# Opinions on yeast



## NanoJames (2 Mar 2013)

Hi everyone
I was thinking of trying out the DIY yeast CO2 method but I would like some opinions on it before I jump in. I have a 20 liter nano at the moment with the Tropica Co2 system 60 but I understand it won't last forever! I would just like some recommendations about how to set up yeast and any products that could help. Bearing in mind I am on a very low budget!! 
Cheers


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## jack-rythm (2 Mar 2013)

Personally I would steer well clear of DIY. There are many options rather than DIY yeast builds. Your tank is small so carbonated water would work a treat, that's cheap. U can by liquid carbon too if u use it as guided. 

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## NanoJames (2 Mar 2013)

OK, thanks for that. I have seen that DIY can be quite unstable. Would the plants be OK with the transition from CO2 injection to carbonated water or liquid carbon? I don't want them all to die!!  P.S. Are the puffers eating yet?


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## jack-rythm (2 Mar 2013)

NanoJames said:


> OK, thanks for that. I have seen that DIY can be quite unstable. Would the plants be OK with the transition from CO2 injection to carbonated water or liquid carbon? I don't want them all to die!!  P.S. Are the puffers eating yet?



Yes thanks Mate   puffers are plumping right up   as for all of the above, the plants don't really care what u dose as long as it's right..  Co2 is co2 it's just in different forms. On a 20l carbonated water would be fine, obviously gas co2 is always better but u will get very good effects from carbonated water on a tank your size.. I was growing beautiful plants in my triptych with carbonated water, they were 30l. The transition should be fine if u switch followed by consistency.. It will be definitely better than DIY for certain. Plants will adapt to what ever you have just be patient.  

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## NanoJames (3 Mar 2013)

OK thanks for your help! I might buy some carbonated water and liquid CO2 and try out both methods. Glad to hear your puffers are doing well!


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## discusdan (3 Mar 2013)

I think the thing people forget with yeast set ups is that they need 100% commitment, unlike a pressurized set up which you can stick a solenoid on and forget about yeast require constant attention to get good results.

It is fact that they are never going to be as effective as pressurized but you can still get good results at a fraction of the cost of pressurized or even liquid carbon. You just have to have the patience to change bottles frequently and most of all match the flow and lighting to the c02 output. If this is done you should be able to get a stable set up.

On a small 20l tank I think a yeast set up could work well if maintained properly. and you could set it up for next to nothing if you have some bits already. The only real cost would be a nano diffuser.

Yeast is unstable because of the reaction process which builds up over the first few days then slowly starts to die off as the yeast is killed by alcohol. so in effect you get a little bit of co2 on day 1 then loads on day 2 & 3 then after that it starts to get lower and lower.

To make the set up as stable as possible you need to run two 2l bottles and change one every 3 days. doing it like this means you're always at the peak of co2 out put.

You also want to make sure the set up is air tight, any leaks will cause instability.
measuring the ingredients will help as well, don't just guess the amounts.

It's best to use proper c02 airline as it doesn't bulge like silicone air line does, but if you just want to try it out normal air line is ok for a while.
It's also a good idea to silicone the joints, again to prevent air leaks.
use 2 bottles side by side with 1 air line coming from each with a 1 way valve. This means you can change 1 bottle with out losing pressure in the other bottle.
From there use a Y connector to take the 2 lines to 1 and into a bubble counter. Its a good idea to use a bubble counter as the yeast mix produces a lot of froth which can work its way into the air line, the bubble counter will collect any residue and stop it from entering your tank.

From the bubble counter run the line to a nano diffuser in your tank placed under the filter out put.

Now all you need to do is work out a good sugar to yeast mix for your tank. Ensure you have very good flow in the tank and work on lighting.

As long as flow is good and your not running your lights for 12 hours a day with a siesta you shouldn't have any algae problems.

Like Jack says DIY yeast set ups can be hit and miss, it might still be a better option to use carbonated water. But if you have the patience to maintain a yeast set up its worth a go, and if your any thing like me its fun to make .

oh should also add you cant turn a yeast mix on and off like you can with pressurized so you have to keep an eye on the fish in case you gas them out. once you work out a good sugar/yeast ratio they should be fine. keep an eye on your drop checker.


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## jack-rythm (3 Mar 2013)

discusdan said:


> On a small 20l tank I think a yeast set up could work well if maintained properly. and you could set it up for next to nothing if you have some bits already. The only real cost would be a nano diffuser.


I really doubt DIY yeast builds can have enough pressure to push co2 out of a proper glass diffuser, I have had 2 an neither of them built up enough pressure. Have you been able to succeed in this?


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## discusdan (3 Mar 2013)

yes, I run 2l bottles and use a boyu co100 diffuser.

It puts out enough tiny bubbles that I can see them around the hole of my 200l tank.

Sorry for bad pic its off my phone.


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## jack-rythm (3 Mar 2013)

ahh sweet ok fair do's. Guess if you do as suggested then it will work on a smaller scale. I have had bad experiences with this though. Your right too.. its a lot more work than doing it properly


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## NanoJames (3 Mar 2013)

Wow, thanks discusdan for all of that information. The yeast does seem a bit of a pain to maintain right enough! I think I will start off with carbonated water and liquid CO2 first and then do more reading up about yeast. I may even just save up for a pressurized system! It seems to be the easiest method!! 
Cheers


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## discusdan (3 Mar 2013)

like I say, as long as its all done properly it should work fine. use proper co2 air line and silicone ALL the connections!
A lot of people fail because they have air leaks they don't even know about which results in very unstable co2 out put.

also people are not consistent in there sugar/yeast mix and just guess the amount every time. if you want to maximize stability you need to measure the ingredients giving you roughly the same reaction every batch.

yeast co2 mix is easily able to turn the drop checker bright yellow depending on the mix.

And as I understand gas co2 is far more beneficial to plants than liquid? 

No doubt pressurized co2 is the best option and i'm looking into getting a set up my self as my plant mass has gone up and im at the limits of yeast.

but for the cost yeast has been a great start. and it only takes 10 mins max to change a bottle once you get a good system going.


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## discusdan (3 Mar 2013)

just been doing some maintenance to my set up, checking the connections etc so though't i'd take a pic to show you.

this is the bubble count, siliconed the cap and used an air stone inside. I've just added the air stone as the 'pop' from the co2 coming through the tube was really loud, I could hear it above both my filters and air pump. hopefully the air stone will stop the pop 





Here is the set up minus the 2l bottles and diffuser. giving the diffuser a clean.

As you can see I'm using co2 air line and silicone all the connections. also using 3 one way valves to keep the pressure up.





Really easy to make!


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## discusdan (4 Mar 2013)

Was getting some footage together for a short video and had some showing the co2 diffuser so stuck them in a quick video.


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## NanoJames (4 Mar 2013)

Well done discusdan! Really well made video and it really looks like you've put a lot of effort into your tank. Just shows what can be done with yeast method.


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## Mikeyd (24 Apr 2013)

Looks like you've manged to get a decent DIY set up there. Can I ask, what recipe/measurements do you use for the mix if you're changing the bottles every three days?

Thanks


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## discusdan (24 Apr 2013)

200g sugar. 1.5g yeast. Fill the 2l bottle so there's 3 inches of air at the top.

You might read that people use baking powder or carb soda or brown sugar etc, Dont waste your time with all that. If you're changing bottles every 3 days you want it to be as simple as possible. Stick to sugar, yeast, warm water thats all you need.


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