Co2 infusion

[foster53]

What are the thoughts on infusing CO2 through a small powerhead, with a venturi fitting on the powerhead? I am trying to get the bubbles smaller, and pushed through the tank more evenly. My plan is to connect the CO2 feed line to the venturi inlet on the powerhead. The impeller should break the larger bubble into lots of small bubbles, and be pushed into the tank by the powerhead. What do you think? My only negative though is, will the powerhead by pulling co2 from the reactor collapse the bubble counter bottle from too much suction? I have just built the reactor, and bubble counter, and am waiting for the silicone to cure. If this don't work, I am going to use a modified Hagen Elite Mini in tank filter.

 

[mohican]

Sorry, I have no answer but would like to follow this thread. I've considered the powerhead route too.

 

[foster53]

I'll be setting it up in a day or so, after the silicone cures completely. I will post the results. Hoping it works.

 

[ztigris]

Following along as well.

 

[foster53]

Update on the co2 experiment. I put the unit together tonight, and mixed up the potion. As soon as it starts producing co2, I will connect it to the power head. Hopefully in the morning.

 

[billsey420]

I run a DIY co2 thru a fluval U2 and it does not collapse the bottle. I did hook it up to a power head for a day but the current was to strong for my 29 gallon tank. That also did not collapse the bottle. Both seem to break the bubbles down nicely.

 

[foster53]

Thanks for the onfo. I just resealed my connections, pretty sure it was leaking. This time I have a good seal. Silicone don't seem to work very well. I am not getting the bubbles I should. Don't know whats wrong.

 

[billsey420]

I had , have the same problem with silicon. I'm just gonna keep trying different things till something works. If I come up with something that works well ill let ya know.

 

[foster53]

I had , have the same problem with silicon. I'm just gonna keep trying different things till something works. If I come up with something that works well ill let ya know.

I used a hot glue gun. Worked perfect. No leaks at all.

 

[billsey420]

Thank you. I guess I'll have a project to do today.

 

[foster53]

Glad I could help. I put on one heavy coat, let it cool, and then went over the first coat with a second just to be sure.

 

[Fredje]

I tried hooking up DIY CO2 to a ceramic disc diffuser but the pressure required to push the bubbles through was simply too high, no matter which sealing method used (glue, silicon, ...) the bottles would be rock hard, bulge out and a leak would eventually develop somewhere due to the sheer pressure. The risk of bottle explosion just seemed too high to me.
I now inject the CO2 straight into my Juwel Bioflow powerhead using the 10$ o2 diffusor accessory that sits on the nozzle:

This seems to work pretty well, as there is almost no pressure needed in the system. A check valve on each bottle helps to keep a steady flow during refills.

 

[foster53]

Update on the co2 infusion project. IT WORKS Hooked the tubing from the bubble counter to the venturi inlet on a small powerhead. It draws the co2 directly into the impeller housing. The impeller chops the co2 bubble into tiny bubbles, and the power head outlet dispurses them throughout the tank. No bottle collapse, or any other issues. Now if the generator would just produce more bubbles it would be perfect. Any thoughts on the reason for low bubble count (one bubble about every 20-25 seconds) Should be higher I believe.

 

[billsey420]

What's you mixture

 

[foster53]

Just a quick update on the co2 infusion. I am using a powerhead to infuse it into the tank. It works very well. I can see a difference in my plants already. I just built a reactor for my other planted tank. Putting the co2 into this tank, via the intake tube on a AC70. The impeller should chop the bubbles well.