• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

Anybody use this Chinese External CO2 reactor?

So is it better for the plants and livestock to get to the desired CO2 PPM as quickly as possible or does it save on gas?
CO2 only serves plants, not fish. The reason you want to have your CO2 levels at optimal levels within the first hour or two is because once lights turn on, plants will start consuming CO2 fast. In fact the first hours of photosynthesis are the ones where the plant consumes the most CO2 if I am not mistaken. If your CO2 is not optimal at that moment you will see a big dip in CO2 concentration in your water colum which will then take time to recover. You don't want that.
Read this < Surface agitation & gaseous exchange in CO2 injected tanks >, you will thank me later. 🙏
 
So is it better for the plants and livestock to get to the desired CO2 PPM as quickly as possible or does it save on gas?
Technically it should save gas as the CO2 is on for shorter time, however the major advantage is on WC day you have more time before the CO2 comes on to fit your WC in, as once the CO2 is on you dont want to start a WC

PLC are great IMO but not cheap, @ian_m did a great piece of coding for the LogoSoftComfort, 'TankyMyTank' which does all the times for lights/CO2 on/off so once setup you set one time 'lights on' and 'Lights off' everything else adjusts its on/off times. So if running late with WC I just the on time of lights and everything adjusts to suit, then if you finished sooner than planned , adjust on time and done again. Again a shorter pH drop time helps here to and after a WC with the dissolved CO2 in tap water you get the pH drop faster again, did use a pH controller for some time to control/monitor this. Power cut no problem. Plus was fun to make and do the software design. You can download the demo and practice your software design and then use it 'if' you do get a PLC - I did. Helps if you have ethernet port close to tank, can access/adjust PLC from PC or laptop over LAN, Have used phone also to access the webadmin for PLC, not keen using phone as screen to small IMO.
 
No you don't want that. You want the CO2 to partially build up in the reactor. That's what makes the mixing more efficient. The bleed/venturi port is to prevent a back pressure, usually after several hours of injections. That's why Tom Barr suggests you building bleed ports at different heights so that one can adjust the preferred level after you put your reactor in operation. It's difficult to judge what level is better as all setups/water flow are different. If you cut the tubbing short as you suggest you will have CO2 being sucked in pretty quick after start of injection and potentially start creating smaller bubbles, which definitely you don't want.
I have limited experience with venturi, so I would listen to those that have made them and got them working ;) trying/sharing my own ideas at the same time.
 
I mean you can have the bleed tube that is nearly flush to the top like you suggested but the idea behind that bleed valve going to the venturi port is to reduce the back pressure once it builds up to a certain point. It wouldn't do harm the way you suggested but if the reactor is undersized or there is too much flow then small bubbles will start escaping the reactor because the venturi port is shredding the CO2 into smaller bubbles.
 
Last edited:
I'm currently using the Qanvee inline CO2 diffuser. It works well enough but the bubbles it generates is becoming tiresome to look at. I'm planning to shift to an external reactor but I just don't have the inclination or time to source the parts for a DIY project. Has anybody try this reactor? What are your thoughts?



View attachment 161245

Has anyone tried this reactor? Fizzy water is slowly starting to get to me
 
My inbuilt glossary of terms suggests you guys are calling an ‘atomiser’ a reactor.
Atomisers purposely produce micro bubbles, reactors dissolve the bubbles.
Yeah i have an atomizer and am sick of the bubbles so i was asking to see if anyone has tried the reactor that the OP posted about cause if it was any good i think i would get one
 
My inbuilt glossary of terms suggests you guys are calling an ‘atomiser’ a reactor.
Atomisers purposely produce micro bubbles, reactors dissolve the bubbles.
I misunderstood Angelfishguy's statement. I thought he was already using the reactor and still had the 'fizzy' water.
 
CO2 only serves plants, not fish. The reason you want to have your CO2 levels at optimal levels within the first hour or two is because once lights turn on, plants will start consuming CO2 fast. In fact the first hours of photosynthesis are the ones where the plant consumes the most CO2 if I am not mistaken. If your CO2 is not optimal at that moment you will see a big dip in CO2 concentration in your water colum which will then take time to recover. You don't want that.
Read this < Surface agitation & gaseous exchange in CO2 injected tanks >, you will thank me later. 🙏
Cheers Hanuman.
Good article and link to the article on CO2 diffusion. I never realised plants could access more CO2 from misting. Could be useful for the first hour or two when the plants need it most.
My inverse cone adapter for my reactor is coming on. I’ve formed it with a straight cone from the edge of the pipe directly to the central water inlet pipe. Before I tidy it up and fibreglass it up would any sort of wider pocket near the inlet pipe be advantageous in your view?
Thanks
Dave.
 

Attachments

  • 5D43F2BD-2D0F-4E50-8C81-B14460CCD128.jpeg
    5D43F2BD-2D0F-4E50-8C81-B14460CCD128.jpeg
    929.9 KB · Views: 145
Not sure I understand. Care to explicit that?
Would a wider gas pocket be useful near the water inlet pipe? At the moment all the gas is funnelled straight into the inlet water. I suppose you never really know until you test it as it the flow level varies.
 
Noticed additional things. Your CO2 working pressure is below 20 PSI. I would increase that to 20 PSI. The more the CO2 builds up in the reactor and the more back pressure you will have. Considering you are using a CO2Art regulator which has a mediocre needle valve (no, sorry, a poorly constructed needle valve.... no, sorry again, let's be straight here, a nail), your CO2 will not be constant and I can guarantee that your CO2 will fluctuate during the day. Even without the back pressure, those Co2Art needle valves are pretty unstable. That's a known fact. I've been there.

Here is what a "needle valve" from Co2Art looks like... I will let you judge:
View attachment 164603 View attachment 164605 View attachment 164606

Here is a considerable improvement 😇:
View attachment 164601

And here is a Royal improvement, I will leave the details for another thread though. Don't want to derail things here but just to give some context on why Regs and needle valves are important:
View attachment 164604
I'd like to know the needle valve details, and reg mods you've made please @Hanuman - please tag me if you start a new thread on it.
 
Got round to making my venturi, lucky for my @Andrew Butler gave me loads of fittings (many thanks again Andrew) which did the trick 1/2 bit of tubing and fittings from 1/2 inch thread to 20mm connectors drilled a 6.5mm hole and a dab of solvent cement.
1628451663145.png

Think the 6mm push fit adaptor will work well, filed a little chamfer to one side of adaptor/venturi inlet
1628451783059.png

1628451894526.png



Need a few 25mm fittings and should be good to go :thumbup:
 
Got round to making my venturi, lucky for my @Andrew Butler gave me loads of fittings (many thanks again Andrew) which did the trick 1/2 bit of tubing and fittings from 1/2 inch thread to 20mm connectors drilled a 6.5mm hole and a dab of solvent cement.
View attachment 172924
Think the 6mm push fit adaptor will work well, filed a little chamfer to one side of adaptor/venturi inlet
View attachment 172925
View attachment 172926


Need a few 25mm fittings and should be good to go :thumbup:
Turns out Scotty from 'Star Trex' was right - 'you cani change the the laws of physics'. Which was what I was trying to do as I hadn't done my homework :rolleyes:😅

1628850422035.png


My throat was well in excess of the internal diameter of the pipe !!

However feeding the twin CO2 injection into single venturi worked well without having to inject into the reactors, needs some balancing as one reactor was getting the lions share of the CO2 bubbles from venturi inlet and it also with the aid of a 'tee' made it very easy to bleed the reactor as well, ordered a few bits and will see how it goes.
 
Back
Top