Co2 reactor pros and cons

[Straick85]

I've searched and can't find a thread showing the pros and cons of different co2 reactors(thinking about getting a different reactor).

I currently have a Sera 500 inline reactor hooked to a Fluval 106.
Pros, inline, so out of sight. It does do a good job for lower co2 amounts, but beyond about 3 bps, you start getting microbubbles in the tank.
Cons, you have to pull it apart to clean regularly, and if you don't, the impellers stop spinning properly. Also, once you start injecting larger amounts of co2, you can get micro bubbles in your tank.

Co2 into the inlet of a power head.
Pros, cheap and easy to setup.
Cons, can be noisy, I have noticed a shorter impeller life, and can make your tank look like a bottle of soda. Also, if you inject too much at once, the impeller can get overloaded and stop pumping.

Co2 into the outlet of a powerhead.
Pros, cheap and easy to setup, as well as being able to handle high volumes of co2.
Cons, can make your tank look like a bottle of soda, and it doesn't do as good of a job as the inlet method due to larger bubbles.

Co2 diffuser.
Pros, very simple to setup and effective, more so when placed under the filter return point (hob or canister).
Cons, soda water effect in tank and they need to be cleaned regularly for propper operation. You also have a situation where the brand you get can make a large difference in effectiveness.

What are your experiences with different methods.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Fresh2o]

I currently use a simple diffuser placed below the into of an HOB filter. I'm running medium to high light, drop checkers are typically green, and only using 1 BPS.
Pros: simple, quiet, no mist of bubbles in the water column, low BPS.
Cons: ???


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[Straick85]

How big is yor tank? I've got the Sera on a 55 with 2 heavily overdriven t8 lamps, and a surgace skimmer (I know, it can cause some co2 to come out, but it does keep the dust and surface film from blocking out light), and I am doing about 5 a second to get the drop checker to go green. The plants are pearling nicely though.


Should have included about tank size and lighting, they can make a difference(forgot about that earlier).

Sent from my SM-G930P using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Delapool]

Great thread. I have just set up a second tunze diffuser (link below, ignore price as in Australian).

Pros - separate to everything. No risk of leaks as in-tank with own powerhead.
- easy to set up with a magnet. Generally work well so far.
- does have an adjustable flow control but I have cut this out as wanted it on full.


Cons - I don't have a CO2 test kit but suspect these are better suited to a 40 gallon.
- Anything more than 2bps and it gets a death rattle (right through the magnet...).
- takes up room in tank (OK, in 150 gallon).

https://www.aquariumproducts.com.au/catalogue_products.php?prodID=6133

 

[Brookster123]

I run co2 on a 30l med light and 40b med/high. The 30l has a diy Rex Grigg takeoff reactor. The 40b has a ceramic diffuser positioned under canister intake. Excellent diffusion this way. Both really, no bubbles and good saturation.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Fresh2o]

My tank is a 20g long lit by a Finnex FugeRay and Planted+ (on separate timers). At 12" the PAR is 41 and 65, respectively.
I've thought about upgrading the diffuser from the Fluval to a nicer model but since it's going into a filter intake I'm not sure if it would make much of a difference.
If I ran a canister the I would do a DIY Cerges or Rex-Grigg setup. I would fork out $$& for clear PVC because it would bother me not being able to see what's going on in there.


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice