CO2 reactor/diffusor for a 10g?

[rhetor]

Hello guys,

I've been getting some great tips and help from this forum lately, so i thought i'd get another helpful response with my latest venture!

I successfully set up a CO2 system using 2 one liter bottles.

The only problem is i have no way of really diffusing it into the water.

I have a 10g tank. Currently i just have the airline going into the intake of my Penguin HOB with the bio-wheel removed. Without an airstone it will let a big burp and you can hear the impeller whip up the co2. However, i'm probably losing 75% of the co2 to the air.

I considered one of the power head setups, but do they make really tiny powerheads that won't make too much flow in my 10g? The HOB already has quite a bit of flow for it.

I do have a corner of the tank that has a good amount of room behind a piece of drift wood. If i could get a mini powerhead or something, that might work. I was thinking i would just put the co2 line into the intake on the power head. In my 125, i have a big powerhead and when i put an airline into the intake it makes a really fine micro mist of bubbles that seems to almost fill the tank (like when you do a PWC with one of those aerators on your faucet)

Whats the best method for a 10g?

 

[ryan]

i would use the powerhead method i find it is very effective.

 

[Purrbox]

I use a small water pump in my tank to power an inline diffuser. This works really well and keeps less equipment in the tank.

Another option would be to replace your Penguin HOB with and AquaClear HOB. It'd probably be about the same price or less than buying a powerhead and works well for diffusing CO2.

 

[rhetor]

The Aquaclear sounds interesting. How does it diffuse the co2, if you don't mind me asking? Are those the ones that have a much larger "basket" area? Not sure if i've seen them in person before...

Does anyone make a tiny canister type filter that wouldn't cost too much, and would work for my 10g? Maybe that would be the best option. Although i could just build one and use an inline pump...

Thanks guys!

 

[flushingfish]

I have the same question and the same set up. I was working low light and had a passive CO2 diffuser ( Hagen Ladder). I am waiting for my new lights which should be here this week (65W coralife over 20G) and want a more effective way to diffuse my CO2. I also have an HOB filter that I have removed the biowheel from. I have the DIY setup ready to go but effective diffusion is my problem. I am also interested in a smll powerhead solution.

 

[Glenc]

All you do to use the AC filter as a diffuser is pipe your C02 tubing directly into the intake of the AC filter. The impellor motor of the filter will chew the bubbles up and spit smaller bubbles into your tank. It does work well, make a bit of noise as the impellor is chomping the bubbles, nothing magor. Diffusing into a powerhead the same way works great as well.
I am using a Fluval 105 cannister on a ten gallon, smallest one they make, works great. Got it on sale for 60 bucks. Not real cheap, but reasonable. I have my C02 piped into the intake of that filter as well, works great. Some have reported problems with using your cannister as a diffuser as to many C02 bubbles can build up inside, causing it to air lock and stop working. I've been doing this way for 3 months at a bubble rate of 2 bubbles per second, no problem with air locking so far. Does burp out some built up C02 bubbles once in a while!
I have used the Hagon bubble ladder on my 10 as well, works well but you have to keep it clean or the bubbles will stop climbing the ladder. It gets easily clogged with dead plant leaves and algea. Also takes up a good deal of space.

 

[sudz]

I have a bit of both worlds on my 15 gallon. I got a superfine wood air stone, put it at the bottom of the tank, right under my AC 20. All the superfine bubles rise to the intake, (getting slightly smaller due to absorbing into the water) then get sucked up by the AC20. B/C the bubbles are so fine, you get no noise, and you get the "exposure" The problem with this setup is, every now and then a fish will want to take the algae off the stone and disturb where it lays. If i was SMART (and motivated) i would get suction cup for it.

I do not get pearling, as my 15 gallon is completely planted, I think you can see about 3 or 4 square inches of gravel.

 

[JRagg]

I'm using the smallest penguin powerhead in my 10g tank as a diffuser (just went pressurized). It works well, but creates a good deal of current.

You can always get an aquaclear powerhead, they have adjustable flow on them, so you wouldn't have to deal with the "too much flow" problem.

Piping into an AC HOB filter works better than the penguin filters because the flow goes from bottom to top in the filter instead of back to front. It allows more time for the CO2 to be absorbed.

 

[Purrbox]

There are a couple of small Canister Filters out there that can be used with a smaller tank like your 10 gallon.

Tom Aquatics Rapids Mini Canister Filter C-80
Zoomed Turtle Canister Filter 501

While both of these should work well for filteration, I have no idea how when they would work for diffusing CO2.

 

[rhetor]

Wow those canisters look great. I might end up picking one up, as it says up to 30 gallons and that leaves room to upgrade! Maybe i can make a recomendation to someone for a good xmas present.

Thanks for all the suggestions guys! I really need to get one of those wood airstones. The goofy glass bead ones are about the same as just leaving an air line in there!

On another note-

my plants seem to be very happy after dosing Flourish Comprehensive, the co2 injection, and some Excel to get things started. The two small swords i'm trying to bring back from the dead have sprouted new leaves. I think the rest might have to be trimmed.

I can say that after my first attempt at a planted tank, i am absolutely hooked. I just wish i could set up plants in my 125g, but it has big angry cichlids that would just uproot them just to spite me.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

One thing that works great in my 10G is just running the tube into the intake of a Whisper 5-15 HOB. It does a great job, and I get some mist through the tank. And it's the only tank where I'm actually getting red plants to turn red, lol.

OH, and shame on that person for showing the canisters, lol. I have to get 4 of them now, lol. Purrboxxxxxxx, LOL

 

[rhetor]

I stopped at Petco on the way back from work, and to my suprise they had the perfect answer!

http://www.petco.com/Shop/Product.aspx?R=4484&Nav=1&N=0&Ntt=elite+mini&sku=994901&familyID=13796&

This is the tinyest little powerhead, and is even adjustable! It has a filter sponge on the bottom. I hooked up my co2 line to the venturi, as it makes very fine bubbles. I tried sending it through the intake of the powerhead so it got hit by the impeller, but the bubbles were only marginally smaller and it made a lot more noise.

I have a question though. It seems like its sending A WHOLE LOTTA BUBBLES! which is great, but i do have fish. Should i hook up the powerhead to my light timer? That way when the lights go off and the plants stop photosynthesizing, the co2 will just come out in one big bubble at a time, and lessen the dosage.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

hi....

Yes, if you inject the CO2 directly into the powerhead, it will be noisy. That is why I use a limewood airstone directly under the intake, as it puts out a fine mist, which then gets sucked into the powerhead and spread through the tank.

As for the timer, I have my CO2 set with my light timer, so at night it's off, and during the day, it's bubbling away. But the powerhead runs 24/7.

 

[rhetor]

Sounds like this set up should work out really well then!

I can't thank you guys enough for all your help! A very kind woman named Lisa also sent me a bunch of plant clippings, which i hope will arive today. Planted tanks are sweet.