I set up 2 liter bottle of DIY CO2 about 10 days ago, mixed up 2 cups of
sugar, 1/4 tsp of yeast and a pinch of baking soda and filled the bottle
about 3/4 full. I initially had this hooked into a powerhead. It was
dispensing as I could see the puffs of gas coming out of the output. I
recently bought some Rena Micro bubblers to use rather than the power head
and now have the bottle with a fresh mix (last night) hooked into a 4"
bubbler in a 20g planted tank. My Ph in the tank remains at about 7.6. I can
see bubbles coming out of the bubbler but should the PH not change ?. Is the
tank not getting enough CO2, one would think in a 20g that one two liter
bottle would be enough, yes, no??

Thx.
Rick

i use a rena but on a much smaller tank, 3G.

are the bubbles a fine stream coming from the side of the rena or from the
top or bottom gaskets as leaks?

make sure the rena is at the bottom of the tank for maximum effect.

also you could try a 2" since the 4" just puts the point of potential
emission higher in the tank with no benefit. i actually cut mine down to
under an inch and reassembled it.

good luck

jtm

--
Remove NOSPAM for email replies
"Rick" wrote in message
...
I set up 2 liter bottle of DIY CO2 about 10 days ago, mixed up 2 cups of
sugar, 1/4 tsp of yeast and a pinch of baking soda and filled the bottle
about 3/4 full. I initially had this hooked into a powerhead. It was
dispensing as I could see the puffs of gas coming out of the output. I
recently bought some Rena Micro bubblers to use rather than the power head
and now have the bottle with a fresh mix (last night) hooked into a 4"
bubbler in a 20g planted tank. My Ph in the tank remains at about 7.6. I can
see bubbles coming out of the bubbler but should the PH not change ?. Is the
tank not getting enough CO2, one would think in a 20g that one two liter
bottle would be enough, yes, no??

Thx.
Rick

Dude, your pH will drop in time, some people say it goes down quite a bit,
or, respectively goes up quite a bit if you remove the co2... I have never
experienced this happening quickly... Basically i noticed a total of a .4 ph
drop in about 2 months time. (my ph is currently at 6.9-7.0)... Give it time
and ph will drop (I also use the powerhead method to ditribute the co2)

-Jason

"Rick" wrote in message
...
I set up 2 liter bottle of DIY CO2 about 10 days ago, mixed up 2 cups of
sugar, 1/4 tsp of yeast and a pinch of baking soda and filled the bottle
about 3/4 full. I initially had this hooked into a powerhead. It was
dispensing as I could see the puffs of gas coming out of the output. I
recently bought some Rena Micro bubblers to use rather than the power head
and now have the bottle with a fresh mix (last night) hooked into a 4"
bubbler in a 20g planted tank. My Ph in the tank remains at about 7.6. I
can
see bubbles coming out of the bubbler but should the PH not change ?. Is
the
tank not getting enough CO2, one would think in a 20g that one two liter
bottle would be enough, yes, no??

Thx.
Rick

"Jim Miller" wrote in message
...
i use a rena but on a much smaller tank, 3G.

are the bubbles a fine stream coming from the side of the rena or from the
top or bottom gaskets as leaks?

make sure the rena is at the bottom of the tank for maximum effect.

also you could try a 2" since the 4" just puts the point of potential
emission higher in the tank with no benefit. i actually cut mine down to
under an inch and reassembled it.

good luck

jtm

--
I ran a thin bead of aquarium safe silicon around the top and bottom gaskets
as they were leaking however I see that although some of the bubbles come
out quite fine from the middle of the bubbler then appears to still be most
coming from the top and bottom. I bought a 6" for my 77g, 2 x 4" for my 20's
and a 2 inch for good luck :-). I'll give the 2 incher a try, thx.

Rick

"Rick" wrote in message
...
I set up 2 liter bottle of DIY CO2 about 10 days ago, mixed up 2 cups of
sugar, 1/4 tsp of yeast and a pinch of baking soda and filled the bottle
about 3/4 full. I initially had this hooked into a powerhead. It was
dispensing as I could see the puffs of gas coming out of the output. I
recently bought some Rena Micro bubblers to use rather than the power head
and now have the bottle with a fresh mix (last night) hooked into a 4"
bubbler in a 20g planted tank. My Ph in the tank remains at about 7.6. I
can
see bubbles coming out of the bubbler but should the PH not change ?. Is
the
tank not getting enough CO2, one would think in a 20g that one two liter
bottle would be enough, yes, no??

Thx.
Rick


The amount the pH will change depends on the kH of the water in the tank.
The more dissolved carbonates, the less the pH will change. What is your kH?

Jamie
~

"Jamie D" wrote in message
news:VX91a.30988$2H6.684@sccrnsc04...

"Rick" wrote in message
...
I set up 2 liter bottle of DIY CO2 about 10 days ago, mixed up 2 cups
of
sugar, 1/4 tsp of yeast and a pinch of baking soda and filled the bottle
about 3/4 full. I initially had this hooked into a powerhead. It was
dispensing as I could see the puffs of gas coming out of the output. I
recently bought some Rena Micro bubblers to use rather than the power
head
and now have the bottle with a fresh mix (last night) hooked into a 4"
bubbler in a 20g planted tank. My Ph in the tank remains at about 7.6. I
can
see bubbles coming out of the bubbler but should the PH not change ?. Is
the
tank not getting enough CO2, one would think in a 20g that one two liter
bottle would be enough, yes, no??

Thx.
Rick


The amount the pH will change depends on the kH of the water in the tank.
The more dissolved carbonates, the less the pH will change. What is your
kH?

Jamie
~

50 PPM

Rick

"Rick" wrote in message
...

"Jamie D" wrote in message
news:VX91a.30988$2H6.684@sccrnsc04...

"Rick" wrote in message
...
I set up 2 liter bottle of DIY CO2 about 10 days ago, mixed up 2 cups
of
sugar, 1/4 tsp of yeast and a pinch of baking soda and filled the
bottle
about 3/4 full. I initially had this hooked into a powerhead. It was
dispensing as I could see the puffs of gas coming out of the output. I
recently bought some Rena Micro bubblers to use rather than the power
head
and now have the bottle with a fresh mix (last night) hooked into a 4"
bubbler in a 20g planted tank. My Ph in the tank remains at about 7.6.
I
can
see bubbles coming out of the bubbler but should the PH not change ?.
Is
the
tank not getting enough CO2, one would think in a 20g that one two
liter
bottle would be enough, yes, no??

Thx.
Rick


The amount the pH will change depends on the kH of the water in the
tank.
The more dissolved carbonates, the less the pH will change. What is your
kH?

Jamie
~

50 PPM

Rick


50 ppm is around 2.8dKh. At a pH of 7.6 that's around 2 ppm of CO2, which is
low even for a non-CO2 injected tank. With DIY I would expect at least 18
ppm of CO2, which would give you a pH of around 6.6. Either the CO2 isn't
getting into the tank for some reason, or there is something wrong with your
test kits. I personally think 1/4tsp yeast is not enough, I would go with
half to 1 tsp - but even so, you should see at least some drop in pH with
your set-up as described. My vote is for inaccurate test kits.

Jamie
~

"Jamie D" wrote in message
news:RKd1a.37308$be.24572@rwcrnsc53...

"Rick" wrote in message
...

50 PPM

Rick


50 ppm is around 2.8dKh. At a pH of 7.6 that's around 2 ppm of CO2, which
is
low even for a non-CO2 injected tank. With DIY I would expect at least 18
ppm of CO2, which would give you a pH of around 6.6. Either the CO2 isn't
getting into the tank for some reason, or there is something wrong with
your
test kits. I personally think 1/4tsp yeast is not enough, I would go with
half to 1 tsp - but even so, you should see at least some drop in pH with
your set-up as described. My vote is for inaccurate test kits.

Jamie
~



I use the same test kit on my Mbuna tank where I buffer the water with
baking soda and a bit of salt and it tests normally between 140 to 170 .
I'm getting a steady stream of fine bubbles from the micro bubbler so it
appears that co2 is definitely being dispensed, so I;m not sure what is
going on.

Rick

"Rick" wrote in message
...

"Jamie D" wrote in message
news:RKd1a.37308$be.24572@rwcrnsc53...

"Rick" wrote in message
...

50 PPM

Rick


50 ppm is around 2.8dKh. At a pH of 7.6 that's around 2 ppm of CO2,
which
is
low even for a non-CO2 injected tank. With DIY I would expect at least
18
ppm of CO2, which would give you a pH of around 6.6. Either the CO2
isn't
getting into the tank for some reason, or there is something wrong with
your
test kits. I personally think 1/4tsp yeast is not enough, I would go
with
half to 1 tsp - but even so, you should see at least some drop in pH
with
your set-up as described. My vote is for inaccurate test kits.

Jamie
~



I use the same test kit on my Mbuna tank where I buffer the water with
baking soda and a bit of salt and it tests normally between 140 to 170 .
I'm getting a steady stream of fine bubbles from the micro bubbler so it
appears that co2 is definitely being dispensed, so I;m not sure what is
going on.

Rick


Wish I could be more help. I use DIY CO2 in a 20 gallon and everything works
just fine - only difference for me is I have the bubbles feed straight into
the intake of my HOB filter. My CO2 level ranges between 18 - 28 ppm.

Jamie
~

"Dave M. Picklyk" wrote in message
...
I wouldn't buffer the water with baking soda (unless you have acidic water
already---but 7.6 should drop to about 6.8 or so which is fine for most
fish)--if you do that, you cannot accurately measure C02 with KH and PH
readings without strictly letting your water be carbonate buffered
(natural
buffering capacity of the water). Also, some natural water supplies have
high phosphate content, which invalidates any calculations for C02
readings
including C02 test kits.

Just a thought,
Dave.



I only buffer the water in my Cichlid tank where there is no CO2. In my 20g
tank I checked again this morning and the co2 is happily bubbling away via
the Rena bubbler and my PH might have dropped from 7.6 to 7.5, hard to tell
with those test kits unless you get a larger swing. I'm not going to worry
about it but I would have liked to have seen something constructive happen
like some pearling. I also have a 1 gallon jug hooked up into my 77G tank. I
hooked it up two days ago and have yet to see a bubble. I have added another
1/4 teaspoon of yeast yesterday, nada, added another 1/4 today from a fresh
package. I hooked up another one gallon jug and added fresh yeast to it,
both jugs are hooked up via a t connection. On the first jug if I removed
the line from the anti siphon valve and held it under water while I
vigorously shook the jug I would get a few bubbles and then nothing so it
appears to me that maybe the yeast is no good. This is wine making yeast I
am using. The package was opened about 10 days ago for the 20 g tank and
then stored in the fridge, does this stuff go bad?? I checked all the
fitting by immersing them underwater and found no leaks.

Rick

AGree probably the yeast. Also, it is possible to kill the yeast - I am
told - by using too hot of water. I am told you need to use slightly warm
water but definitely NOT HOT. Also, cold water is supposed to work, just
take longer for the yeast to wake up. Before you buy more yeast, try cooler
water.

Bob
"Rick" wrote in message
a...

"Dave M. Picklyk" wrote in message
...
I wouldn't buffer the water with baking soda (unless you have acidic
water
already---but 7.6 should drop to about 6.8 or so which is fine for most
fish)--if you do that, you cannot accurately measure C02 with KH and PH
readings without strictly letting your water be carbonate buffered
(natural
buffering capacity of the water). Also, some natural water supplies have
high phosphate content, which invalidates any calculations for C02
readings
including C02 test kits.

Just a thought,
Dave.



I only buffer the water in my Cichlid tank where there is no CO2. In my
20g
tank I checked again this morning and the co2 is happily bubbling away via
the Rena bubbler and my PH might have dropped from 7.6 to 7.5, hard to
tell
with those test kits unless you get a larger swing. I'm not going to worry
about it but I would have liked to have seen something constructive happen
like some pearling. I also have a 1 gallon jug hooked up into my 77G tank.
I
hooked it up two days ago and have yet to see a bubble. I have added
another
1/4 teaspoon of yeast yesterday, nada, added another 1/4 today from a
fresh
package. I hooked up another one gallon jug and added fresh yeast to it,
both jugs are hooked up via a t connection. On the first jug if I removed
the line from the anti siphon valve and held it under water while I
vigorously shook the jug I would get a few bubbles and then nothing so it
appears to me that maybe the yeast is no good. This is wine making yeast I
am using. The package was opened about 10 days ago for the 20 g tank and
then stored in the fridge, does this stuff go bad?? I checked all the
fitting by immersing them underwater and found no leaks.

Rick

"Bob Alston" wrote in message
...
AGree probably the yeast. Also, it is possible to kill the yeast - I am
told - by using too hot of water. I am told you need to use slightly warm
water but definitely NOT HOT. Also, cold water is supposed to work, just
take longer for the yeast to wake up. Before you buy more yeast, try
cooler
water.

Bob


I thought that perhaps the water was too hot when mixing up the first
batch. I did use a thermometer and tried to get the water temp about 80
degrees however it was a bit warmer and the temp may have risen
higher,however that would not have been the case the next day when I added
more yeast and certainly not the case this morning when I again added. The
fresh batch in jug two was mixed with water at a temp less than 80 so we
will see what happens.

Rick

"Rick" wrote in message
...
I set up 2 liter bottle of DIY CO2 about 10 days ago, mixed up 2 cups of
sugar, 1/4 tsp of yeast and a pinch of baking soda and filled the bottle
about 3/4 full. I initially had this hooked into a powerhead. It was
dispensing as I could see the puffs of gas coming out of the output. I
recently bought some Rena Micro bubblers to use rather than the power head
and now have the bottle with a fresh mix (last night) hooked into a 4"
bubbler in a 20g planted tank. My Ph in the tank remains at about 7.6. I
can
see bubbles coming out of the bubbler but should the PH not change ?. Is
the
tank not getting enough CO2, one would think in a 20g that one two liter
bottle would be enough, yes, no??


If the pH is not changing, that means there's no extra CO2 being dissolved
from your generator. And it's obvious why. You're using an airstone to
diffuse your CO2 gas. DIY CO2 cannot be diffused successfully because the
pressure needed to run an adequate diffuser must be much higher than the
yeast generator can produce. A powerhead would work much better in your case
because it would act as a reactor. Or you can inject it directly into your
power or canister filter. That's what most people do, I believe. Your CO2
level should increase overnight as much as it will ever increase.
__
Alex

"Jason Judkins" wrote in message
...
Dude, your pH will drop in time, some people say it goes down quite a bit,
or, respectively goes up quite a bit if you remove the co2... I have never
experienced this happening quickly... Basically i noticed a total of a .4
ph
drop in about 2 months time. (my ph is currently at 6.9-7.0)... Give it
time
and ph will drop (I also use the powerhead method to ditribute the co2)

-Jason

A pH drop in 2 months?! The CO2 will lower the pH as low as it will go in
at most 24 hours. If not, then there is not enough CO2 or it's not being
dissolved properly. The CO2 level will always build up to its highest
overnight.
__
Alex
pcalex (at) hotpop.com

"Jamie D" wrote in message
news:VX91a.30988$2H6.684@sccrnsc04...

The amount the pH will change depends on the kH of the water in the tank.
The more dissolved carbonates, the less the pH will change. What is your
kH?

Jamie


That's absolutely NOT true. The amount the pH will drop is independent of
the KH. The KH only determines the starting and ending values of the pH. But
the difference will be the same, regardless of the KH. If you're starting
with a pH of 7.6, then you should aim for a pH of 6.8-6.9.
__
Alex
pcalex (at) hotpop.com