# It's Gotta Be The Yeast!



## Sunny (Aug 26, 2009)

Hi everyone, well I put the plants in my tank then proceeded to make two homemade CO2 bottles joined by a manifold. I even made a great diffuser to fit in my sump but it has been almost 12 hours now and not one bubble!. I got the recipe off the internet.

1 - 2 litre bottle
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of yeast

I siliconed the tubing into the bottle caps and tested them for a leak with soapy water etc. and all is good so it's gotta be the yeast. My wife picked it up in the grocery store, it's a small bottle and it's called Fleischmans bread machine yeast


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

What's the ambient temperature of your house? It's probably too cold (AC, etc) to get it going fast enough to be appreciable.

Try warming the bottles - maybe putting them directly in your sump.


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## Sunny (Aug 26, 2009)

ameekplec. said:


> What's the ambient temperature of your house? It's probably too cold (AC, etc) to get it going fast enough to be appreciable.
> 
> Try warming the bottles - maybe putting them directly in your sump.


Wow I didn't think my house was too cold, I think it's sitting around 23C


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

yeah - too cold. Put it in the heated sump and it should start up.


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

As a baker, I am familiar with the antics of yeast. And I did the DIY system before. I still do from time to time.

Also, I used to put the bottle on my hood light. so it stayed warm. Funny, now I think about it, it produced more gas when the lights were on as opposed to off. 

Failing that. check the expiry date on your yeast and put it in the fridge to keep it fresh. it will "die" eventually.


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## Sunny (Aug 26, 2009)

Got up this morning and it's bubbling away! I guess it took a while ( 14+ hours ) and started while I was in bed last night. Still, I think I'm going to take your advice and put the bottles in the water in the sump.


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## AquaNeko (Jul 26, 2009)

Sunny said:


> Wow I didn't think my house was too cold, I think it's sitting around 23C


You could also get a heating pad from Canadian Tire in the gardening section. Also does double duty as a mini greenhouse for your seeds or herbs/etc.

Just an idea here. If you made a

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Duel system in a Y split with duel gate switches ( [/] = gate switch for on/off) then you could mount 2 x 2L water bottles for more output of co2 or close one gate and when the other is low or out of co2 close that gate, mix a new batch, and open the second gate.

BTW a tip I've learned over time that the small packet of yeast tends to be fresher in my experience then the jars. ALWAYS check the expiry date and best to buy in a store with a large turn around. Ask different stores stock guy/girl how often the yeast sells out and how often they restock with new shipments.

Put the bottles on the heating pad and you're good to go. Also good as a backup water heater if you put some smaller ~1L - 1gal rubbermaid boxes on it and warm the waterwith holes punched in it for input and output water return.


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## Sunny (Aug 26, 2009)

Wow some really cool ideas, thanks! I put the two bottles in the sump which covers about 3/4 of the bottles and they are right beside the heater which keeps them warm. They are bubbling like crazy now but does anyone know how many gallon tank a two litre bottle is good for? I have enough room in my sump for 4 bottles if I need them.


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

I would say a single 2L bottle of DIY CO2 is good for maybe a 10 - 20g tank, at most.


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## Sunny (Aug 26, 2009)

Darkblade48 said:


> I would say a single 2L bottle of DIY CO2 is good for maybe a 10 - 20g tank, at most.


Thanks Anthony, so maybe I should have four bottles running for my 90 gallon? I figure any CO2 is better than no CO2!


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

I would say you need 5 bottles for the 90g tank.

However, with DIY CO2, the production will be unstable unless you change a bottle out every week. Even then, you probably will not have a stable flow of CO2. 

In addition, the cost and hassle involved with DIY CO2 (especially with so many bottles for a 90g) will soon make you want to get pressurized instead 

Edit: You may need even more bottles, since you have a sump, which will off gas CO2 quite quickly.


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