New C02 reactor

[grant116]

I am currently running a diy co2 reactor with a powerhead, python gravel vac for the champer, and a sponge filter to hold the co2 in for that much longer. The problem i have with this is the way it looks in my tank. The tank is a 29 gallon, has a column in the left corner set up for saltwater use. This column is not in use so i was trying to think of a way to have a reactor contained in there, using a a pump to pull the water through the reactor, and back in to the tank, so instead of a powerhead and python gravel vac in the tank at all times there would be an outlet tube, and an inlet tube. Just wondering if anyone would have any suggestions as to how well this would work. I was thinking the inlet tube would need to go to the bottom of my tank so the C02 would stay dissolved in the water better.

as far as parts were concerned i would use the same powerhead, the reactor it self i was thinking pvc, anyone have any experience with aquarium safe pvc glues?

thanks
grant

 

[grant116]

the powerhead is a maxijet 600 btw

 

[czcz]

If the PVC glue is labeled safe for drinking water, I think it is safe for aquariums. DIY forum has info. It might be the best place to post.

Is the column in the tank corner a separate compartment or a pipe to a drilled bottom? I *think* your idea will work. FWIW I seem to lose dissolved CO2 with several feet of piping for my setup (sump), but with a few of inches of pipe I think you'll be okay.

Is this the reactor your're using: http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/diy_reactor.htm ? If so, what is your CO2 ppm with what size canister/recipie? Just curious.

 

[TankGirl]

I think it would be a very clever adaptation, unless I am mistaken on how it would be set up.

Are you saying that the column would take the place of the gravel tube, and the CO2 would bubble around inside it to get diffused? If so, you might consider filling the tube with bio-stars or bio-balls to help the bubbles bust up better in there.

 

[youronlysin]

How big is the "column"? Sounds like an overflow. Will your powerhead fit inside it? maybe you could feed an airline down to the bottom of the column and snug-fit a piece of open celled foam into the top of the column to prevent bubbles from escaping to the surface. If your powerhead wont fit inside the column, maybe you could attach a long hose to the output of the head and feed it down into the column with the airline. The water would only have one place to go....right back up the column and it would carry dissolved co2 through the foam with it.

 

[grant116]

Ok, thanks for the replies, here we go

It is a separate column, so i belive that will qualify it as an overflow, the idea i had was to make a reactor tube out of pvc, have an outlet tube going out of the upper portion of the aquarium, go behind the tank and under the stand, there is a hole in the bottom of the overflow that the tubing would run through, then go to the reactor, the powerhead would then need to fit on top of the reactor, hopefully inside the overflow, and then the outlet on the power head would push the co2 filled water down an inlet tube to the bottom of the aquarium. All in all i would figure there would be about 3 feet in hose involved. Also i would ad a bubble counter underneath so i can monitor the co2 production. I am using a hagen co2 canister, not really measuring the recipe out at this time, just adding sugar to its handy line, and then adding about 1tsp or so yeast, so far everything has gone great. I was also planning on the use of bio balls to help diffuse the co2.

took a measurement 5 mins ago and co2 concentration was 240 ppm. the reactor i am using right now is one that rex grigg had on his site a while back, do not know if it is still there, just checked and the site is down. Fish are doing fine. Right now there are 2 otto cats, two juli cori, and albino cori, 3 black tetra, one neon tetra(survivor of some platty anger) one blue moon platty, and a red platty(cant exactly rember the name)., added a clown loach this weekend to help me with my snails, and have 5 ghost shrimp. Currently have two fry in a netted enclosure, from the plattys. and found one baby ghost shrimp the other day. A few weeks back i caught a dragonfly nymph in the bottom of the aquarium.,

I took that to my old entomology professor for identification.

I will post some pics of the aquarium in my gallery.

also if anyone thinks it may be overpopulated i would love to hear. I know the clown loach will be a bit big, but i have had no luck with cooli loaches, and yoyo loaches surviving?

thanks

 

[czcz]

FWIW, youronlysin's suggestion seems a smarter idea than threading/sealing an external line through the bottom of the tank. You'd still use the column as reactor space. As an alternative to running piping through the drain pipe, why not make a mini sump and do co2 injection/filtration there? Maybe with such an efficent reactor (s/b 24ppm?) you won't have the problems I did with lost dissolved co2...

 

[grant116]

czcz, if i understand you correctly there is already a whole in the tank, my idea was just to free up more space in the tank, On second thought the mini-sump idea I do not follow, would that be using the overflow as a whole and injecting there?

 

[czcz]

I don't know if your tank has a drilled bottom. I was asking for a description of the "column" earlier I hope this explains it better: Instead of your plan, how about using the column as the reactor, instead of running piping through the bottom and around the back of the tank? As suggested, you run the CO2 piping to the bottom of the column. You use the powerhead to pump water to the bottom of the column (If the powerhead fits in the column, run a tube to it's inlet from the top of the column. If the powerhead does not fit, use tubing from the powerhead to the bottom of the column.) Use a sponge on top of the column. Water will flow from the bottom to the top, mixing with CO2 along the way. (youronlysin - Sorry if I missunderstood, but this makes sense to me.)

As an alternate suggestion, if you're intending to run 3feet of piping that goes around the outside and to the bottom of the tank, you might as well make a little sump and do CO2 injection there. You would drain water to a container below the tank, and use a second pump to return water from that container to the main tank. You could do co2 injection in this container, saving space in your main tank. I suggested this as an option because two of the hardest parts of a sump are the overflow and piping, and you can use it for more than CO2.

HTH. I hope I did not misunderstand your plan.

 

[grant116]

czcz, I understand what you are talking about now, the problem i would have with using the overflow as the reactor itself is that my friend that had the tank before me sealed up the outlet on the top of the overflow, he never intended on using it, just got the tank at a good price. I am questionable as to the integrity of the seal in the overflow itslef also, when i got the tank there was a small leak in it so i had to reseal the area around the overflow so i am not sure if there is a leak in the corner inside the overflow. the sump area i would have to do some looking in to. unfortunatly i have seen the sump idea thrown around alot, just never thought it would affect me so i have not learned much about it.

thanks

grant