Patrice
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Its the time of the year. Where you need a co2 reactor for you aquarium, to hide all the tubes and lines, so you can enjoy more off your fish and plants. I tested 4 type off system that where interesting for me. The need of not wasting co2 is a priority for most people. After all having c02 in the house in winter is not a good thing to do. And refilling the c02 bottle every 1 month instead of 3 month may be a waist of money for others.
First in the list, is the UFO CO2 Diffuser. Hey is not in the picture. This his the simple form a co2 diffuser you can get, and do its job well. Unfortunately it defeat the purposes of having a minimum of tool in they aquarium. Also most people have micro c02 bubble floating in the water and on there plants. I can recommend it if you have a DIY wet/dry with built in overflow. Just add it in, same has your heater.
Now, number 1 his made from Ista Max Mix Co2 Reactor Medium. It do not feel cheap, a good water seal, the rotating fan do make noise if its not in a cabinet. Its easily fixable by removing one of them. For me one of the 2 was not turning, so by removing it, they other was more quiet. on a 30 gallons tank you can remove the 2 fans and still have 100% dilution. compatible with fluvial 1\2 tubing. The tube can be slide on and leave alone
Now number 3 his made from sera reactor 500. In a nut sheel, it's exactly the same has they Ista Max Mix. You can see, its has a better quality to it. Its have less restriction and so giving it a better flow. There are no adapter for this one, because of that, its not compatible to fluvial 1\2 tubing. The tubing is securely slided on and a reverse bolt hold it.
comparing 1 and 3
They do not have a big difference. The real difference his how they hold. If you want to remove it quickly to clean it, i recommend sera reactor. If you have little space, use max reactor for they adapters. Unfortunately none are good for me. They are lacking water flow. They bot have a in and out diameter of 1/4, losing 1/3 off my precious pump pressure. None Are good for 1/2 or 3/4 hole even if it come with adapter.
conclusion
Number one is a chine copy of sera reactor. If i where you, there is a good chance that quality control are not being done. So go for sera. Now, what i did, is finale make my own reactor. Really cheap cost, 2$ for a 7up and 5$ marine epoxy. I needed something tranparent to see inside, so that i can remove exces air and look at his efficiency. Finding transparant pvc in canada is impossible. So i did the best next thing. now i have 1\2 size hole, no restriction anymore.
P.S. Water is not like air. If you have one restriction, it will slow down your water flow the hole way. Having elbows and the distance of you tubing do had restriction also.
If you would like me to test your reactor or diffuser for review comparison, i will be happy to help.
First in the list, is the UFO CO2 Diffuser. Hey is not in the picture. This his the simple form a co2 diffuser you can get, and do its job well. Unfortunately it defeat the purposes of having a minimum of tool in they aquarium. Also most people have micro c02 bubble floating in the water and on there plants. I can recommend it if you have a DIY wet/dry with built in overflow. Just add it in, same has your heater.
Now, number 1 his made from Ista Max Mix Co2 Reactor Medium. It do not feel cheap, a good water seal, the rotating fan do make noise if its not in a cabinet. Its easily fixable by removing one of them. For me one of the 2 was not turning, so by removing it, they other was more quiet. on a 30 gallons tank you can remove the 2 fans and still have 100% dilution. compatible with fluvial 1\2 tubing. The tube can be slide on and leave alone
Now number 3 his made from sera reactor 500. In a nut sheel, it's exactly the same has they Ista Max Mix. You can see, its has a better quality to it. Its have less restriction and so giving it a better flow. There are no adapter for this one, because of that, its not compatible to fluvial 1\2 tubing. The tubing is securely slided on and a reverse bolt hold it.
comparing 1 and 3
They do not have a big difference. The real difference his how they hold. If you want to remove it quickly to clean it, i recommend sera reactor. If you have little space, use max reactor for they adapters. Unfortunately none are good for me. They are lacking water flow. They bot have a in and out diameter of 1/4, losing 1/3 off my precious pump pressure. None Are good for 1/2 or 3/4 hole even if it come with adapter.
conclusion
Number one is a chine copy of sera reactor. If i where you, there is a good chance that quality control are not being done. So go for sera. Now, what i did, is finale make my own reactor. Really cheap cost, 2$ for a 7up and 5$ marine epoxy. I needed something tranparent to see inside, so that i can remove exces air and look at his efficiency. Finding transparant pvc in canada is impossible. So i did the best next thing. now i have 1\2 size hole, no restriction anymore.
P.S. Water is not like air. If you have one restriction, it will slow down your water flow the hole way. Having elbows and the distance of you tubing do had restriction also.
If you would like me to test your reactor or diffuser for review comparison, i will be happy to help.
