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Ok, by request, photos.

By the way, Cory_Di, more yeast makes an originally fast-moving mix, which 'burns itself' out too quickly. Using smaller amounts is better of yeast. When you renew a batch, sometimes it is necessary to swish a little bit of the old yeast out for the same reason.

Piscesgirl attached this image:

An update...the great stuff has held and hasn't cracked...even with daily shaking . While I'm not sure it's all that tank safe, I have seen that it's suggested for use when doing DIY 3-d backgrounds. Granted they are then covered with paint...but ....
Anyway thought I'd put it out there for the ones that might be a bit adventerous. I did finally get the adapter. It helps if you heat up the tip of the barb before trying to put it thru the cap. I added a spot of sillicon to mine...its actually still sitting on my dining room table I'm waiting till my latest batch is ready to be changed. Then I'll try the new adapter, and the protein mix .

^_^
[hr width='40%']"I'm alright, I'm alright
It only hurts when I breathe"

Sham i here you on that. silicone is real hit and miss. I got one cap sealed good by sleeving a bigger piece of tubing over the tube going thru the cap on both sides. that worked too.

ooo so that's the adapters I was looking for. I spent an hour going through all sections of Menards and not finding anything I thought would work. I ended up taking a tube connector that was used to connect the tube on my sponge filter to the air pump tubing, shoved it through the cap, added a little silicone then pushed it down till the wider part was flat against the cap. It actually sealed! You know how many tries of cutting small holes and cramming tubing through I failed at!? I went through a tube of silicone and 4 caps trying to get all the leaks that way. I might have stuck with diy co2 if I could actually keep it from leaking. Someone really needs to write an article on this.

This is a good thread on diy co2 , i thought i'd add to it.

I couldnt find any barb type fittings at the hardware, so i ended up drilling a hole one size smaller than the tubing, then cutting the tubing on an angle(diagonal) at one end to pull it through ,this sealed perfectly with no silicone or fittings needed. you need to use pliers to get it thru its real tight!

------|
------| tubing side view

---\
-----\ cut on an angle push the bottom bit thru hole then pull real hard with pliers.

So, I really should have stopped by homedepot on sunday, because I get home...shake up the co2, and crack the seal which I had just finally resealed after cracking it . So after sitting around for an hour or so kicking myself for not stopping to get the adapter, and dreading pulling the thing apart again, I grabbed the can of great stuff and used that as a sealant instead !.
This morning the CO2 was in the diffused where it was supposed to be, and not in my living room . Only problem I can forsee is that great stuff isn't all that flexible...but it'll work till I made it to homedepot *crosses fingers*

^_^
[hr width='40%']"There’s an emptiness inside her. And she’d do anything to fill it in.
And though it’s red blood bleeding from her now. It's more like cold blue ice in her heart.
She feels like kicking out all the windows. And setting fire to this life."[/font][/font]

That's ok - no problem. Thanks for supplying what you have

I am using pressurized on my 29 gallon now, but I ran DIY Co2 on that tank for many months, including for my AGA contest entry (see medium sized tanks, #59, I think it was number 59). I'm currently not testing my kh and ph, but believe me I can get over 30 ppms. That tank did not go above 6.5 ph with a 3.O kh when I did test last July.

I have a 20 gallon long that it is running on now (the picture I've shown above). It has Onyx sand, so it is much harder than my other tanks, and the plants are doing great. In fact, this one has an airstone running 24/7 as well, and the Co2 still is enough to keep the plants happy (not filtered). It is a constant stream of bubbles -- actually faster than I keep my 29 going with pressurized.

I only test kh/ph on my 55 gallon running with pressurized. I would go ahead and test it, but I'm leaving to go to dinner with a friend in a short while (who lives 1 1/2 away.

Last edited by Piscesgirl at 05-Mar-2005 15:02

One last nagging question.

What size tank do you have and do you know your kH and pH?

I'm just curious as to the levels of co2 you are getting with that setup, for the size tank.

I don't use a bubble counter, so I can't really tell how many bubbles per second -- sorry I'm not much for measuring, counting, etc. I just know it works incredibly well. Nope, I don't use silicone. It works great without it, and I have no patience to wait 24 hours for silicone to dry -- it's a waste of time.

By the way, I used chocolate protein powder in my DIY co2, that's why it looks so nasty..lol! You'll get a nasty ring around it even when you dump it out. Don't worry about it, just renew the batch.

Last edited by Piscesgirl at 05-Mar-2005 13:59

I never would have imagined that from the description. Great job! I like it .

But, wouldn't you still use some silicone around the area where the barb pokes through?

I'm so glad you showed the two bottles with the splitter.

How many bubbles per second do you get with your setup?

I tried a lot of things before I found the Hose barb adapters, including cutting a fuel filter part I had purchased for my riding mower, that was the wrong size (that didn't work well), I even tried cutting the end off of syringes, but that didn't work well either. These hose barb things work great. I am not the kind of person who can wait for silicone to dry, so I love this method. It is ready immediately for use, in only a few minutes.

At my grocery store, they have these great huge 1 gallon Dannon water bottles, they are clear and not like the normal drinking water bottles -- they have a screw on top (I used these for transporting shrimp as well). Anyway, for a dollar +, I can't pass them up (and I just drink the water).



Piscesgirl attached this image:

Sorry for the dirty cap, I used it just for illustration, it isn't one 'in use.' In fact, getting the hose barb back out of it was a pain!

Piscesgirl attached this image:

A-85 parts work as well, they are the same size

Piscesgirl attached this image:

I just reviewed this at the Aquatic Gardeners Association. Anyone use the protein mix mentioned in the powerpoint slide show? It is further in the presentation.

[link=http://www.aquatic-gardeners.org/Nyberg_yeast.ppt]http://www.aquatic-gardeners.org/Nyberg_yeast.ppt" style="COLOR: #C000C0[/link]

Ug! You guys are gonna force me to type a how to DIY CO2 with pics "and" drawings huh.

*learns MSPaint*

I see now.

Sounds like a good thing to add.

My production is down and now affecting my pH (rising). I need to replace tonite. It will be a few weeks before I can get what I need to do my own setup, so I'll keep filling the Hagen weekly or so. I got a good 9-10 days out of one container before pH started to come up.

http://secure.awserver11.net/mountainhomebrew.com/product_info.php?products_id=1516&osCsid=4bb2f319873018602231339833176848

yeast nutrient = ammonium sulfate

Okay, my confusion. All those litres/gallons (and not imperial gallons either!) are a bit confusing to me. I had the idea that you're going to use the huge mineral water bottles for water coolers... I'm not sure why, though. A 3.785 litre bottle won't be that much of a change. I wouldn't worry about it in that case. Sorry.