co2 reactor probs

[Thever]

I built an external reactor and am having some issues w/ air bubbles. I had on the output of my 2213 but was getting bubble city out of the spraybar. I swapped things out so its before the filter. Now I am getting sporadic large discharge. I can see a fair amount of air pockets in the 2213.

My reactor is 20 inches overall length with incoming at the top-straight barb, and out the side at the bottom-straight barb. I do not have anything inside(bioballs or anything like that) CO2 is inserted via 3/16 tube inserted at top, about 6 inches long. Bubble rate is low-30-45 bubbles per minute. Any thoughts?

 

[Jnam]

Thats part of your problem the reactor needs media to slow down the bubbles and help disolve them into the water column intsead you are getting a large build up and then finaly a discharge. Basicly your pumps impellar is doing all the work. thats what you have the problems. Put in some bioballs or filter batting and give it a try

 

[Thever]

are there alternatives to bio balls, i dont have access to them and dont feel like buying some online. plastic golfballs work?

Also, about filter floss, could I use poly fil? Does that stuff break down? As Im going to cut this thing open and reseal it, I'd rather not put something thats going to cause problems down the road.

...and thanks for the reply! I was thinking that may be the problem, but Ive read of others that have had no need to put anything in theirs.

 

[Jnam]

depends on your bubble rate 30-40 per minute sounds high... I run min and 3-4 per minute. Filter floss works best i have never used polyfill as long as it is not a biological material you *should* be fine. Poly fill will get dirty though so its best to put the reactor on your output side if you choose the polyfill method. Golf balls prolly wont work. you are looking for surface area not shape. you could use large aquarium gravel (bigger than your in or out tubes). I just took an unused filter pad from walmart ($5) and cut it to fit in several chunks into the reactor tube. It turned green after about a week (mine is in the tank hard to explain same concept as yours though). HTH

 

[Thever]

3-4 per minute? wow, I turned mine way down to 18 a minute, and my drop checker has really darkened. I'll let it ride for a day or so while I hunt down some stuff to put in the reactor

 

[Jnam]

Thats because your reactor is extremely inefficient. you are gassing off co2 and thats about it. LOL

 

[Jnam]

I lied i keep it at about 10 bbm woops just counted it...

 

[Thever]

Well I tried something, didnt have to glue it so its not a permanant thing. I put 2 layers of coarse filter pad near the bottom of the reactor, just above the output, and have hooked it up and running now. We shall see if there is any improvement regarding 'burping'
I had to do some filter maint, so there is air being expelled from that yet. Hopefully this works

 

[SparKy697]

As stated, the idea of adding media to a reactor like yours is to make some turbulence and give something to help hold the bubbles in place so they have more contact with the water column. Using something like filter floss is not likely to give you the results you are looking for. Lots of people use bioballs, those plastic scrubbing pads that are used to clean dishes work well too. Just open them up and spread them out and cram them loosely into the reactor. Remember, you are trying to create turbulence and not restrict flow.
As for rate, bps is not really a great gauge of what is or is not enough co2 for your tank. Tank size, lighting, plant load, and fertilizers all play a part in the need for co2. For example in my 29g planted tank I use a 65w cf lamp and feed each day, this tank has a fairly heavy plant load. It has a reactor like yours with bioballs inside. I run the co2 at about 1.5 bps to maintain a co2 level of about 30 ppm.

There are calculators on line that you can use to estimate your ppm using pH and kH.

HTH

 

[Thever]

The scrubbing pads I'm thinking of would seem to be too big to get inside and not be a plug to the pvc. Obviously there must be smaller ones available. Thanks for the reply, as of right now I have put 2 layers of coarse filterpad sanwiching some filter floss, probably 4" total height, its definitely better, but not sure if its the best thing.

 

[Angel.Zero]

I used cut pieces of plastic tubing in varying lengths. works great as there are "weak" spots in the water flow so my co2 bubbles travel back up ward until they hit a "strong" flow and then travel back down the tube.the just bounce up and down the tube until they are dissolved completely. I got the tubing from my python, used about a foot of it.

 

[Thever]

Hmmm, Im having trouble visualizing that. Cut up pieces of vinyl tubing? Are they just bouncing around in the current? That might work as I have some of that laying around.

 

[Angel.Zero]

Heres a pic of it

 

[Thever]

As they always say, a pic is worth a thousand words, Thats what I was visualizing, but not sure. Thanks! and I'll give this a try.

 

[Jnam]

wow that looks nice

 

[Ruel]

hello there... I'm a beginner in aquarium set-up, i would yo inquire about the importance of co2 reactor...because i don't have one...is simple air pump efficient enough to oxygenate my aquarium?

 

[Ruadh]

hello there... I'm a beginner in aquarium set-up, i would yo inquire about the importance of co2 reactor...because i don't have one...is simple air pump efficient enough to oxygenate my aquarium?

Hello Ruel
Welcome to our humble abode.

An air pump is just fine to airerate your tank. A hang-on-back (HOB) filter is even better.
A co2 reactor is used on a well planted tank, so you needn't worry about it, it has little to do with o2 levels in established tanks.

Ruadh

 

[Spachi]

Heres a pic of it

so, your canister's output goes in the top of the tube, and the co2 goes into the output somewhere before the tube. that means the entire canister filter's output has to exit that tiny hole in the bottom of the tube?

 

[Thever]

The left side of the pic is the top, the small clear tube you see is where the co2 hooks up. The input and output are the same size as the hoses coming off the canister filter. I still get a pretty good flow from my spraybar.