powerhead for CO2 reactor

[wierdkid]

just wondering if theres certain types of powerheads that need to be used with a gravel tube type reactor? Since the water needs to be pushed down either the power head has to be rotated so the outlet points down(is this safe for most powerheads? and will the outlet fit securely?) or has to be capable of having reverse flow.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

I'm not sure on powerhead size, but the output does not need to be pointed down. If the powerhead is mid-tank, it can be pointed straight out.

My powerhead output is pointed through the cylinder with the bubble ladder, or whatever you call it where the bubbles go round and round. I have this setup:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7727311891&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWN:IT&rd=1

 

[Purrbox]

The water pump that I am using came with some additional parts that can be inserted into the output. Depending on what you need you can use a different combination and get the output pointed in the direction you need.

 

[malkore]

The Vortex reactors use a Rio50 powerhead/pump.

Something you might wanna try out though, is a maxi-jet with their venturi adapter. These make really fine bubbles for a SW protein skimmer. You could run your CO2 into it and it would enter the gravel vac 'chamber' as tiny bubbles, making for a lot faster diffusion. That means you could have a shorter gravel tube length....less tank clutter.

I'd go with a small maxi jet, like a MJ300, and the venturi adapter is $5 extra.

this is something I want to try too, but not until I get my new light canopy built..the old one is just too heavy to remove by myself, and has design flaws anyways. I have the spare venturi adapter, but no small MJ powerhead.

I did run this by Tom Barr,and he said it should be a much more efficient design than just whipping a larger CO2 bubble around.

 

[Glenc]

Hello there. I use a Rio 400 pump with my gravel vac reactor. It' about 10 inches long. I feed the CO2 strait in, using 2 -2 litre coke bottles. I used to put a bit of foam in the bottom with the end open but it would clog up within a few days, causing the impellor in the pump to make alot of noise and eventually blow the foam out. I have since removed the foam and just capped the end off with the end of another gravel vac to stop the bubbles from escaping. The small 90 at the bottom stops the outflow from digging a hole in my gravel. Also allows you to aim the exhaust where you want it. It works better this way, though I think you could use a smaller pump. I'm using the 400 because I had it kicking around as spare parts. HTH

 

[wierdkid]

Thanks for the help. I've never run a power head with the output rotated downward so i didnt know if it would be safe or functional

 

[Glenc]

As long as it's fully submersible you can pretty much run it anyway you want. Good luck,HTH

 

[malkore]

Thanks for the help. I've never run a power head with the output rotated downward so i didnt know if it would be safe or functional

The only thing to watch for is after refilling, you may need to rotate the powerhead around to get all the air bubbles out. the Rio50 on my vortex reactor always air-locks after refilling the tank unless I specifically bleed off the trapped air.
talk about a horrible sound.

 

[wierdkid]

Ok, now that i got all of the less critical parts together, I am going to get the powerhead. I should have mentioned this earlier, but its going into a 20 gallon long and eventually it will probably be in a 29 gallon tank, so i don't have a terribly large amount of space to have things laying in. Because of this, I would prefer to have the powerhead/pump connected directly to the gravel vac tube and in a vertical position to minimize the space it takes up. so anyways, i'm thinking of going with:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=4609&N=2004+113040 (maxi-jet model 400, and it looks like it comes with the venturi adapter)
or
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=4671&N=2004+113041 (rio 200)

These will both be fine since they're submersibles? and should easily connect to the top of a python gravel tube?