Re: [APD] Multiple DIY CO2 generators

["S. Hieber" <shieber at yahoo_com>]

Diff yeast strains tolerate diff levels of alcohol -- anywhere from abut 10% to as high as 21%. Diff cultures are also more or less responsive within a diff range of temperatures. Diff strains ferment sugar more or less rapidly. A rapid strain will give you very strong output quickly within its ideal temperature range, but will max out quickly.

You can get cultures of diff yeast strains from on-line vendors. A little pricey but you only have to buy the culture once. after that, just leave a little sludge in the fermentation bottle when you do a mixture change and the culture will repopulate in about a day (double time for yeast is as high as eery two hours.)

The yeast that comes with the "ladder" devices works ideally at a normal room temperature of about 70-75 degrees F. Below 70 degrees and they become very sluggish. Up towards 80 degrees F, they churn away quickly and max out in a week or two.

Generally, your mixture will max out not when all the sugar is gone but when the alcohol content is too high for the yeast to propogate well. 

Some very good tips on yeast fermentation/CO2 production for aquaria can be found here in Tarah Nyberg's Yeast CO2 powerpoint presentation from AGA2K3 convention:

http://www.aquatic-gardeners.org/articles.html

 
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