How to make easy CO2 for your tank? Cheap and easy DIY CO2!

[@AquascapingCube]

Do you have any better recipes for your CO2? Let us all know in the comments. And please don't forget to leave a like :) Thank you!

[@gguabes]

How to shut it off co2 at night?

[@AquascapingCube]

@@gguabes With this stuff I don't (plastic bottle would break). But you can do the opposite: turn ON the air pump. This way O2 will be pumped inside and create a lot of surface movement. This is enough to avoid high CO2 level. And if you don't want that, you can raise filter outflow to create the same effect. In general surface agitation is the key to avoid CO2 spikes (I'm monitoring it with drop checker: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eavMqWmOrL-tmZo)

[@ahmedbenmarzouk6708]

What's the purpose of the small bottle?

[@AntonioCabralNumberOne]

​@@ahmedbenmarzouk6708 It's a filter to prevent the produced alcohol from reaching the aquarium.

[@kevinsmith9190]

@@AquascapingCube three cups of sugar dissolved into very warm water and then three heaping spoonfuls of dry yeast in the sugar screw on cap. 3/4 of the way full of sugar water and about halfway full on jug as filter which I have a long tube with holes along it any plugged the end of the tube. Very good and cheap

[@alexbwja]

A rare straight to the point well spoken amazing quality video on KZbin !Much respect brother I'm glad I learned something today

[@AquascapingCube]

Thank you! I'm glad you liked it :D

[@kevinsmith9190]

I cut small holes in the tube and wind it through and around my plants. Works great. Shake sugar jug daily. Last time around a week.

[@raymondburniston8630]

Whats the purpose of the valve you fitted please

[@anthonylowney6785]

Really would like an answer to this as well, and find out what kind of valve it is

[@sm8202]

Me too, what is it for?

[@PrahiPlays]

To make sure that side of the hole is completely closed. Usually you don’t need two holes on the big bottle. But also secondly sometimes that valve acts as a safety if you want to reduce the pressure inside the big bottle

[@lillin5916]

How do you tell if you need to reduce the pressure in the big bottle?

[@Ray-man72]

​@lillin5916 if the bottle is way to hard or feel like it's ready to explode (aka pop a top) ..etc

[@kevinsmith9190]

Use very warm water to dissolve sugar

[@CraigsOverijse]

thank you for the simple cheap idea to try out co2 for not a huge investment

[@AquascapingCube]

No problem. Glad it was helpful!

[@trak957]

WOW simple yet very effective thanks for sharing this :)

[@AquascapingCube]

Yes, it is :) No problem. Very soon I will also show the results of using CO2 for this tank ;)

[@gabriellerozelski9335]

Thank you! I didn't understand why the second bottle of water but now I understand and I made a little C02 for my system to try it out.

[@AquascapingCube]

Glad it helped!

[@lukaszef6089]

It's weird that it works :P But the end result looks very nice!

[@AquascapingCube]

Yes, I always liked the effect of co2 coming out of diffuser :)

[@Spacey7]

Not really as sugar activates the yeast & creates Co2 it's used in wine making too.

[@Spacey7]

That's genius! I've made wine before but would never have thought of this. I have a very small tank with a few guppies in it & this would be ideal, better than the electric pump I bought as that's too much for my set up. Also with the cost of living crisis at the moment it's an added bonus that no electricity is being used. Thank you. Subscribed 😊

[@AquascapingCube]

Great, thank you! Yes it's very effective, but remember that in very small tank you have to control CO2 levels during the night. You mention electric pump you bought. It is pumping Oxygen (O2) not Carbon dioxide (CO2) - sorry if this is obvious, but just wanted to check if you are not confusing those ;)

[@ebenoid6643]

@@AquascapingCube i was wondering that as well. How often should co2 be introduced into the water column? And what is naturally causing co2 in natural water sources? Maybe i will look it up!

[@dkaamraaj]

Nicely xplained

[@AquascapingCube]

Thank you 😊

[@kevinsmith9190]

Good job

[@AquascapingCube]

Thanks!

[@Akane_Shinde]

The small bottle is used to neutralize alcohol so that the CO2 that enters the tank does not harm fish and plants because of the chemical reaction and the water will not become cloudy. 😊

[@FoXMaSteR001]

The second bottle is interesting but according to GPT it's only effective if the tank is very small, on larger aquariums it's very unlikly to dirty the water with that system. Yeasts requires sugar to make fermentation so inside the aquarium it would die, of course there are still sugar produced by plants but they eat it, and if the yeast reaches the water it will be in competition with the other aquatic bacteria that are stronger to survive in this environment... So it's pollution but the yeast itself will be eated by these micro-organism, that could increase the pollution, but not more than a full piece of yeast dropped inside the water, which wouldn't be enough to destroy an aquarium that has a good balance. 🤔 However it would be cool to make a real test to check what's the reality. Because I hear many things about that system that make no sense with physics or sciences. For example many put a valve to prevent water to come back in the tube and merge with alcohol, how ? Do they think the absence of pressure will strive the water in the water and merge with alcohol ? But you have days to see the reaction dying and as you must keep the CO2 stable it would already be a fault to wait that much. Then even when the yeast is dying it still produce a small amount of CO2 that keeps the pressure in the tube, in fact you need a certain pressure for the bubbles to cross the water, so when you still have a very small amount of bubbles it means there is no chance the water could do the path in reverse, in any case nothing in the bottle has the ability to create some void inside it, so if you let the bottle for weeks maybe the CO2 could escape slowly but if the tube lets the CO2 pass it also let the air pass, so it doesn't create any void either. 🤔 In fact even if you suddently open the bottle you stop the pression in the tube, so there is no more pressure in tube and the water of the aquarium could go inside the tube, but this water will be blocked precisly at the surface, as the tube necessarily has to exit "above" the water, the water inside the tube couldn't cross this area even if the tube goes down afther that and if the bottle is under the aquarium, nothing strive the water enough to create a siphon effect. Then I read the presence of water inside the tube could affect the CO2 when you'll renew the mixture as the CO2 will dissolve with the water remaining inside the tube. But as the pressure will increase this water will be pushed outside the tube, in the aquarium, so if you don't let the tube wet for months there is no risk of problematic bacteria, but even the idea dangerous bacteria could appear inside the wet tube is weird as if the water of the aquarium reached it means the bacteria of the system can also reach it, they also breath and feed, so the inside of the wet tube has the same bacteria as the outisde of the tube that is underwater, it would be weird to let the tube underwater for months and even if you do it, nothing will happen. According to the chimical reaction you don't get only CO2 with the yeast and sugar, so if these gaz were thin enough to reach the tube of the first bottle there is no reason they wouldn't escpae the water of the second bottle too. Big particules will be stuck in this secondary filter but not the gaz. In fact a total of 5 different gaz are produced with the CO2 and only 2 of them can react with water (CO2 and CH₃COOH), these 2 will change the pH of the second bottle and then the water of the aquarium. So... We need some tests please 🤗 For example after the reaction the first bottle smells like ethanol, which is normal and a proof some gaz that aren't CO2 are released (CO2 doesn't smell anything), is it the case for the second bottle too ? I suppose the second bottle smells like ethanol as the gaz is trying to escape but there is no ethanol in its water, which is a difference with the first bottle. When you drop the first bottle on the floor it will smell ethanol a lot, but I suppose the second bottle wouldn't smell as there is no liquid ethanol inside it. It would be interesting to test the water of the second bottle, as the CO2 affected it I suppose it's an acid water, but is it dirty water ? In any case don't drink the water, 1L of water with 200g of sugar and yeast will produce about 120ml of ethanol, which is about 2,4L of a 5% beer...

[@オメガです]

Now this was awesome. Thanks you once again!

[@AquascapingCube]

Cool! I'm glad.

[@OndraZak]

I did my system exactly as shown in the video but after few days the bubbles stopped producing. Checked is there is any weak spot where the pressure might be escaping but didn't find any. I remove the air stone at night and put it in a cup with water, is it possible that the quick transfer from aquarium to the cup when it is out of water for few seconds might be causing this?

[@aravisish]

This is cool. I always wanted to try this but never did :P

[@AquascapingCube]

It’s never to late;)

[@fbasantajr]

Great video, thank you from NYC

[@AquascapingCube]

I'm glad you liked it :) Thanks for watching!

[@esequiel1900]

Hello what's the link of co2 diffuser?

[@mikemcinturff2614]

Thank you for this video that was straight up to the point and very informative. Probably the best CO2 video I’ve watched.. only question I have is where did you get the diffuser? Thank you again for the great video

[@AquascapingCube]

Thank you! Glad it was helpful! Diffuser is from Amazon, something like this: amzn.eu/d/deOzsiq

[@Rick-xy4bt]

What is the purpose for the 2nd bottle of straight water. I have seen some videos that go from the sugar yeast solution direct to the diffuser in the tank, and no 2nd bottle of water.

[@AquascapingCube]

It's a filtration system. Sometimes solution in the first bottle creates a lot of foam and can "raise up" because of the reaction. If it gets high enough it can get pushed through the tube and into the tank. Second bottle prevents that, because CO2 needs to go through the water and all eventual particles would stay in it. Hope it makes sense ;)

[@kobirozen9991]

hi waht is the powder that you pour into the botel please? i couldn't Anderstand

[@AquascapingCube]

It's instant yeast. To be more specific Dr. Oetker :)

[@michaelbolson5222]

If using this setup for a small grow tent is the 2nd bottle necessary? I imagine it''s there to just filter out any potential yeast water going into a aquarium rightt? Also the safety valve really only serves as a emergency release for to much pressure? Wouldn't unscrewing the 2nd valve up top do the same? Or does the valve release automatically?

[@karenteasdale7341]

Excellent

[@AquascapingCube]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@thugstermlbb630]

do i need to keep bottle next to aquarium or can i keep under aquarium just wanna know if position will effect co2 flow

[@TwwZilla]

What do you do at night when the plants don’t consume co2 with the light off ? Do you just let it run ?

[@AquascapingCube]

Yes. But I have very strong surface agitation to keep the tank well oxygenated and keep the fish safe.

[@fengcarlos]

How do you turn it off at night?

[@jimmyhfishes]

Wow... diy...thanks for the tip...

[@heiditlps4000]

Great video!

[@AquascapingCube]

Thank you! :)

[@zaharudinhashim1967]

Can share what and why the safety valve for?

[@AquascapingCube]

It was just in case you want to decrease the pressure. To slow the reaction and limit the amount of CO2 going into the tank. But it's not necessary.

[@zaharudinhashim1967]

@ thank you for the tip. I’m planning to do the same.

[@cozmin1424]

How do you control the flow of co2? In that safety valve?

[@AquascapingCube]

You have very limited control over the flow. It's possible to install safety valve to decrease the pressure, but not possible to stop or slow it down significantly. I control it through experimenting with the amount of ingredients (yeast, water, sugar). You nees to have right balance. And during the night good aeration. Sounds complicated, but actually it's easy once you do it ;)

[@cozmin1424]

@@AquascapingCube i have a control valve now, just finished making the system today and i experimented with different connections. I can adjust the flow by turning the valve sideways and i think at night ill keep it almost shut. The pressure can build up and in the morning release it. Ill try making as you said, baking soda and vinegar, now is the yeast mixture! Running it at 1bps for a 6gal tank.

[@sm8202]

Where did you get your valve, could you share the link please? 🙏

[@Nelson-we6mm]

very good and well explained. I thought for a long time about making one at home. But never dared until I saw your video. Now I have bought the things to make a co2 at home. You say in the video that you should have more yeast if you have a larger aquarium. I have a 180 Liter at home, how much more yeast do I need to mix in then? I think you have calculated what you are mixing specifically for your aquarium. Thanks for the video... Greetings from Sweden!

[@AquascapingCube]

Thanks for commenting! If you are just starting I would suggest to start with the same ratio. You will get some experience, see how your tank behaves and observe CO2 levels. You will see how much does it influence your water chemistry. So next time you adjust the amount of yeast by 20-30% and again see what happens. I would change it in small increments, it's safer for you, your fish because they will not get shocked with sudden high CO2 level.

[@AquascapingCube]

And count the bubbles per second, so you can see the difference. When you add more yeast - you will get more bubbles, this will make things easier to measure changes in ratio.

[@Nelson-we6mm]

@@AquascapingCube ok... understand. Thank you for replying back. 👍🏾

[@breez3656]

Amazing setup! I'm trying it out right now and it works like a charm. I got a question, though: what if I pinch an airline to limit the CO2 amount at night? Will it be risky due to the pressure accumulation?

[@AquascapingCube]

Yes, it will be very risky. The best thing to do is just to move diffuser to a jar of water and let it run there. But you have to be consistent when you do that.

[@mich3992]

also is there a way to modify it to have a shut off valve? or if i wanted to stop it at night would i just remove the tube that runs to the diffuser?

[@AquascapingCube]

It would be better to move diffuser from the tank to a glass with water. If you remove the tube - pressure will quickly drop and entire CO2 can escape.

[@anthonylowney6785]

Can you please explain what the valve was for ? You failed to mention it. Where do I get a valve like that ? Is it sealed ? It looks open on one end. Very confusing.

[@Ray-man72]

petco or petsmart has assortment pack of fittings with the valve in it. the valve is to relieve pressure if so desired before or if the bottle has to much pressure.

[@railfe_]

Which one is better? Sugar+yeast or Citric acid+baking soda? Im planning to stay a diy co2 soon.

[@AquascapingCube]

There is no definitive answer to that. I always go for sugar+yeast beacuse it just works well for me. It's cheap, easy and good to start with. Just don't use to much CO2 at the beginning, introduce it slowly.

[@amrutpat12]

Hi my CO2 reactor bottle worked properly first time and second it's not producing enough CO2 I don't know what is the issue. It'll produce some bubbles when I shake the bottle or else there is production there is very little foam and it doesn't look like much reaction is going on inside. Can you help me?

[@AquascapingCube]

Hi. It might depend on many factors. Sounds like not enough yeast or bad quality yeast. It can also happen in case of temperature change, when it's colder - yeast is much less reactive. And finally - when you were changing the yeast, maybe your system is not as tight as it used to be? It happens during maintenance.

[@amrutpat12]

@@AquascapingCube yes all of the above are true friend, 1) the winter has come however the temperature is still 18°c-28°c most of the time as i live in India. 2)yeast package was not air tight and was kept in the freezer I don't know if this made it less reactive. 3) I found a leakage in the system and took care of it the next day but even after fixing the leak the reaction is not as strong. Kindly provide insights on the following points. Thanks alot!

[@rinsom5091]

Very informative video! My tank is 54 gallons (200 liters) and my plants are slow to grow and get algae. Do you think your system would be sufficient in my aquarium?

[@AquascapingCube]

Thank you! I think that this system will deplete to fast. You can still do it, because this is better than nothing, you can see if this works for you and what are the results for your plants. Maybe it will be enough?

[@rinsom5091]

I'll try it! Thank you!​@@AquascapingCube

[@jeffmalihan760]

@AquascapingCube Works great, Thanks for the vid. Question my second bottle (1 Liter) Is full when started, and about 2 hours the water is almost gone. Is this normal? Any suggestions?

[@AquascapingCube]

No, it's not normal. Pressure is probably pushing the water out. I would keep lower water level at the beginning, and check the exit from second bottle: is should be high, very close to the cup and above the water level.

[@ccrazyfish]

To increase bubble/second, can I connect 2 reaction bottle together?

[@AquascapingCube]

To increase speed you can use more yeast. It will work faster. 2 bottles will complicate things and it might be difficult to keep the pressure in check. Just be carefull ;)

[@kalyanroy9679]

Can I use any valve in pipe line to stop the CO2 at night

[@vforvictory888]

Your big bottle will likely explode without releasing any air

[@fireandlights12]

Just set this up got a 1 liter with plain water as bottle #2 and bottle #1 is the sweetened water with dissolved yeast I’ve observed bubbles in bottle #1 however have not had any bubbles come out of my co2 diffuser and it’s been about 2-3 hours am I doing something wrong I followed the video step by step

[@fireandlights12]

Next day still no bubbles coming from the diffuser

[@FoXMaSteR001]

I used dry yeast the first time and it only produced a small gaz after 48 hours in warm condition, so I tried with fresh yeast and it worked in 20 minutes. I then put the rest of the "fresh" yeast in the fridge (3°C), then I renewed the mixture every week using the yeast of the fridge, after 5 weeks it's still working. According to internet the yeast dies after 2 weeks in the fridge, it's a lie. I put the yeast in a plastic bag and I remove the air inside it everytime.

[@ebrahimsaleh8134]

Interesting, what is the purpose of the second bottle?

[@AquascapingCube]

It acts as filtration system. In case dirty water from the first bottle goes through the tubing - it will get caught in the second bottle, and will not end up in the tank :)

[@ebrahimsaleh8134]

@@AquascapingCube Thank you for your answer, what do you think about citric acid and baking soda mixture?

[@AquascapingCube]

@@ebrahimsaleh8134 It works great as well! But I use it only in different setups, not DIY. Here I talked about this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pnbZnGyHn9V7i6c

[@ebrahimsaleh8134]

@@AquascapingCube Awesome, thank you

[@kevgardiner4852]

How much yeast for a 40 gallon please just crypts Java fern and rotala at the moment

[@AquascapingCube]

I would use: 1000g water, 400g sugar, 10g yeast for the first time. Then you can adjust based on the results.

[@kevgardiner4852]

@@AquascapingCubethank you so much will that be fine in a 2 litre bottle

[@_kuripot_gaming_3088]

What is the purpose of the valve?

[@AquascapingCube]

For safety. In case you have to release the pressure etc.

[@EvEvangelista-k8r]

What is the valve on the big bottle do?

[@AquascapingCube]

It's for safety - if you would like to decrease the pressure in the system and slow the production of CO2.

[@raymondburniston8630]

​@@AquascapingCubeso you just open it to atmosphere?

[@AquascapingCube]

@@raymondburniston8630 Yes, exactly like with alcohol brewing. But you should use it just in case something happens, and you want to stop or slow the reaction.

[@karol-li6nj]

hey man i loved the video! before i saw your video i had already made my mixture(from MJ aquascaping) so i didnt follow your recipe but i used your exactly same equipment becasue i have those 2 plastic caps. its been 1 day now and i havent got results yet...should I open the bottle and put some more yeast? because i only put 2g in. Also i didnt understand the valve thing. Should it be completly closed????Because right now i have it closed and i dont know if thats the problem @@AquascapingCube

[@Crystal_Mantis0_0]

What kind of water u put in the other bottle? Is it tap water or the tank water?

[@AquascapingCube]

Hi. Just simple, clean tap water.

[@Crystal_Mantis0_0]

Thx

[@brendapereda8841]

How many grams of yeast would you recommend for a 10 gal tank?

[@AquascapingCube]

I would say that it strongly depends on the number of plants rather than tank capacity. For 10 gal I used 10g of yeast, but I had many fast growing plants inside. It's all about balance. Start small to be safe, and if everything will be fine - then you can experiment a bit. Just don't overdo it the first time. Good luck! :)

[@kalyanroy9679]

Sir how can I regulate the CO2

[@juliusgarcia6031]

what is the small valve in water bottle?

[@AquascapingCube]

It's just for safety. If you want to quickly decrease the pressure in the bottle, and release some CO2. You do that if there is too much CO2 coming to the tank. But it's optional.

[@azeus_mecha]

​@@AquascapingCube does it automatically release preassure when too much? Or manually have to release it?

[@AquascapingCube]

@@azeus_mecha You have to do it manually. But there is very good chance that it will fail before anything else.

[@raylanbenjamin6943]

How do you turn it off in the evening so that you don’t kill your fish

[@AquascapingCube]

You cannot switch it off. I have very strong surface agitation to keep the tank well oxygenated and keep the fish safe. Never had any problems with that.

[@marcomichelena1689]

wow i wish i saw this video years ago

[@IvKampo]

Я використовував одну пляшку 10 днів. Перекривав на ніч і нічого не вибухнуло. Переробив на 2 пляшки, все чудово працює, ніч перекриваю. Нічого не вибухає.

[@Tomasttttt]

👍

[@kibawhitefang7176]

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