The holes in the sprqybar is pointing downwards so that the substrate beneath the wavemaker can get movement as well.
No, please review the information in the link.
Thnx for the input paul. How can blue and red leds stun plant growth?
Exactly. Now, do you want to get your tank healthier? If yes, then please stay on the path as suggested by roadmaster and stop worrying about colors, which is the least of your concern right now.
If there was a build up somewhere would my ph2 still drop? And my drop checker still show lime green to yellow with lights on? I know everything is just a indicator and the plants tell the truth?
Yes, it would, but may not be as efficient as it could be. That's all I'm saying.
Would it be better to replace the reactor with a ceramic glass diffuser?
No, I'm not suggesting that at all. I only mention that it is opaque and therefore we cannot see inside. It would have been better if you made it with clear plastic so you could get more information.
The reason I'm asking the questions about pipe diameter is that some reactors are sold or are DIYed with the right diameter pipe but the manufacturer or hobbyist installs fittings on the tube which have an inside diameter smaller than the inside diameter of the filter output.
In any hydraulic or pneumatic circuit the flow rate of the fluid or gas will always be limited by the smallest inside diameter of hose or connection anywhere in the system. So for example, if your filter output has an inside diameter of 16mm and you built your reactor with connectors that have an inside diameter of only 12mm then you will have reduced your flow rate by almost 50%, so effectively, even if that filter is Tetratec 1200, by choking the output with a 12mm connector on the reactor you will have turned your Tetratec 1200 into a Tetratec 600. Once you choke the flow at any point by forcing it through a connection that is smaller than the filter output, you will
never recover the original filter output flow rate.
That's why the answer to these questions are super important.
Every method of diffusion, whether by reactor or by other means, has advantages and disadvantages. So you need to pay attention to the factors that affect the efficiency of the method you select.
If you have choked the flow rate by undersizing the connectors, and if you have compounded the problem by pointing the holes down instead of facing them forwards, this could very well be a major contributing factor to the failure of the plants to efficiently obtain CO2 even though your pH readings and your dropchecker show that everything is all right.
About 90% of the gas you inject into the tank goes straight up and out of the tank and is lost to the plants.
The dropchecker and pH sensors are actually telling you the amount of CO2
leaving the tank, so trust what the plants are telling you more so than what the sensors are telling you. The symptoms are made more acute if the lights are very bright.
So have a look at the associated links in which I show how to use spray bars and move the wavemaker to the center whle pointing it's output directly forward to be parallel to the spraybar's forward facing holes.
Cheers,