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20-04-2003, 06:25 AM

(David Wee) wrote in message ...
Currently the Nutrafin generator is giving out a bubble just over a
second. I posted to sci.chem under the thread labled "CO2 generation via
Yeast + Alcohol removal methods", hoping to find if there was a method
where you could have yeast multiply but then remove the alcohol.
They were all pretty informative, but the two most relevant posts were
something about "Turbo Yeast" which has a proven signficiantly higher
tolerance to alcohol than any other yeasts, and the other post was about
removing 80 to 90% of the mix after it slows down and just replenishing it
with sugar water. Could someone explain more about that? There seems to be
three parts to the mixtu the top froth, the middle highly aqueous
layer, and the bottom layer mush. SOmeone may care to check out that
thread on sci.chem.

Okay, so yesterday's pH reading was 7.5 (it has been at 7.5 historically),
and after one day of CO2 via not quite DIY Hagen/Nutrafin CO2, the pH is
now 6.9.

I also dropped on kH from 4 to 3 degrees. According to Chuck Gadd's chart,
(ph 7, kh 3), I have 9 ppM CO2 in my water. So I added a teaspoon of
crushed coral into my aquaclear sponge area, hoping to push teh kH back
from 3 up to at least 3.5. Is this a correct procedure?

I expect by morning the pH will be soemwhere around 6.8, but we'll see.

To eric: Yeah, the traffic bubble jam has stopped and the bubbles have
been going fine now. I secretly love my Nutrafin purchase. That gray
bottle looks nice.

--

I'm a newbie to DIY Co2 but I'm doing pretty well. I have a 70 gal
with about 30 small fish (Platy's,Neons etc.) My recipe uses a plastic
V8 bottle 1.36 litres. I add 2 cups of sugar fill the bottle 3/4 of
the way up with warm water, Shake well, add half a pack of yeast and
thats it. Plants are doing great, fish are happy. I only use a one
way valve at the end of the hose and the bubbles rise 1 every second
to second and a half for more than two weeks. I will be adding a
bubble wand tomorrow. It will be mounted verticaly so the Co2 travels
up to the end cap where there is a small hole and it will squeeze
through. I've drilled many smaller holes through the wand so that
water can travel through it. When I need a new bottle I flush the old
stuff out, add the new, and within 3 hours presto! I dont have any
test kits but seeing is believing.