# DIY co2 problems



## daverock1337 (Mar 14, 2010)

i refilled my DIY co2 bottles a week ago, and they still are not producing anyghting. i have ben runniong the same setup for 3 months now, and until this bottle change it was doing great. i am using 2 cups sugar with a half tsp of yeast and 1.5 liters of water. two bottles in the setup. i have a 32 oz gatorade bottle as a snot bottle/bubble counter. i checked for leaks today and there are none. i don;t know what to do. my plants are not too happy about this and my ph has gone from 6.5 to 7.6. anyone have any ideas? i am thinking about tearing out the lines and redoing the system to see if that helps....


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi daverock1337,

If you shake the bottles with the mix and you don't see small bubbles come to the surface, it is a mix problem. If you see bubbles, but nothing is coming out it is a plumbing problem.

I had it happen a couple of times, one was yeast that was beyond the expiration date and the other time I filled the bottles water that was too hot and "killed' the yeast.


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## Zezmo (Nov 2, 2005)

If you get a "dead mix" sometimes it is easier to just toss it and start a new one.


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## Jeffww (May 25, 2010)

Always save a small portion of your last batch to seed with a live culture. That's what I do. I make a a batch a week in advance before replacing then add a squirt with a pippette of the old solution and then refill everybody.


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## ryan10517 (Apr 28, 2010)

try adding a half tsp of baking soda to the mix. thats what i do and all of mine work great.


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## tug (Jul 23, 2009)

Baking soda would raise the pH and my understanding is that yeast prefer a low pH. Some prefer a pH as low as 3.1.

If you find that it is a "dead mix" you might have bacterial colony growing off of the yeast. Not sure, clean out the reactor.

You can find more FAQ about yeast at this site, http://www.scottlab.com/


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## daverock1337 (Mar 14, 2010)

i thought it was a leak, and i re siliconed my seals and used electrical tape also, then went to redo my mix today and noticed "freeze or refrigerate after opening" as i pulled my yeast out of the cabinet. made me feel special haha.

thanks everyone for the help.


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