Hi am mikos and would love it if anyone with info or first hand experience so that the knowledge can be shared. Looking forward to speaking to you all about this homemade co2 ive made but i would like to make things more stable and know were and wats going to cause all this.
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@Niala back in 16’ posted a DIY CO2 generator, it was a banana/fruit holder and you would’ve filled a water bottle up with vinegar, and poke a small hole (sized for your drip you desire) and you would use duct tape to hold it upside down on the fruit holder. Then you would have a bowl of baking soda underneath, with a lid, and a bunch of holes all over it, and you have yourself a DIY dripper for CO2
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I’m not sure if this will be usable for hydro, but I’ve kept fish for about 25yrs & done almost everything in that industry, including most diy stuff & one of the recipes we used to use for a diy CO2 unit was just water, sugar & yeast in a soda bottle with a small hole in the top. Just have to be careful of the bubbling as sometimes it way fill the bottle if you make too much, but you can make a filter from another soda bottle to stop that problem. I used to make up a mix of 1/3 of the soda bottle with water, 1 tsp of yeast & 3tbsp of sugar(I think that’s the recipe, it’s been a while since I made some, lol). This should last from 1-3 weeks. If anyone knows if this is not a good idea I’d love to know, but otherwise it’s another option. 
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Oh thanks guys this is a weird subject to aporoach i think as there are so many conflicting stories etc and i think it works if it doesnt then its not been made properly because my girls are loving it and are doing fab but because so many conflicting stories etc i do believe it depends on the size of grow your doing for a start and what conditions around you are. @AmnesiaHaze @Niala @Buds007. Thanks my friends. Off topic what if any of you guys and gals have instructions on adding black strap organic molassess to my feeding routine any help would be great and i will be posting pics and a step by step guide to make home co2 as i have and if yous like i have a journal at the moment you can see and you should be able to notice the change from before i added the co2. Thoughts views and any help hints and tips to help my girls out. And to help me out to produce some top quality bud for my medication.
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@Mikos I use homemade CO2 generators made out of 1 gallon vegetable oil containers from the grocery store. I saw the setup on YouTube and I think it helps my grow.
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Can you show me some picture of your reactors if possible plz as i am gathering all types of info hints and tips to help me learn how to grow. And i am collect a few thousand seeds of northern lights over the nxt week which i am wanting to use in my little experiments i am trying to design something to help out all small discreet or with very limited space and there is a spacebucket and few other things out there but i am trying to incorporate everything into such a small thing tht will produce large yeild with little to no effort as long as you follow the basics it will all work fine but its only an idea of mine that maybe already exists and i didnt see it or thts how i got my idea… anyway thanks. And my reactor is doing the job but i will construct another one in time that is alot better. But for now it does the job.
Added CO2 only helps when you have so much light that the plants can’t use it all. Then you add CO2 and it can do photosynthesis a little faster. If you have a ventilated grow room, it will not work. You need a closed system or it all leaks out very quickly.
Okay, you have a closed system and super bright lights: You can figure out how much CO2 you are generating by measuring it, and compare that to the volume of the room. If you are doubling the CO2 in the room, then you will see an effect. You will see faster vegetative growth. This usually only matters to commercial growers.
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Thanks. I dont know what i am but i must be doing it right cause its working and the girls are doing fab i think. But anyone can check out my grow journal on Purple Express its my 2nd ever grow and i am just playing about with ideas and alot of diy stuff is going to be on the cards once i collect a few thousand regular seeds of northern lights which i hope to grow in a more controlled enviroment and will be part of my first attempt at cross breeding but we will see. And cause i am doing such a small grow i want to maximise yeild with little effort only due to circumstances. Anyway like i said if you want to have a look then check my grow out i post pics nearly on a daily basis so tht we all can see any changes from one day to the nxt.
@Buds007 I also used the big soda bottles and hot glued a piece of fish pump tube through the top of the cap so I could hear the hissing and direct the flow of the Co2 a little more precisely toward either the plants or into the back of the fan.I would shake the bottle a few times a day rather than just once a day and sometimes squeeze the air/Co2 on the plants,(Not the liquid) but i did read where co2 does not like the light so I painted the bottles black first and like the co2 packets they sell for stupid money I added some aquarium stones,my friend bought one of those and when they say there’s more than just yeast and sugar in it they aint lying,lol,You get 4 red aquarium stones too,lol,helps with the mixing when yea shake the bottle.
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Thanks guys all these messages are great and if you could even post your pics of any that you have made or even in use at the moment i be greatful.
Thsnks. @OldSkunk thts perfect thts exactly what i want to do with large 3l or 5l juggs to do. Am working on a little project for a low maintenance grow nit like a plug and play.
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Might be a bit late on this subject but I do this without the second jug but I do have a small tube coming out the top so i can aim the co2 towards the plants with the fan blowing it towards them as well but I paint the jugs black because i was told yeast don’t like the light,I also buy my yeast and sugar at the grocery store due to paying $16 for a plastic bottle with some letters on it then another $20 for yeast and sugar with 5 or 6 little aquarium stones in a package with some letters on it is just a Total waste of money that could be spent on soil.yeast and sugar are cheap but the letters TNB enhancer cost crazy money.If you do waste money on that package make sure you check the date because you don’t want it to stop working before its time,
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All fish and aquatic plants need Carbon Dioxide as it is required for them to grow and stay healthy in the tank. Having a C02 reactor in the tank is essential. It is a device that helps keep the balance between the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the aquarium, as an excess of any of these ingredients can do more harm than good. These optimal levels are not only necessary for plant growth, but also for healthier and happier fish.
They need ambient co2, but not extra. Even with tanks planted to the seems with co2 loving plants like HC. I have found no need for extra co2. I just load the lower substrate with crushed coral or arragonite sand. I have found aquatic plants can pull carbon just as well from dissolved bicarbonates as they can dissolved co2. Also, crank up your co2 without plants and your fish will literally try to jump out of the water.
I admit my bias, but hi tech co2 aquariums and live condition interactive Wi-Fi controlled lights have ruined the hobby for normal people. I feel all those fancy solenoid injected co2 set ups are purely for showing off $$$. Like teslas in the driveway. (Does anyone need a hand job while they drive, really???)
Anyway, my crushed coral and rich soil bottom substrate (anaerobic decay makes co2 and CH3) (wallstead method) low tech live plant tanks put to shame all the laser injected co2 tech tanks I have ever put it against. I have even won local live aquarium plant aquascaping challenges.
Sorry, not trying to bust your balls but I cannot disagree more with:
In the real world I install and maintain custom aquariums in homes and medical buildings. Not 1 co2 reactor on any of my planted tanks.
Also, adding about 10ml of vodka (CCH5OH) per 100gallons daily is also a good way to dose “free carbon” other than co2 or bicarbonates. I just prefer the bicarbonates in the substrate to prevent ph crash or chronic low ph.
The best CO2 reactor will have no problem whatsoever infusing a large volume of water with ample carbon dioxide to keep live water plants healthy and thriving.