[bharada]

You wouldn't be expecting any sympathy from me, would you?

It sound like what happened (as still is, to a degree) to my 'cuba'. I just dosed another 7ppm of Mg because the progress from last week has taken a step back. After my initial Mg dosing last week it was looking good, then the new growth started coming in nearly white. So I added a touch of Ca, but nothing. So I'm back to working under the assumption that my Mg is still out of balance with my Ca and bringing its level up. Tom says he's grown this plant in very hard water so I'll keep plugging away. It doesn't hurt that the 'cuba' is nearly blanketed by my L. aromatica so its poor condition isn't quite so obvious.

Well, this beats landscaping the yard. :lol:

 

[bharada]

Naomi,
On my 29g I was running two 1gal jugs (3c sugar + 1 tsp bakers yeast in each) into the intake of my Magnum 350. With that setup I was able to get ~20ppm of CO2 (pH 7.2, KH 11), so I'm very surprised that you can't get your CO2 up in a 4g tank. Does your DIY make enough pressure to push the CO2 through an airstone/diffuser? Maybe run the diffuser under the filter intake so that smaller bubbles are being taken into the filter.

Or how about making an ultra intense yeast mixture (double or triple your yeast amount) to see if you can the CO2 concentration up...if only at the expense of changing your mixture more often.

I've since added pressurized CO2 to the 29 (Fedex delivered my Milwaukee regulator today) so you're welcome to my remaining stock of Flourish Excel if you think that'll help (at least in the short run).

 

[bharada]

Naomi,
I've had good success with Red Star yeast from Costco. I keep a small amount in a tupperware container in the fridge. The rest I vacuum seal and stick in the freezer. I would proof the yeast before I added it to the bottle jsut to make sure it's still viable.

Try using slightly warmer water when you create your mixture. Maybe that will get it started sooner.

 

[bharada]

Naomi,
Repeat after me...the Food Network is your friend

Proofing the yeast simply means to get it started in a small bowl with a pinch of sugar and some warm water. In a few minutes it should start to foam. It doesn't have to look like a beer head, but you should see a thin layer of foam developing. At that point you know that the yeast is still alive and can be added to the bottle.

 

[bharada]

Drat! I let my AGA membership run out so I haven't been getting TAG. I'll search by keyword through the APD and theKrib to see if I can't find the recipe.

Here's Tarah Nyberg's recipe from the current TAG:

-1c sugar per 2 l of de-chlorinated
-Add 1-2 tsp of a protein drink mix (or soy or bean flour)
-Optional: Add 1 tsp of ammonium sulfate, or use 1 tbs molasses (or both)
-1 tsp baking soda is also nice to keep the pH from crashing
-Yeast: About 1/4 tsp

She notes, "Leave yeast in from previous mix in the bottom if it smells like yeast, beer, bread, etc.... If it smells like mold or something more disgusting, consider starting a new culture. I usually only needed to refresh it every month or so-3 weeks is probably better."