dc wrote:
I use a Red Sea Turbo CO2 injector for my planted aquariums. The brand name
media for this 1 l reactor cost $9 a pop and is rated to last a month. Are
there any comparable and cheap home recipes for C02 that will last equally
as long as the brand name Red Sea media?

Honestly the 240 g of "Media" and and 1 g of "Activator" substance Red Sea
sells looks like nothing more than sugar and yeast. Most of the recipes
I've found on the Web just call for sugar and brewers' yeast, but they
aren't rated to last for a month. Is there something else Red Sea includes
or is it just a con?

Some people claim that adding baking soda to the mix prolongs CO2 output.

Another thing that you may want to consider is what "rated to last a
month" means. When I was negligent about running a DIY CO2, I'd still be
getting bubbles one month after last fillup, but the bubble rate was 1
every minute or so, versus one every 5 seconds or less with a fresh bottle.

To prolong DIY CO2 generation, you can do things like alter the amount
of yeast(rapid rise vs. regular), sugar, and experiment with additions
like protein powder, molassas, and solidifiers like gelatin. The goal is
to have the yeast grow slowly and consistently, and not consume all the
sugar overnight, or die from depleting nutrients or by poisoning
themselves with alcohol.

I'm sure you could set up a DIY system of the same quality as the Red
Sea one, but it may take some experimenting.