What's everyone think of these inline CO2 Diffusers?

[doug z]

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They look pretty neat, no?

Anyone have any experience with them?

[doug z]

One problem, the model I need for my 75g, the 17mm, is 5/8, and my tubing for the Eheim 2217 is 1/2"..

The 1/2" model is only for tanks up to 55g, it says...

Hmmm... :(

Also, I put clamps on all my connectors because I'm VERY concerned about a catastrophic failure on one of the hose connections..

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It's not like I could put a clamp on those glass diffuser connections..

Double hmmmm.... :(

Looks like I'll stick with the ADA Beetle 40 option..

[fins_n_fur]

Just a small note, but probably you don't need the clamps where you have them on the tubes picture. I'd be more inclined to use them on a suction uptake pipe where there is no "connection" but just the tubing on the pipe (uptake pipe or outlet to the spraybar). If it helps you sleep at night, then just ignore my comment :hmm3grin2orange:

[doug z]

Roger..

Already on it.. :)

[PUNISHER VETTE]

I bought the bettle 50... and let me say it does basically the same thing the $9 one off ebay used to do.

The bubbles are tiny but so were the cheap ones bubbles.

I kinda wish i had tried something cheaper or different now that i have it and spent $130 on it.

Just my opinion.

[doug z]

:)

Ah, don't second-guess it.

I'm sure it has more going for it than the size of the bubbles.

Build quality, appearence..

[PUNISHER VETTE]

:)

Ah, don't second-guess it.

I'm sure it has more going for it than the size of the bubbles.

Build quality, appearence..


The cheap $30 ones online are definitely a little poorer quality i'm guessing. I do know they only have 1 place to suction cup to the wall while this one sticks in a corner with 2.

But for $30 you can buy 2 and run them at either end of the tank for better results i would think. Even with my filter outlet hitting i still see bubbles heading to the surface. So it can't be that good.... :(

[Sounguru]

It is a show piece if I wanted to dissolve CO2 inline I would use a reactor not a diffuser. I look at this as I do a lot of the other glassware. The in tank diffusers and the drop checkers usable but don't spend the big bucks on it the rest all window dressing.

A diffuser will still leave small bubbles of CO2 in the water coloum where a good reactor would dissolve all of it....

[doug z]

Yeah, I decided on a reactor, finally..

More efficient, plus I'd have to wait 2 months to get a Beetle from this hopeless Canadian ADA distributor..

I'm like, "so what DO you have???!!"..

"um.. some lily pipes, some aqua soil..... That's about it.."

No CO2 stuff, no tanks, no lighting, no ferts, no aquascaping tools..

Geez.....

[PUNISHER VETTE]

Yeah, I decided on a reactor, finally..

More efficient, plus I'd have to wait 2 months to get a Beetle from this hopeless Canadian ADA distributor..

I'm like, "so what DO you have???!!"..

"um.. some lily pipes, some aqua soil..... That's about it.."

No CO2 stuff, no tanks, no lighting, no ferts, no aquascaping tools..

Geez.....

Why not just order it online? I got mine from ADA and got it within a week..
I think a reactor is the way to go and i probably just needed to buy one instead of messing around on the PCV DIY ones.

[doug z]

Why not just order it online?

Was thinking about it..

But after the shipping, customs, duty, etc. I'd be paying about double..

This is the reactor I went with:

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[PUNISHER VETTE]

that hose diameter looks super tiny...

and it's BigAl's.... boooo

[doug z]

it's 1/2", which is what I need..

Never had a problem with Big Al's, except with price, but they'll match whatever I find elsewhere..

Here's a better info source, pic, and supplier.. :)

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[PUNISHER VETTE]

Doesn't look like 1/2in but i'm sure it is. My filter is at 1in...so i'd have to figure out a way to step it down then up again to make something like that work.

Maybe i'll put my beetle for sale online to see if anyone in my area is interested.

[Sounguru]

I usually build my reactors when I have one running been awhile since I needed one since I just got back into tanks.... Let us know how it works for you...

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Doug, is it too late to cancel the order for that thing? That thing is not as good as they claim. Those bioballs become a debris trap and as a result, lowered flow. The Rex Grigg DIY reactor is by far the best option I have ever seen. It is the most effective CO2 reactor period. I used a slightly modified version of it but the same general principle and I got 100% absorption of my CO2 even running something like 5 bps.

[doug z]

Doesn't look like 1/2in but i'm sure it is.

Click on "more info".

Doug, is it too late to cancel the order for that thing?

*gulp*

Yes..

Man, I totally forgot about the Grigg diffusers!! >:(

How do you get debris in there, if it's going through a filter before it gets to the reactor?

Oh well, I can always chalk this expenditure under "lessons learned the hard way" and get a Grigg the next time.. :(

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

It's more buildup than anything. You would be amazed at what will build up in that thing even with it on the return side of your filter. It gets really nasty after a while.

[doug z]

Are there no balls in the Rex set-up?

Can't you give the thing a good shake and clear it up, some?

Run some boiling water through it?

Maybe if I do that every month, when I rinse my filter sponge, I can extend it's life a bit...

Dang.. :(

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

No, Rex has no bioballs in his setup. His setup works on the basis that the CO2 bubble will tend to rise and so it is setup in such a way that the water in the reactor is actually flowing down. The constant fight of the bubble to rise and the flow to push it down creates a faster absorption witout the use of anything to break up the bubbles.

Shaking it won't do much except maybe put a bunch of junk in your tank for your filter to filter out. Much of the stuff gets stuck in those bioballs.

The boiling water won't do a lot either, it will accomplish no more than the flow from your filter will. IIRC, that thing will actually come apart and allow you to clean the bioballs.

[doug z]

Huh..

Cool..

Shaking it won't do much except maybe put a bunch of junk in your tank for your filter to filter out

Well, I'd be taking it off and cleaning it at the same time I'd clean the filter..

that thing will actually come apart and allow you to clean the bioballs.

Oh, ok.. That's good..

But so much for it being less maintenence than a diffuser!

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

More maintenance but better absorption. I'm not sure of the performance of that one but I know the Rex design gets 100%

[doug z]

Salt the wound some more, Brad.. :(

LOL

So is there a screw-top on that reactor I bought?

Or am I going to be worrying about it flying off after so many times taking it apart?

Guess I'll know in a bit..

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Sorry. Hey, the Grigg reactors are cheap to build and very easy to build as well. You could build one and have that one you bought as a backup. It costs about $10 to build one.

[doug z]

You could build one and have that one you bought as a backup.

I could.. But the whole reason I spent the extra cabbage was so I wouldn't have to worry about my faulty handy-work.. LOL

I'll do a quick check before putting it into service wether anyone in the area wants it for close to what I paid..

[Sounguru]

I agree follow the plans and make modifications as needed and rex's is by far the better choice....

[PUNISHER VETTE]

I disagree. I've built i don't know how many rex grig reactors and they are just a hassle imo

Having a store bought one eliminates a lot of hassle and is worth the extra money(in my case saving money) since i spent too much on PVC that i could have just bought a nice one for the same price.

I'm sure if i kept working on them it would have worked fine but it just wasn't worth it to me.

[Sounguru]

I disagree. I've built i don't know how many rex grig reactors and they are just a hassle imo



I what way are teh a hassle.. Are you having problems building them, not working for you, ?

[PUNISHER VETTE]

I what way are teh a hassle.. Are you having problems building them, not working for you, ?


Basically a combination of things. Getting the parts from the hardware store is sometimes a puzzle.

Since my tank is so much bigger and my filter more powerful i always think i should make the rex grig one bigger as well. This is probably where i usually go wrong as it might not need to be bigger.

once in place they are a pain to empty to change something. The plans he uses isn't very good for a way in which to add the CO2 line. I just silicone a barbed end after drilling a small hole and that worked okay...but a nicer connection would have been better(i actually did that on my last model) but it was just too big/bulky....probably my fault though.

And i don't like the idea of not being able to see whats happening in it. Maybe my next one will be smaller, clear tubed, with an CO2 line connection built in....

[Sounguru]

And i don't like the idea of not being able to see whats happening in it. Maybe my next one will be smaller, clear tubed, with an CO2 line connection built in....

Basically how I build mine, but I add a piece of filter sponge to the outlet end of the tube. The sponge catches the CO2 bubbles that get pushed that far and let's them get asorbed. I also had it so I could unscrew the end to clean the tube... When I get a canister again I will have to build one and document it out.

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

PV, you were using an FX5, the column for your reactor needed to be taller, not wider. I ran a Grigg style reactor on my 125gal tank for over a year with no problems whatsoever. I easily maintained a level of 30ppm. I had mine on an Eheim 2215, however if I had had a higher flow rate I would have made it taller. I honestly think it would have worked just fine for you if it had been properly adapted to your higher flow filter.

[PUNISHER VETTE]

PV, you were using an FX5, the column for your reactor needed to be taller, not wider. I ran a Grigg style reactor on my 125gal tank for over a year with no problems whatsoever. I easily maintained a level of 30ppm. I had mine on an Eheim 2215, however if I had had a higher flow rate I would have made it taller. I honestly think it would have worked just fine for you if it had been properly adapted to your higher flow filter.


I can go higher but i'd feel a lot better if my flow went in the bottom and out the top...which isn't what the plans usually do. Then add the CO2 in the bottom with maybe some bioballs or foam to break the bubbles up along the way.

Having a taller reactor and running the water starting at the top->bottom->back up to tank means i'd lose a lot of power and would most likely need my filter sitting up higher.

ALL the ones i made were actually longer then the 12in Grigg calls for. Mine were usually 2ft almost.

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

That's exactly how long mine was. In reality you were not going to lose that much flow from the FX5. My total GPH on my 125 was about half what you FX 5 provides and my tank was quite healthy. While higher flow has it's advantages, to get to obsessed with it, there is something to be said for a lower flowrate.