ojustaboo
Member
- Joined
- 15 Mar 2011
- Messages
- 200
Hi all cant believe I've only just found this forum
I have a Juwel 190 lt corner tank and have struggled to keep my plants alive. I've since spent time learning about what I'm supposed to be doing, now have a decent substrate, the correct lighting (I hope) etc.
I was about to try a DIY CO2 system when my local FS had a marine D-D system reduced from £130 to £70. I checked the manufactures web site (well UK suppliers) and in their FAQ it said the only difference was the marine version also came with a high pressure gauge but didn't come with any sort of diffuser.
At that price, I jumped at it
So that left the diffuser. After a lot of investigation (mainly I'm embarrassed to say, on US sites, not sure why this site didn't come up in my google searches) it seemed an external reactor was the way to go.
I did look at the Aquagro power diffusers but read a few reviews and while people said they worked, there were some negative points such as smooth 12mm pipe connectors (no ridges to grab the pipe), they also appear from the pics to be made of that hard rigid plastic.
I them stumbled across the Rex DIY reactor that got good reviews on US sites and thought that looked an easy project
Wont link to it as it's another forum, but here's a pic of it
The parts are readily available in the US from their local superstores so what problems should I have in England.
Well loads and loads. I simply couldn't seem to find any one place that had all the bits I wanted and was about to give up before I stumbled on a couple of irrigation websites. One on particular was very helpful and had everything I needed. Won't publish the name in case it's against the rules, this is also my first post and it could be seen that I'm posting to advertise them which is not my intent.
I'm using a Eheim 2073 pro 3 filter.
Looking at the rex reactor and looking at was was available to order in the UK, I decided to go a slightly different route.
I decided to use 50mm pipe
I thought I'd use a 50 - 40mm reducing elbow at one end
into that a 40mm to 3/4" thread
into that a 16mm barb
At the other end I'm using a 50mm to 40 mm tee (50 top and bottom, 40 side)
and again using a 40mm to 3/4 thread and a 16mm barb into that.
Into the bottom of this tee I'm using an end cap fitting that has a screw in cap with rubber washer, to allow me access to clean the reactor when nessessary.
Hopefully I would have ended up with something along the lines of (not to scale)
I ordered the above parts which only cost £15.84 (£6 of that was delivery) which I didn't think was bad. I intended to go to a local plumbing shop and simply get the shortest bit of 50mm pipe they sell but that was a huge mistake. None of those shops sell 50mm pipe. They sell what they class as 50mm but it's an internal 50mm which has a 55mm external, the above fittings need a 50mm external.
At this point I was a little annoyed as the site O ordered the fittings from only has 5m lengths for sale at £15.08 a length. I phoned them up on the off chance they would have an odd bit lying around and they said they sell it by the meter anyway, just that the website only allows you to order 5 meter lengths, and you need to place order by phone if you want any other length. So I ordered 1 meter which should be here today, that would have pushed the original bill up by £3 had I known at the time, but obviously I now have to pay delivery again.
So to order the above at one time would be delivered for under £20 (note: my pipe is grey not clear)
I'm happy so far.
Now I finally come to my questions
Question 1:
I see another long thread about DIY reactors in this section (Ed Seeley), they have a similar design to mine, only they have the elbow at the bottom not the top and instead of using a tee, they feed directly into the top. They have also thought of something I've forgotten completely about, a bleed valve.
That's got me thinking. What if I use what I've come up with but use it the other way up with the input from the filter going into the tee and the output to the tank coming from the elbow. I could then use the end cap fitting as a bleed valve. The end cap fitting has a thick rubber washer in it so shouldn't need to be turned very tight to create a good seal, meaning it should be easy to crack open slightly to release and air/gas (I don't think I would end up in a situation like the trap on a sink where often it needs considerable force to remove).
So it would look like this.
Does that seem a better alternative please?
Question 2.
Where to put the CO2 in.
The Rex reactor (as you can see from my first picture) recommend the CO2 is input near the top of the reactor.
Ed Seeley is mixing the CO2 with the water before it enters the reactor if I understand that correctly, hence is also at the top.
Others however say the CO2 should go in the bottom so the bubbles rise against the flow of the water
Anyone got any updates on which method works best please?
From a non scientific not thought through point of view, it looks to me that by injecting the CO2 near the bottom, there's a chance if the flow is too great, it could get pushed straight through the output without the reactor being any benefit whatsoever (hope that makes sense)
Question 3
What's the best way to attach the CO2 to the reactor.
Ed appears to be using a tee piece before the reactor.
Rex appears to be advising to have the co2 pipe sticking through the main pipe, so that the CO2 is injected into the middle of the water flow, he also says there's no need for any sealant, drilling a smaller hole, hence the pipe self seals.
Still others recommend some sort of nipple fixed somehow onto the pipe.
What have people done and what has been your results please? Anyone tried more than one method?
Final Question 4
Positioning of the spray bar in my tank.
I was thinking of having the spray bar running vertically, near the bottom of my tank, so that the CO2 is hopefully pushed out across the bottom foot of my tank, directing it somewhere towards the middle. Does that seem sensible please?
Sorry for all the questions, and the length of my first post, just want to get this right and due to not having any clear pipe in my reactor, wont be able to see what's going on inside (might build another one in a few months once I get to understand it more, this time using clear tube as Ed suggests in his thread)
Many thanks
Joe
I have a Juwel 190 lt corner tank and have struggled to keep my plants alive. I've since spent time learning about what I'm supposed to be doing, now have a decent substrate, the correct lighting (I hope) etc.
I was about to try a DIY CO2 system when my local FS had a marine D-D system reduced from £130 to £70. I checked the manufactures web site (well UK suppliers) and in their FAQ it said the only difference was the marine version also came with a high pressure gauge but didn't come with any sort of diffuser.
At that price, I jumped at it
So that left the diffuser. After a lot of investigation (mainly I'm embarrassed to say, on US sites, not sure why this site didn't come up in my google searches) it seemed an external reactor was the way to go.
I did look at the Aquagro power diffusers but read a few reviews and while people said they worked, there were some negative points such as smooth 12mm pipe connectors (no ridges to grab the pipe), they also appear from the pics to be made of that hard rigid plastic.
I them stumbled across the Rex DIY reactor that got good reviews on US sites and thought that looked an easy project
Wont link to it as it's another forum, but here's a pic of it
The parts are readily available in the US from their local superstores so what problems should I have in England.
Well loads and loads. I simply couldn't seem to find any one place that had all the bits I wanted and was about to give up before I stumbled on a couple of irrigation websites. One on particular was very helpful and had everything I needed. Won't publish the name in case it's against the rules, this is also my first post and it could be seen that I'm posting to advertise them which is not my intent.
I'm using a Eheim 2073 pro 3 filter.
Looking at the rex reactor and looking at was was available to order in the UK, I decided to go a slightly different route.
I decided to use 50mm pipe
I thought I'd use a 50 - 40mm reducing elbow at one end
into that a 40mm to 3/4" thread
into that a 16mm barb
At the other end I'm using a 50mm to 40 mm tee (50 top and bottom, 40 side)
and again using a 40mm to 3/4 thread and a 16mm barb into that.
Into the bottom of this tee I'm using an end cap fitting that has a screw in cap with rubber washer, to allow me access to clean the reactor when nessessary.
Hopefully I would have ended up with something along the lines of (not to scale)
I ordered the above parts which only cost £15.84 (£6 of that was delivery) which I didn't think was bad. I intended to go to a local plumbing shop and simply get the shortest bit of 50mm pipe they sell but that was a huge mistake. None of those shops sell 50mm pipe. They sell what they class as 50mm but it's an internal 50mm which has a 55mm external, the above fittings need a 50mm external.
At this point I was a little annoyed as the site O ordered the fittings from only has 5m lengths for sale at £15.08 a length. I phoned them up on the off chance they would have an odd bit lying around and they said they sell it by the meter anyway, just that the website only allows you to order 5 meter lengths, and you need to place order by phone if you want any other length. So I ordered 1 meter which should be here today, that would have pushed the original bill up by £3 had I known at the time, but obviously I now have to pay delivery again.
So to order the above at one time would be delivered for under £20 (note: my pipe is grey not clear)
I'm happy so far.
Now I finally come to my questions
Question 1:
I see another long thread about DIY reactors in this section (Ed Seeley), they have a similar design to mine, only they have the elbow at the bottom not the top and instead of using a tee, they feed directly into the top. They have also thought of something I've forgotten completely about, a bleed valve.
That's got me thinking. What if I use what I've come up with but use it the other way up with the input from the filter going into the tee and the output to the tank coming from the elbow. I could then use the end cap fitting as a bleed valve. The end cap fitting has a thick rubber washer in it so shouldn't need to be turned very tight to create a good seal, meaning it should be easy to crack open slightly to release and air/gas (I don't think I would end up in a situation like the trap on a sink where often it needs considerable force to remove).
So it would look like this.
Does that seem a better alternative please?
Question 2.
Where to put the CO2 in.
The Rex reactor (as you can see from my first picture) recommend the CO2 is input near the top of the reactor.
Ed Seeley is mixing the CO2 with the water before it enters the reactor if I understand that correctly, hence is also at the top.
Others however say the CO2 should go in the bottom so the bubbles rise against the flow of the water
Anyone got any updates on which method works best please?
From a non scientific not thought through point of view, it looks to me that by injecting the CO2 near the bottom, there's a chance if the flow is too great, it could get pushed straight through the output without the reactor being any benefit whatsoever (hope that makes sense)
Question 3
What's the best way to attach the CO2 to the reactor.
Ed appears to be using a tee piece before the reactor.
Rex appears to be advising to have the co2 pipe sticking through the main pipe, so that the CO2 is injected into the middle of the water flow, he also says there's no need for any sealant, drilling a smaller hole, hence the pipe self seals.
For normal air line tubing I have found that an 11/64th drill bit works fine. You want a drill bit that is about two bit sizes smaller than the OD of the tubing. Then you cut the tubing at an angle and pull it though with pliers. Start with a small hole and drill it out if you need to. You want the smallest possible size hole you can pull the tubing through.
I always pull enough tubing into the T to bring the tubing into the middle of the pipe.
There is no need for any sealant.
Still others recommend some sort of nipple fixed somehow onto the pipe.
What have people done and what has been your results please? Anyone tried more than one method?
Final Question 4
Positioning of the spray bar in my tank.
I was thinking of having the spray bar running vertically, near the bottom of my tank, so that the CO2 is hopefully pushed out across the bottom foot of my tank, directing it somewhere towards the middle. Does that seem sensible please?
Sorry for all the questions, and the length of my first post, just want to get this right and due to not having any clear pipe in my reactor, wont be able to see what's going on inside (might build another one in a few months once I get to understand it more, this time using clear tube as Ed suggests in his thread)
Many thanks
Joe