# dissolving CO2 in water



## footballe (Feb 10, 2009)

below is a search from the net about dissolving Co2 in water,

_The Reactor
The next step is to build a CO2 reactor. The purpose of a reactor is to aid in dissolving the CO2 in the aquarium water. This can be as simple as using an airstone to produce many small bubbles which will dissolve more quickly than a single large bubble.

*Another method is to invert a container, place it in your aquarium and allow the CO2 to bubble up and be collected. The CO2 will remain in this container until it diffuses into the water.* It probably pays to have a current directed across the opening of the container to constantly bring fresh water in contact with the CO2. 
_

anyone tried this method before ? Any comments ?


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## surpera1 (Feb 18, 2009)

its called a co2 bell - it works fairly well


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## surpera1 (Feb 18, 2009)

but i believe this is the way to go

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/.../31026-barr-internal-venturi-co2-reactor.html


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## footballe (Feb 10, 2009)

yea, indeed i did that for one of my biggest tank. But smaller or nano tanks the bell method should be more suitable


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## Quetzalcoatl (Feb 13, 2009)

The inverted container method works, but from time to time you will need to bleed the air build up. 
CO2 you get from the canister is not 100% CO2. It is an air mixture, mostly nitrogen and oxygen. CO2 dissolves well in water but nitrogen and oxygen does not dissolve as well. Hence, you will get a build up of air over time (depends on how much you are injecting). You will need to bleed the air out or the container will become too buoyant. 
One easy way to do this is to drill a hole at (or near) the top of the container, attach a airline hose to it, and clog the airline with a binder clip. When you need to bleed the air, just loosen the clip.


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