NutraFin DIY Co2 system

[loupgarou]

I think there's a faq on diy co2 mix.

normally its
sugar, baker's yeast, a small pinch of sodium bicarbonate.

alternatives are

jello/jelly mix instead of sugar.

[bclee]

By increasing sugar and yeast, you may expect the life of the mixture to shorten, depending how large the container is. (I think the Nutrafin bottle is pretty small.)

The fermentation will stop when the alcohol accumulated to a certain concentration. More sugar and yeast will generate alcohol faster. Different type of yeast may tolerate different alcohol level, but generally the faster the alcohol generation, the faster the mixture will expire.

Do try different mixtures to get the CO2 output to suit you.

BC

[elmike]

Hi guys

Could someone post a picture of a complete CO2 system (not DIY type) showing all the different parts and detachable connections (e.g., flipper, reactor, solenoid, tubing, etc?) On the surface, it looks pretty complicated and intimidating to newbies in CO2 fertilisation. I haven't made a trip to the lfs to discuss this as it won't be sometime before I got my dream tank but meanwhile am trying to learn as much as possible.

I've heard the cons against DIY... that motivation tends to fizzle out with some people because of the never ending preparations. Initial outlay aside, I think having a clear picture on the complete commericial cylinder-type system - how it all connects up, operates, refills, trouble-shooting and maintenance - would give people like me the confidence to get one started.

mike

[joe]

What is jello? Can get from supermarkets?

[sherchoo]

It's actually Jelly mix. You know... like agar agar.

[joe]

ah sher, agar agar i know ... estimate estimate loh ... hahahha .... yeah i got some of these at home rotting ... might "steal" some from Financial Controller to put in my new 2l bottle [:]

[hoppinghippo]

hhhmmm When I was using DIY co2, I tried flipper and bell and reactor, I find reactor the most efficient way of dissolving co2, flipper is sort of still a bell cuz the co2 will just collect at the top. in terms of space, flipper takes up just about the same as reactor. pricewise, reactor is cheaper too. donno my 2 rupees worth....

[zmzfam]

Has anybody tried the electronic CO2 generator that utilises carbon plates? How good and reliable are they?

[tawauboy]

think it's called carbo plus or something like that.
it's simple to use something like plug and play.
can only be used up to a certain sized tank but i can't recall the figure.
the downside is the running cost.
the carbon plates need to be changed at intervals of about a year, depending on the usage. the carbon plates cost quite a bit also.

[bclee]

For carbo plus, so far I have heard more negative comments than good. Personally, I have not tried that before, so can't comment on it myself.

BC

[loupgarou]

I also heard you need high kh for the carbo plus. (as in 6-7)