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Reactors - separate up or inline ?

tubamanandy

tubamanandy

Member
Joined
28 Feb 2013
Messages
362
Location
Thornton, Lancashire
My reactor is currently inline from my large Eheim external filter - although it works great, flow is severely impeded.

Do most people that havew a reactor use this arrangement or do you have a separate pump/powerhead ?
 
tubamanandy said:
My reactor is currently inline from my large Eheim external filter - although it works great, flow is severely impeded.

Do most people that have a reactor use this arrangement or do you have a separate pump/powerhead ?
Click to expand...
I am also in this situation I have a eheim2080 and have the larger insta reactor and it has killed my flow....I am looking for a better solution for a 260ltr bow front. I also have a fluval 106 attached....but that is used for surface agitation, water polishing and purigen......using this filter would have its flow killed off and also I have it returning close to surface via a ducksbill outlet so no good for CO2..........have you had any other advice?
 
The standard in line atomiser is probily the most popular way to introduce Co2 into the modern planted tank but they produce a visible fine mist within the display.
In line reactors, dissolve the co2 before it reaches the display but zap flow rates and can have other issues like noise and size!
 
foxfish said:
The standard in line atomiser is probily the most popular way to introduce Co2 into the modern planted tank but they produce a visible fine mist within the display.
In line reactors, dissolve the co2 before it reaches the display but zap flow rates and can have other issues like noise and size!
Click to expand...
Hi, i want to use an external reactor, but i need to know if i can put it above or below my external heater, im worried that the flow restriction will have a negative effect on the heater. Can you please advise.
 
JOHN STEVENSON said:
Hi, i want to use an external reactor, but i need to know if i can put it above or below my external heater, im worried that the flow restriction will have a negative effect on the heater. Can you please advise.
Click to expand...

Fit a bypass parallel with the CO2 reactor I did and it works fine More detail here
 
JOHN STEVENSON said:
external reactor
Click to expand...
As Zeus says you can fit a bypass but you need the space for this.
Is there a reason you don't want to opt for an atomiser? I have hard water and they just clog up too quickly for my liking meaning you have to take everything apart to clean them so ideally also need a spare - that's just my input though.
I've just received my reactors which I admit I am yet to test but I don't think they are going to effect flow from some testing I did using pipe and bends.
I have had them made specially for me as the ones available are from what I read a pile of poo and by the time you buy the parts to make one yourself you can do as I did and get one made from acrylic.
I just hope they work now!
 
tubamanandy said:
My reactor is currently inline from my large Eheim external filter - although it works great, flow is severely impeded.

Do most people that havew a reactor use this arrangement or do you have a separate pump/powerhead ?
Click to expand...
Can you oversize the reactor, step up from say a 12mm to a 16mm pipe, then down to 12mm again, thus the bottleneck will be enlarged?
 
Mark Grigg said:
Can you oversize the reactor, step up from say a 12mm to a 16mm pipe, then down to 12mm again, thus the bottleneck will be enlarged?
Click to expand...

Yes you can but even with oversizing you increase the Total resistance of the filter/ reactor setup and reduce the flow.

tubamanandy said:
Do most people that havew a reactor use this arrangement or do you have a separate pump/powerhead ?
Click to expand...

I could run mine with either the filter (FX6) or my independent line (Eheim 3000+) but choose to have the reactor post filter as it helps reduce the detritus buildup in the reactor and inline atomiser. When I clean the pipework post Eheim 3000+ there is plenty of detritus but post FX6 is no where near as bad so a no brainier IMO
 
I draw water from my main filter inflow lines with a 'T' or a 'Y' splitter to a smaller polishing filter which then feeds to an inline diffuser followed by a reactor with a separate line back to the tank. The extra head does reduce the flow considerably for this line, but the main filter is used only as a bio filter with coarse filtration only, so this doesn't impact its flow rate at all. So the flow problem is eliminated, the water is polished with a smaller, easier to clean filter packed with fine filter floss, and so keeps most debris out of the diffuser and reactor. The issue is getting the right size of reactor and filter.
 
Apologies for slightly hijacking the post but when you talk about inline, does this simply mean adding CO2 somewhere along the return line from an external filter, via some type of T connector?
 
Danielm said:
Apologies for slightly hijacking the post but when you talk about inline, does this simply mean adding CO2 somewhere along the return line from an external filter, via some type of T connector?
Click to expand...

Yes directly inline which is how most folk do it, or via a bypass as I have done it. On the return feed from the filter is correct - gets the hardware out of the tank
 
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