CO2 diffuser and a way to get it in the aquarium

[JokerWx13]

So I just set up my CO2 system and everything's going along swell. I was just wondering if I was able to hook up the diffuser, (which is connected to the exit of the filter), up to a spray bar and have it waterfall into the tank. Would I be losing out on CO2 this way since the CO2 floats upwards? I was also worried that by having the water come out from a tube inside the tank, there would be no surface agitation meaning the shrimp in my tank would have trouble breathing later on. Can I get any help from you guys?

 

[JokerWx13]

Any ideas? Been doing the dry start method for my HC and I want to get the tank established as soon as possible

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Are you using a ceramic disc diffuser? I'm a tad confused trying to envision how it's hooked up to the "exit of the filter." I'd aim the spray bar slightly close to the surface so some ripples are created for some surface agitation.

 

[Brookster123]

Plants will create plenty of oxygen for the shrimp, i agree with Brian.

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[JokerWx13]

I have the outflow of the canister filter hooked up to this

http://www.ntu.edu.sg/home/kfloh/photos/up_co2_reactor.jpg

And then i connected it to a spraybar. Do you think it should be lower to the bottom of the tank or towards the top to provide surface agitation?

 

[Fresh2o]

Interesting device. I've seen similar products and am curious on how effective they are for dissolving CO2.
Do you see micro bubbles exiting the reactor?
I imagine it could be used outside of the tank (with leakproof connections). What bps are you using?
Can you hear it (while it is running with CO2)?
If air gets trapped in there how do you remove it or does it go away on its own? Or do you flush any air while setting it up?
Your setup does not appear to be any different from other canister+reactor+spray bar setup. I don't own one so I cannot answer your question in the first post.


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[PerfectDepth]

Interesting device. I've seen similar products and am curious on how effective they are for dissolving CO2.
Do you see micro bubbles exiting the reactor?
I imagine it could be used outside of the tank (with leakproof connections). What bps are you using?
Can you hear it (while it is running with CO2)?
If air gets trapped in there how do you remove it or does it go away on its own? Or do you flush any air while setting it up?
Your setup does not appear to be any different from other canister+reactor+spray bar setup. I don't own one so I cannot answer your question in the first post.


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I recently made something very similar to use with DIY CO2, and it's been working really well. Every bit of CO2 that goes in is getting very quickly dissolved, plus it's really nice to be able to have it on a timer to keep it under control.

It was not dissolving as quickly when it was first set up. I'm guessing this was because there was still atmospheric air present. I didn't bother flushing any air, I figured all the atmospheric air would eventually make its way through, which seemed to take about a day or so. Once you get to where it's pure CO2, it starts dissolving very quickly. When it's switched off, it builds up a reserve of CO2, then once it switches on, it starts rapidly dissolving, and the CO2/water level stays well above the outlet so no CO2 escapes at all. Strange, I have noticed some micro bubbles in the water since adding CO2, but they're coming from the HOB, and not from the reactor. It's possible that this is not new, and it's just more obvious now since I also added more lighting at the same time.

here's the thread: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f24/diy-internal-co2-reactor-on-a-timer-324945.html

I never knew you could buy such a device. I've never seen this type of in-tank reactor for sale before, I thought I was being clever.

Joker,
It might be good to at least have some surface agitation. It's possible that it's not an issue if your plants are providing enough oxygen, but that really depends on how many plants, and how many fish are in the tank. Instead of having the spray bar waterfall into the tank, you should put it underwater near the surface instead (maybe pointed upward slightly as mentioned). That way you get some surface agitation, but not so much that you're losing a lot of CO2. Another thing to consider is to just get a small powerhead to use with your reactor (like in the photo you posted) instead of attaching it to the filter outlet. It would definitely be better to have your CO2 being dispersed near the bottom rather than the surface.

 

[JokerWx13]

I don't use DIY co2 but I do have the system set up in a peculiar way using a paintball tank instead of the standard one. Don't know why but the regulator doesn't let me turn off the co2 when the power goes out so I can't put it on a timer and I can't physically adjust the bubble counter every morning cuz that takes like 10 minutes to set up.

I'm currently at 20 bpm but idk what to adjust it to for a 5.5g tank like this, don't wanna kill the shrimp overnight either

I get what you mean when you mean about the atmospheric air, it was making a slight bubbly noise but stopped after I let it run for a little while.
As for the animals in the tank, I'll only be keeping shrimp and Otos and for plants, I'll be putting 3 more bunches on the blank spots and fissidens on the cliff of the rock.

 

[Fresh2o]

These last two posts...very good practical information.
Joker - Where did you get the CO2 reactor from?


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[JokerWx13]

From that same garage sale which is why I barely know anything about the setup :/