Diy CO2 problem

[GuppyLover]

I just DIY-ed CO2 today and I have some problems with it.

1) I see foam on top of the solution of the 1.5L bottle I used , is this normal?
2) There are ants crawling around the CO2 solution because the solution itself is made up of sugar.
3) After 6 hours , I still don't see bubbles going through the second .5L bottle and in the tank.

The recipe I used was
- 1/2 teaspoon of bake king yeast
- 2 cups of sugar
- warm water

How I connected it :

I drilled a hole on the 1.5L bottle and inserted the air tube and connected it to a check valve and connected to the second .5L bottle. The airline from the 1.5L bottle is underwater while the other one is above the water then connected to another check valve and to a Boyu diffuser in the tank.

Hope any bro can help me with this since it's the first time I'm trying this.

[edw7636]

There is a few thread on DIY Co2. You might want to take advice from there. Similarly youtube have some video on it too. Its all trial and error.

If you have multiple check valve, imo it wont work cause check valve need alot of pressure to push the co2 around. Some people use 2 to 3 bottles of 1.5l of concentrated co2 mixture to get the required pressure needed.

In DIY Co2 , usually the main culprit is leakage of co2 somewhere near tubing cause its kinda hard to perm seal the tube to cap. Some people use super glue instead of silicon or both.

[stormhawk]

You did not secure the tubing properly. Drilling a hole on the bottle cap is just step 1. You must make an airtight seal around where the tubing enters and this involves a lot of patience and some skills with silicone sealant. Check valves are not necessary because the pressure from the CO2 mixture is not very high. As long as the liquid has no way of reaching the cap, there is no danger of the mixture entering the tank.

The presence of ants is normal but this is also because they sense the sugar water in the mixture, which brings to mind the gas leakage at the bottle cap. To solve the ant problem, place your bottle in a tray with some water. This will form a "moat" that will prevent the ants from coming close. The foam you see is also normal, and if you open the cap it will smell like beer.