# DIY CO2 Problems



## Empire402 (May 31, 2006)

I am new to planted aquariums and am having some problems with DIY CO2. I have tried several different recipes and cannot get any of them to work. The first batch was using the method from http://www.qsl.net/w2wdx/aquaria/diyco2.html (using Fleischmann's Traditional active dry yeast in the packets) I followed all the directions and 36 hours later still no bubbles. Then I tried using a recipe I found here in the forums "6 cups water, ¾ cup sugar, ¼ teaspoon yeast" again 36 hours later nothing.

Thinking that the yeast I had purchased may be bad I went out and bought some new yeast (Red Star active dry yeast) and tried both recipes again with no luck. I found a post on testing yeast and tested both of the yeasts and had no foaming. Thinking that I may have purchased another package of yeast that was bad I went out to a different store and got a third package of yeast (Fleischmann's Traditional active dry yeast in the 113g jar) and tested it again with no luck.

I rinsed all the parts in hot water (no soap etc&#8230 then boiled the water I was going to use, added the sugar while the water was still hot, let the water cool to room temp before adding the yeast. Rehydrated the yeast using tepid water. Mixed it all together and have had no luck at all.

I am starting to think that it may be something other than the yeast that is causing my problems it would be strange for all three packages of yeast to be bad. Does anyone have any ideas what could be causing my problems? Any help would be greatly appreciated.


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## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

Not sure, im also doing a DIY co2 today, but most common problem that i read with the situation like your's is "leak in the bottle or in tha cap where the tube is inserted" Did you test your bottle if there is a leak.? What kind of glue did you use on your tubing?


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## Empire402 (May 31, 2006)

I am using a bulkhead fitting in the cap of a 2 liter soda bottle. I did put a little silicone around the fitting before tightning it down so I am pretty sure I have no leak there. I am going from there to a check valve then to the tank. I just tested with a little soapy water around the joints with no bubbling but I am not sure if there is any pressure being built from the mixture.


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## CherylH (Jul 22, 2004)

Sometimes it's easy to overlook the little things. Are you sure your check valve is facing the right way?


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## Empire402 (May 31, 2006)

Yes I thought of that to  I did check it by blowing through it. I am thinking it may be my water as it is soft. I did add a little baking soda to my last mix but it did not seem to help. Should I try to add more yeast?


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## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

whats you water parameters?


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## Empire402 (May 31, 2006)

PH is 7.5, GH is 5.6 and KH is 2.8 out of the tap.


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

Are you getting pressure inside the bottle within an hour? If not then you likely have a leak somewhere (probably the silconed area, since it stretches and can break when the tube moves). OR your yeast is bad, and may need to be replaced. You can add more yeast to the reaction to speed up the production, to see if the container does pressurize, test the productivity of the yeast, and to check for leaks.

-John N.


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## Empire402 (May 31, 2006)

Last night I added another 1/4 teaspoon yeast to the 2 liter bottle and did get some bubbling for about 10 min then it stopped again. While there was some pressure I checked for leaks with soapy water and could not find any. I gave the bottle a shake this morning and it started to bubble again and has been bubbling for about 4 hours now  (about one bubble every 2 seconds). I guess it was the extra 1/4 teaspoon of yeast I added last night. I am hoping it will continue. Thanks for all the suggestions.


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## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

last night i just inject my first DIY co2 and when i woke up this morning i so bubbles 1 bubbles per 1 second, my mixture is:
2 litre bottle
2 cups of sugar
1/4 tsp. of Yeast
Water is luke warm, up to the end of the Soda Label
About the Yeast i use the aerobic technique from the qsl.net,

I use Glue Gun in sealing the cap  

Good luck to your DIY co2


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## SkinniMini (Mar 26, 2006)

I'm glad I found this thread! I just got back from vacation & am getting ready to try again on my diy co2 setup with my new caps.
I had the exact same problem you did!!
Recently I made some new caps using little threaded air fittings(hard to descibe) from a certain type of dripless spraygun cup at work, drilled a small hole in the caps & this time I JB welded those things in there, plus added some small nuts to the backside & tightened those down with the JB weld on those, too. Something tells me an air leak won't be a problem this time, but I'm still concerned about the recipe, too. I hate to waste time & so much sugar, so I'm going to go conservative, see what happens & go from there.
It's been like a trial & error thing for me-once I get it right, I'll run it on both tanks instead of the small Hagen bottle.


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## joetee (Apr 11, 2006)

I now only drain out all but about 2 inches of the old water/yeast mixture. And in a jug I put in 2 cups sugar, 1/2 tsp of yeast. Add water at appx 105 degress and mix it up a bunch. Dump this into the 2 lt bottle and shake it up good. Then add enough water (same temp 105) to bring this up to about 3 or 4 inches from the top of the 2 lt bottle. Again shake it up good. Screw the lid on and its done. It might take a few minutes or a day, but it will bubble. I have 3 bottles running and was started on different days. I date each bottle when renewed. When I start getting a lower bubble rate (or low C02 ppm), I just change out the one bottle with the oldest date on it. If it does not start right away, it doesn't matter because the other two are still working. You need to dip your bottles etc into a bucket of water to do a good leak check to be sure. Also, my check valve works under pressure, meaning, it will let c02 go by for a while and then it might stop for a couple minutes and then start again. I have a cheap plastic check valve. I can keep my C02 ppm up above 50 ppm on my 29 with this method, (I have had it as high as 72 ppm). I also use a DIY bubble counter which I made out of a Club Soda glass bottle of about 7 or 8 ounces.
I made a DIY reactor out of PVC that has worked better than anything I've tried yet. I had two Hagen ladders in this same 29 which did not do as good as the reactor.

I hope this helps.


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