# CO2 Reactors?



## Mad Dog (Mar 3, 2007)

Hello everyone!

First let me say I have gained so much valuable information from this forum thus far! I cannot thank you all enough! As far as a "tank specific" forum goes, this one is probrably the most indepth and friendly version I have found thus far in my hobby lifespan!

So, I am taking the advice of members who replied to my initial thread which I posted here and moving towards a pressurized CO2 system. I have the money issue covered right now and am picking up a 10 pound bottle of CO2 (this company I found actually comes to my house to replace or recharge them for less than 50 dollars a year, plus costs for the CO2 itself), a regulator with solenoid (which I will hook up to a timer), and I already have the bubble counter....

My first question is do I need a special type of tubing for the delivery of my CO2? What I would like to use is a regular airline which is disguised as a fake plant....which right now, with all brand new plants, will be obvious and maybe semi-distracting...but in the future, my taller plants should hide this hose well (fingers crossed). However, this airline is of course, intended for use with an airstone and air pump and so I am not sure if it will suffice.

My second question is about CO2 reactors. I talked with an employee at a large LFS in Milwaukee which I trust very much and has never given me a bad peice of advice. To be sure, I also asked some questions which I already knew the answers to and this person was really honest and did not try to steer me wrong or push me into a sale. Her advice to me was that a CO2 reactor is not always needed, but they can have some benifits which may be worth the money. In short, I can pick up this model here from that same store for about 15 dollars less than what it is being sold for on that link.

My question is pretty obvious...is this a good item to pick up or just another gimmick which I can skip entirely? If I did not buy this, I would be using a system of two ladder type bubble counters, probably one on each side of the tank (a 55 gallon long) so that I could hopefully increase the amount of CO2 which gets infused into the water. What would you advise me, and even more importantly, what would you use on your tank?


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## Rex Grigg (Jan 22, 2004)

So you are willing to pay over $50 for a refill on a 10 lb cylinder? Hmmm.... I may be in the wrong business. Your 10 lb cylinder should last at least a year.

Get the reactor. It should be better than the ladders. You know if you try and run the two ladders that only one will work. Pressurized gas takes the path of least resistance. Without dual needle valves the gas would take the easiest path.

I personally use a DIY PVC reactor plumbed into the return on my canister filter.


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## jeff5614 (Feb 15, 2006)

I think you'll be happier with an external reactor. You won't have to worry about disguising the tubing and it's one less piece of equipment in the tank. Here are a couple of links that might be helpful.

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...m-projects/2958-diy-inline-reactor-plans.html

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/diy/38006-co2-reactor.html - this is the one I have on my tank

http://www.aquaticscape.com/articles/co2reactor.htm


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## Mad Dog (Mar 3, 2007)

> So you are willing to pay over $50 for a refill on a 10 lb cylinder? Hmmm.... I may be in the wrong business. Your 10 lb cylinder should last at least a year


Exactly why I asked this question....I am sure that the 50 dollar a year charge is based upon a person needing more regular refils of the CO2 bottle...but if you are right and a 10 pound bottle will last me a year, I could find cheaper alternatives.



> I think you'll be happier with an external reactor


I think you are probrably right...I am always looking for a way to keep equipment out of my tank...my saltwater side coming through.

Thank you for the links...they helped me out a lot as far as even getting a better understanding of what a CO2 reactor is for and now I am convinced that I should use one. A DIY option is always good IMHO and so I will work on that as soon as I can. The second link, the one you use, is a bit confusing to me right now, but I will look into it more and see if that will work for me...even though I have a very bad taste in my mouth for the fluval can in the picture, lol.

Thanks for the replies! This planted tank world is brand new to me and so I am glad I have a great source of information and ideas to lean on!


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## jeff5614 (Feb 15, 2006)

Mad Dog said:


> The second link, the one you use, is a bit confusing to me right now, but I will look into it more and see if that will work for me...even though I have a very bad taste in my mouth for the fluval can in the picture, lol.


I looked back over that thread and I can see how it could be confusing. The third and fourth pictures are all you really need to concentrate on. They show all you need to know as far as constructing that reactor and it will work on any canister, you just need the correct size barbs for your tubing. You can also go to Rex's website and he has some good directions for building a reactor http://www.rexgrigg.com/diy-reactor.htm.


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## orlando (Feb 14, 2007)

I never stop learning


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## diablocanine (Jul 25, 2004)

jeff5614 said:


> I looked back over that thread and I can see how it could be confusing. The third and fourth pictures are all you really need to concentrate on. They show all you need to know as far as constructing that reactor and it will work on any canister, you just need the correct size barbs for your tubing. You can also go to Rex's website and he has some good directions for building a reactor http://www.rexgrigg.com/diy-reactor.htm.


You also need to know the dimensions which you get from me.....DC


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## fishtastico (Feb 28, 2007)

hmm... very good reading here you guys...

Rex, your reactor seems very similar to diablo's, but diablo's has bio balls inside and yours does not (at least not from the instructions I can see)

Is there any advantage to using bio balls aside from the extra diffusion of bubbles inside the reactor?

Will regular old plumber's tape (teflon tape) suffice for sealing the componants ? (this is based on your experience)

My cannister filter is an eheim 2213 - I suppose I need to measure the tubing ... eh? make adjustments in size of fittings based on the size of the tubing.


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## Rex Grigg (Jan 22, 2004)

Bio-balls slow down the water. And they can clog. I used them on my first couple of reactors and took them out. Simple physics works much better IMHO.

Plumbers tape on the reactor parts works fine. But you still need to glue the PVC. The plumbers tape will work on the threaded parts. As I recall the 2213 has 1/2" hose.


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## fishtastico (Feb 28, 2007)

Cool. No bio balls also means less to clean  

I was looking for a DIY reactor that I could actually build given my limited DIY skills and this actually looks do-able.

Part of my problem with the last tank I had was not enough CO2 getting into the water column.. With a shorter trip from the bubble counter to the reactor - less gas will escape from the tubing.

Do any of you folks run an airstone or powerhead at night to increase oxygen exchange (to keep your livestock from suffocating). I'm not planning on adding fish until the plants are well established, but I'm curious about opinions here. My tank will be open-top


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

fishtastico said:


> Do any of you folks run an airstone or powerhead at night to increase oxygen exchange (to keep your livestock from suffocating). I'm not planning on adding fish until the plants are well established, but I'm curious about opinions here. My tank will be open-top


It's always safer to shut co2 off at night. If your using pressurized I would recommend doing that, otherwise an airstone or powerhead is not a bad idea.


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## fishtastico (Feb 28, 2007)

Yeah, I always shut off my CO2 at night. to run it when the lights are not on is a waste of good gas. 

I just remember having a weird fish die-off in my last tank which happened when my filter needed cleaning (the water flow had slowed down quite a bit), so not as much circulation during the dark hours.

I'm just trying to correct for the mistakes I made with my last tank.


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## jeff5614 (Feb 15, 2006)

I don't use an airstone at night and have never noticed any problems with the fish. The surface agitation from my spraybar is sufficient.


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