes pretty good if you filter it with a coffee filter 



Also the hagen system is bs it is too expensive for what it gives. You can make it for 2 $


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## Homer_Simpson (Apr 2, 2007)

Zapins said:


> ... just be sure to silicon the tube into the lid tightly, otherwise your cubicle might smell of fermenting yeast (and won't work efficiently)!...


Lol, thanks. Sealants are something else that I am experimenting with. What would you recommend as a good sealant. Some say plain old aquarium silicone, others say Goop, others say epoxy, others say krazy glue. I also found out that the retainer is not large enough for a 500ml bottle, so I was going to screw in a water bottle underneath the desk to hold the 500 ml bottle and pass the tubing through the plug hole and into the bowl.


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

I think silicon would be best because it stays flexible and would stick to the silicon tubing better than ridged epoxy or possibly poisonous crazy glue.


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## rs79 (Dec 7, 2004)

I think the biggest advantage to the Hagen kit is that the yeast canniater can not fall over and pump yeasty sugar water in to your tank. That might be something to think about when designing a DIY system.


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## gotcheaprice (Sep 4, 2007)

You could make a separate container thats a bubble counter and prevents that from happening.


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## Homer_Simpson (Apr 2, 2007)

rs79 said:


> I think the biggest advantage to the Hagen kit is that the yeast canniater can not fall over and pump yeasty sugar water in to your tank. That might be something to think about when designing a DIY system.


That is so true. That is why I was thinking of taking a bicycle water bottle retainer and screwing that underneath the task with a couple of screws. This would keep the bottle secure and prevent it from accidently being knocked over.


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