DIY CO2 reactor

Hello all,

Got a question on [acronym:74cd8f59a5="Do it yourself"]DIY[/acronym:74cd8f59a5] [acronym:74cd8f59a5="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:74cd8f59a5] reactors I hope I can get some opinions on.

A couple of months ago I put together a [acronym:74cd8f59a5="Do it yourself"]DIY[/acronym:74cd8f59a5] [acronym:74cd8f59a5="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:74cd8f59a5] for my 40g planted tank.
I used a couple of 2 liters, check valves on both, as well as a gas seperator. Since this was a cheap experiment/observation. I simply used an air stone running into my XP1 filter intake for dispersion.

After a couple of months of observation, my tank is certainly thriving from the [acronym:74cd8f59a5="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:74cd8f59a5] and proper ferts. All of my water para's are great and the entire tank is thriving.

My concern is with [acronym:74cd8f59a5="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:74cd8f59a5] dispersion into the tank. With the generic airstone under the filter intake, [acronym:74cd8f59a5="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:74cd8f59a5] seams to be building up in the top of the canister filter until it suddenly comes spewing out all at once. Wasting a lot of valuable [acronym:74cd8f59a5="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:74cd8f59a5] that escapes to the surface.

My question is. What can I do to be more efficent, maxumize, consistantly distribute [acronym:74cd8f59a5="Do it yourself"]DIY[/acronym:74cd8f59a5] [acronym:74cd8f59a5="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:74cd8f59a5]? I've researched powerheads as a [acronym:74cd8f59a5="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:74cd8f59a5] reactor and was wonder what others out there are using as a reasonably priced (cheap is good ) [acronym:74cd8f59a5="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:74cd8f59a5] reactor.

I'd really like to get away from running [acronym:74cd8f59a5="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:74cd8f59a5] through my XP1. In the long run, I don't think the "burps" are going to be good on the life of the filters propeller.

An opinions, links, advice on [acronym:74cd8f59a5="Do it yourself"]DIY[/acronym:74cd8f59a5] [acronym:74cd8f59a5="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:74cd8f59a5] reators, would be greatly appreciated.

[Endgame319]

[acronym:af8bc3d6d2="Do it yourself"]DIY[/acronym:af8bc3d6d2] reactors are really easy:
http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/diy_reactor.htm

[betowess]

Have you checked out the mini vortex reactor. You could make your own. I've seen a post on line that some one made out of tupperware/or was it rubbermaid plumbing in a small rio powerhead. The mini would be too small for a 40 gallon, but you could plumb your two 2 liters into one and get alot of [acronym:377f34b952="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:377f34b952] dissolved in a larger, but similar design. Aqua botanics sell the mini and the next size up I believe. It has an outer cylinder shaped shell of acrylic as well as an inner shell which is about 2/3 the size of the outer. Both shells are open on the bottom. The [acronym:377f34b952="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:377f34b952] plumbs through the outer shell and is released into the inner shell which has four open vents on the top for the gas and the rio is swirling water in the outer. The lower part is a sponge to give some drag I suppose. They supposedly have great ability to dissolve, though I couldn't get my [acronym:377f34b952="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:377f34b952] up to the levels I needed with a mini vortex in my 26 bow... I wanted 30ppm with my pressurized [acronym:377f34b952="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:377f34b952]. The reactor I built out of [acronym:377f34b952="Plastic pipe"]PVC[/acronym:377f34b952] greatly increased saturation. But thats pressurized with an all in one Milwaukee regulator and a typical [acronym:377f34b952="Plastic pipe"]PVC[/acronym:377f34b952] [acronym:377f34b952="Do it yourself"]DIY[/acronym:377f34b952] reactor. [acronym:377f34b952="In My Honest Opinion"]IMHO[/acronym:377f34b952] Mojo, thats really the way to go for about $170 with tank sans reactor. Add another $20 for a [acronym:377f34b952="Do it yourself"]DIY[/acronym:377f34b952] [acronym:377f34b952="Plastic pipe"]PVC[/acronym:377f34b952] inline reactor.

On the other hand, I'm sure you could make a rio and vortex reactor for about $30 or $40 bucks that would work great, given a few trys and some research. However, it would take a little space in the tank.Big Als has the rio 50 for the best price I found. Good luck.

[jeffs10]

Originally Posted by Mojo Troll

Hello all,

Got a question on [acronym:25467d43d3="Do it yourself"]DIY[/acronym:25467d43d3] [acronym:25467d43d3="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:25467d43d3] reactors I hope I can get some opinions on.

A couple of months ago I put together a [acronym:25467d43d3="Do it yourself"]DIY[/acronym:25467d43d3] [acronym:25467d43d3="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:25467d43d3] for my 40g planted tank.
I used a couple of 2 liters, check valves on both, as well as a gas seperator. Since this was a cheap experiment/observation. I simply used an air stone running into my XP1 filter intake for dispersion.

After a couple of months of observation, my tank is certainly thriving from the [acronym:25467d43d3="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:25467d43d3] and proper ferts. All of my water para's are great and the entire tank is thriving.

My concern is with [acronym:25467d43d3="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:25467d43d3] dispersion into the tank. With the generic airstone under the filter intake, [acronym:25467d43d3="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:25467d43d3] seams to be building up in the top of the canister filter until it suddenly comes spewing out all at once. Wasting a lot of valuable [acronym:25467d43d3="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:25467d43d3] that escapes to the surface.

My question is. What can I do to be more efficent, maxumize, consistantly distribute [acronym:25467d43d3="Do it yourself"]DIY[/acronym:25467d43d3] [acronym:25467d43d3="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:25467d43d3]? I've researched powerheads as a [acronym:25467d43d3="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:25467d43d3] reactor and was wonder what others out there are using as a reasonably priced (cheap is good ) [acronym:25467d43d3="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:25467d43d3] reactor.

I'd really like to get away from running [acronym:25467d43d3="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:25467d43d3] through my XP1. In the long run, I don't think the "burps" are going to be good on the life of the filters propeller.

An opinions, links, advice on [acronym:25467d43d3="Do it yourself"]DIY[/acronym:25467d43d3] [acronym:25467d43d3="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:25467d43d3] reators, would be greatly appreciated.

do you have any plans or info on how you made your orw [acronym:25467d43d3="Do it yourself"]diy[/acronym:25467d43d3] co2 out of 2 liter bottles or any web sites with info thanks.

Here's where I got my [acronym:7f8b4c4a98="Do it yourself"]DIY[/acronym:7f8b4c4a98] info from. The only thing I did'nt do was build the reactor, seeing how this was experimental. In the process of planning a reactor now.

[acronym:7f8b4c4a98="Hope this helps (or) Happy to help"]HTH[/acronym:7f8b4c4a98]

I hate it when thats happens . This might help........
http://www.qsl.net/w2wdx/aquaria/diyco2.html

[Mr Burns]

wow! that is one of the best co2 info sources i have ever seen...that deserves a bookmark.

Yeah, It really is a great reference. Very informative and well written.