# Any advantage to diffuser over limewood?



## banderbe (Nov 17, 2005)

Just wondering if there's any reason to buy a diffuser (glass/ceramic) instead of a limewood airstone.

I picked up a couple of coralife limewood stones for $6 last night and they produce very tiny bubbles.

If there was a good reason to use a glass/ceramic diffuser though I would do it.


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

I think limewood diffusers are a decent alternative to glass diffusers. I've used Limewood with DIY and it clogged rather easily and let out bigger bubbles compared to the glass diffusers. I've also noticed that the limewood diffusers break apart after a couple times cleaning it in a bleach solution.

With pressurized CO2, I didn't have a clogging issue, but compared to the glass diffusers, I feel like the ceramic disk did a better job at creating the misty type of bubbles we desire for better dissolution and contact.

All in all, limewood diffusers are good enough, but in terms of durability, appearance and effectiveness I would rate it a 8/10 vs 9/10 (disk).

-John N.


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## jbierce (May 11, 2006)

Limewood diffusers create the smallest bubbles, but the smaller the bubbles the easier they clog. They don't normally clog from the outside though, but rather from particles in the air stream itself. Compressed CO2 is much cleaner than DIY, so there are far fewer particles to get trapped inside the diffuser. When driving diffusers with an air pump, the lifespan can be greatly improved by placing a filter on the air inlet with a mesh smaller than the pore size of the diffuser. That way any particles that enter the pump will flow through the pores instead of getting trapped inside and creating a clog.

When I'm using a diffuser and not a reactor I use fine-pore airstones from Aquatic Eco. They create very small bubbles (although not as small as limewood) and they're heavy enough to actually sink into the water. Limewood diffusers float, which can make using them a real chore.

JBierce


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## jhj (Feb 18, 2006)

I have heard a lot of good things about the sweetwater airstones from aquatic eco. They are cheaper and the bubble they produce are very fine (maybe not as much as limestone). They also tend to last longer.


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