diy co2 - no bubbles?

[pretzelb]

My first attempt at diy co2 I went with the faq link at this url http://www.qsl.net/w2wdx/aquaria/diyco2.html . The only thing I didn't do is the power filter attachment, instead I have a home made bell to let the co2 diffuse into the tank.

But after 24 hours I don't see any bubbles in the gas separator bottle. Is this normal? I expected to see bubbles going into that bottle to give me an idea that it was working. I'm not sure if it's the active yeast I used, or if I have too many gaps in my connections in the caps.

A few details on my setup in case it helps. I have 1 gallon gatorade jug for my generator. I used the 2 cups water, 2 cups sugar, 1/4 teaspon yeast formula. The gas separator is another gatorade jug but instead of a straight tube I used a regular flexible tube that goes to the bottom of the bottle. I have a single check valve that is between the separator and the tank. I also used the cap connector method suggested at this link using home depot products for this attempt. I'm testing all this on a 10g tank I have setup in the garage right now.

[Rex Grigg]

You have a leak. Or your yeast is dead.

To make the cap connections gas tight and fool proof use a small drill bit. Drill a hole in the cap. Cut the tubing at an angle, pull it though the small hole. Works every time. No messing around with sealants no trying to seal different plastics.

[pretzelb]

Hmm, I had hoped the Hose Barb to Fib Adapter trick would work as Piscesgirl suggested. I will look into redoing the connections.

[tazcrash69]

Also, what was the water temp when you added the yeast?
I'm guessing to dissolve 2 cups of sugar into 2 cups of water you boiled the water. Did you let it cool down sufficiently?

And sorry if I'm insulting you, but....
Is the check valve installed in the right direction?

[pretzelb]

Well I may have spoken too soon, or Rex is correct. Instead of redoing it (no bottles on hand right now) I tried a bit of sealant just for now. I now see a bubble every 10-15 seconds or so in the separator. There still is nothing in the tank yet but I have the check valve between the tank and the separator (the link shows the generator and the separator but I changed it). The check valve seemed pretty hard to get through so I think it just needs to build up pressure.

I may have rushed the boiling water / sugar step, something I will watch next time. I probably didn't let it cool down enough.

I'm pretty sure the check valve is correctly configured (always good to ask). There is a triangle on it so it points the correct way. I check this about 4 times every time I look at the tank because I don't want an explosion.

[tazcrash69]

I also just noticed that you have it set up in the garage. If it's cold in there, you will get much slower CO2 production.

[malkore]

2 cups of sugar in 2 cups of water? too much sugar...the yeast likely cannot live in that much sugar.

more sugar doesn't mean better. 1 cup per liter of water, on average, is as good as you can get with bread yeast. buy champaign yeast and you'll get a little more bang for your buck...but it may not last as long and simply produce more CO2 more rapidly.

You'll need 65F temperatures, no colder, or your yeast will stunt too.

[pretzelb]

The more I read the more I think my test setup in the garage may be a bad idea. I bought a heater for the plants but that won't save them from the summer heat. Now I find out the yeast will slow if it's too cold. It's too bad because I like having a tank in there to experiment without worry about a mess.

Regarding the formula I used, I just went by what the sticky in the FAQ said to do.