# Diffusers



## Mikee (May 8, 2006)

Just wondering what people thought was best for diffusing co2 for a DIY co2 system 1. Hagen CO2 ladder 2. Limewood diffuser from what i understand a good diffuser is one that makes a fine mist of bubbles but still not sure which type most people have had best luck with and good results.


----------



## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

Inline reactor. 100% efficiency with the only loss of CO2 coming from CO2 leaking out of the 1 foot tube feeding it (1-2% loss).


----------



## Aquadise (Jul 26, 2006)

I agree with the inline reactor, best method of diffusing co2. But if you don't want to spend $15 and go mad searching for pvc pieces, limewood diffuser works great and cheap!


----------



## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

Yes, either the inline reactor (can be built cheap and easily DIY) or simply feed the line into the inlet tube on your filter and let the filter's impeller do the work.


----------



## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

If I were to rank them, I would rank them as so best to worst:

*1.* Inline Reactor

*2. *Limewood, or glass diffuser underneath a powerhead or filter intake for maximum diffusion and absorption.

*3.* Hagen ladder for smaller tanks under 20 gallons.

Had great results with all three methods, #2 with the stone and glass difuser works well for me, easy to clean, and easy to install.

-John N.


----------



## Mikee (May 8, 2006)

Well for my 29 gal im only using a sponge filter similar to hydro sponge filter  its hidden behind a drift wood piece so its like invisible. It does the job and my shrimp love to eat things off of it! so i cant really feed the tube into the inlet. Inline reactor sounds like a good idea and would be fun to make but like aquadise said i dont really want to go looking for pvc pipes and all  the ladder i know it works but it does waste space and is harder to hide.. so my choice comes down to glass diffuser or limewood..not sure which one works better of the 2 but ive heard lots of ppl have success with the glass diffusers 
so ill give it a try! also going to get some more riccia and moss by the end of this week. I still need to get another driftwood peice of two..but to damn expensive here..1 little piece is 30$..anywho thanks for all your help!


----------



## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Mikee, I have almost the same setup you have, same size tank, powerhead with a sponge filter for filtration. I just poke the CO2 tube into the sponge so it enters the sponge holder and the bubbles are chopped up by the powerhead impeller and blown everywhere. It isn't efficient compared to other methods, but it does make for very good plant growth. The other downside for some people, but not me, not yet, is the cloud of bubbles in the water from CO2 and pearling. You can't find a cheaper, easier way to inject CO2.


----------



## Mikee (May 8, 2006)

Hey Hoppy! yes your setup does sound very similar to mine! but im not using powerhead.. was wondering though if your method with powerhead/sponge is better than mine? if it is ill think about changing it. If you had a pic of your tank id love to see it i dont think i have seen a pic of your tank yet  would help alot with my setup, thanks.


----------



## nellis (May 6, 2006)

I would just chime in and support the disc diffuser. Perhaps I've only made crummy in-line reactors, but I find maintenence on them to be a real PITA. Also it always made the plumbing into the tank a lot more difficult (sizing tubes, aligning the connected spray-bars etc). They can also bog down the GPH of your canister filter.

Granted, yes they are extremely efficient.

However, the "disc under the spraybar out-put" method seems to be working pretty well for me, and is comparatively low maintence.


----------

