DIY CO2 Made Easy

[kcartwright856]

Originally Posted by james0816

2 teaspoons of yeast is a ton! Good thing you have a lot of yeast to blow through.

The Jell-O method does last longer than the regular setup and is more stable over the long haul. And with a 29g, you would want to stay with the two bottle setup

I use the Ocean Spray bottles because they give me a better and tighter seal than the 2L bottles. I found that in using the glass diffusers, the 2L's were more prone to develop leaks from the caps.

As long as the bottles are sealed tightly, you can use pretty much any nano diffuser. I have tested on (6) different ones successfully. Unfortunately not the Fluval one you mentioned. I'll have to go out and take a look at it.

I think I'll be giving your method a go here as soon as I get some Ocean Spray bottles. That makes sense about the seals. The threading on those bottles is different.

As mentioned above, I would also be interested in knowing which diffusers worked with your setup. If you are unable to post them due to forum rules, I'd appreciate a PM, if it's not too much trouble!

I'd also like to know more about the recipe and why it works. The Jell-O dissolves slowly so that it delivers sugar to the yeast steadily, right? What is the purpose of the rice, then?

[james0816]

The diffusers didn't have brand names on them. Except for the limewood one which was RedSea. I'll try and post pics of the various diffusers I still have but they are pretty standard glass ceramic diffusers.

As for the rice, here's how it was presented to me. The rice is a starch. Something about the yeast breaks the starch down and converts it into simple sugars. This in turn is consumed by the yeast as a food source which will then produce CO2. No, the rice will not disintegrate and it will be at the bottom of the vessle when you go to clean it out.

Using Jell-O "locks" up the sugars initially. As the Jell-O dissolves, the sugars are then made available to the yeast. More food means happier yeasties.

These mixes last me a very long time. I monitor with drop checkers. Once I notice the green giving way to blue, that's when I change out the bottle. And I should say that most of the time, the Jell-O is completely spent before having to change out the bottle. It's a nice little spell.

[urbanredneck]

Success! I followed this model and am getting 2 bubbles/sec out of 1/4"OD tubing.

The bubble counter should def be used because without it (or a decent $275 meter) you really won't be able to see that the mixture is healthy. Its also a good way to know when you need to brew a new batch or add to it.

The seltzer was just a little jumpstart... like soda jello jugglers... as it melts and is eaten extra co2 should be released.

[ElBoltonero]

Originally Posted by james0816

As for the rice, here's how it was presented to me. The rice is a starch. Something about the yeast breaks the starch down and converts it into simple sugars. This in turn is consumed by the yeast as a food source which will then produce CO2. No, the rice will not disintegrate and it will be at the bottom of the vessle when you go to clean it out.

If the rice is being converted to sugar by yeast enzymes it won't be there. If it's still there then it hasn't been broken down. Cooked rice would be more likely to eventually break down (cooking breaks down the starch chains). If you use rice when you brew or make sake or the like it must be cooked first. Even still it needs help to break down the starch chains (barley enzymes in beer or a special mold in sake). It's just not plausible, there's 2 gigantic steps missing. S. Cerevisiae can't even ferment all kinds of sugar, let alone starch.

[james0816]

I can't explain it as it's not in my area of expertise. I remember reading about it and people have used it so I tried it. It provided a boost over the regular setup with proven results (as tested by me) and that's all the science I needed.

As mentioned before, I love to experiment and this was one that worked out rather well. Using this method, the mix is used up completely which was an added plus.

Remember...results may vary as there are other factors such as ambient temp involved.

[morgan]

My first post just to say Thanks for a great tutorial.

I'm going to diffuse using either a wooden air block or a ciggy filter under the filter outlet.

[brooklynfishman]

GREAT idea and thanks for sharing this. Never thought of the jello aspect.

[Gethenet]

I am tryting to do a setup for a 140 gallon tank...any suggestions on to how many bottles I would need?

[james0816]

Originally Posted by Gethenet

I am tryting to do a setup for a 140 gallon tank...any suggestions on to how many bottles I would need?

Wow...Ummm...Too many I would say.

I would just calcuate by saying I use one bottle on a 10 and go from there. That would be a TON of work to maintain on that big ole thing. Just couldn't see it being cost effective or pratical. Definately want to go pressurized for that.

[kcartwright856]

I have my two Ocean Spray bottles and one Gatorade bottle, drilled and nearly ready to go!

The 3/16th bit made the perfect snug fit. Thanks so much for that instruction and the tip about snipping the hose on the diagonal to pull it through the hole with pliers.

I'm currently waiting on the silicone to dry and for my limewood airstone to soak. I have a proper diffuser on order, but it may not get here until next week, so I'm going to try the limewood for the next few days.

I'll be making up the Jell-O mixture here shortly, though I'm not going to use the rice this first time around.

We shall see!

[james0816]

Kewlness. Hope all goes well for you!

[kcartwright856]

The limewood airstone was getting me excellent diffusion! My drop checker green was pretty light.

The little Fluval diffuser finally shipped in, and it seems to work just fine with DIY. Nice mist coming out of the ceramic disc. My drop checker isn't getting as light, though. Curious.

I haven't switched over to the Ocean Spray bottles and Jell-O yet. Haven't had the time! I just have the new diffuser attached to the old system.

Excited to try the Jell-O!

[kcartwright856]

I mixed up the Jell-O yesterday morning and, 24 hours later, it's VERY runny.

I used two packets of generic brand (Is this the problem?) cherry Jell-O. Cherry, because that's the flavor that I know wouldn't get eaten in the house.

4 cups of sugar, 5 cups of boiling water. Essentially, I just doubled the recipe. Poured it all into a 13x9 casserole dish, covered with aluminum foil, and stuck it in the fridge.

The mixture is set a little, as in I can touch it without my finger submerging, but it really feels like it wants to spill when you take the dish out of the fridge. Sloshes around a bit more than I'm comfortable with.

I'm still going to give it a go, because I don't want to waste this, but I'd like to know where I went wrong.

My husband wondered if it's possible to use the unflavored gelatin from the store. I may try that after the other two boxes of cherry Jell-O are used.

[kcartwright856]

Answered my own dumb question. I ended up with THREE ounce packets instead of SIX.

Ugh. I'm going to use this batch even though it won't work as intended. And then I will try again PROPERLY.

[Cyianara69]

Originally Posted by kcartwright856

My husband wondered if it's possible to use the unflavored gelatin from the store. I may try that after the other two boxes of cherry Jell-O are used.

lol - is that so he isn't tempted to eat the Jello???