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Re: DIY CO2 question



> I'm planning on trying out a DIY CO2 setup soon. In the net instructions
>  I've found, the recipes call for 1- to 2-liter bottles. Is the size of the
>  bottle particularly important? Could I use the same recipe that is intended
>  for a 2-liter bottle with a one-gallon bottle? If so, should I double the
>  amounts of the ingredients?

There is nothing carved in stone by a fiery finger regarding the size of 
yeast/sugar reactor bottles.  I've used them ranging anywhere from 1 quart to 
1 gallon, with every size in between.  The 2 liter bottles work out to be 
about right for a 10-29g tank, which is a very common size for an aquarium.  
Hence, you see that recommended most often.  Of course you can use a 1/2 
gallon bottle in place of the 2 liter bottle, if that's what you have on 
hand.  However, a 1g bottle may be required for a 29g or larger tank that you 
can't maintain therapeutic levels of CO2.  The sugar should be maintained 
approximately in the same ratio.  I.e., if you were planning to run 2 cups 
sugar, 1/4 tsp yeast in 1.5 liters of water, then double that formula for a 1 
gallon bottle, or halve it for a 1 quart bottle.  You have to experiment with 
these things a bit, until you find your CO2 levels running somewhere between 
10-40 ppm.  I find a 1 gallon yeast/sugar reactor gives my 29g tank about 
16-18 ppm of CO2, so that's what I run.