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Getting rid of the mist.

AverageWhiteBloke

AverageWhiteBloke

Member
Joined
27 Oct 2009
Messages
2,906
Location
Cumbria
Has anyone had any experience using a TMC AquaGro CO2 Power Diffuser 1000 outside of the tank and do you still get mist in there? I was thinking of going down the road of no mist in the tank and currently using an atomiser. Cheapest option all round would be one of these connected to a fluval 2 with 12mm hose I have lying around possibly not bothering with media so I get some time out of it. My worry is it looks a bit ropey on the hose connections with possible leaks and breakable also will a mist still come out of this?
 
I think in line with the canister will be your best option, I just add CO2 to the return pump in my sump. I use to run a needle wheel and then shoot that into the return or a Reactor thingy.........but I have more stable CO2 this way.

Clean and keep things in good shape and check often with CO2.
 
Excuse the ignorance but do you mean just adding co2 to the inlet of canister filter itself rather than a reactor? My current set up is less than ideal. I have an Aqua-one AR850 which is systemised and not best suited for planted. Not sure if you are familiar with that system but in short what it does is pump the water with a submerged pump up to a spray bar in the lid where a wet-dry trickle is situated which then just gravity feeds back into the tank. Good for oxygen exchange and very easy maintenance not so good for de-gassing off co2 :(
I have however managed to get round this by having a co2 atomiser under a koralia in the tank on 24/7on 1bps, I appreciate plants don't need co2 when lights are off but if I knock mine off for a period I can't seem to get the DC back in colour by lights on regardless of the injection rate. Using this method I have managed to keep 2 DC's in good colour permanently at either end of the tank and the problems I had with BBA have cleared to just a bit on hardscape here and there. The filter is so effective that at nights even when the plants are giving off co2 the filter will de-gas it all off and leave me with a bright blue DC by morning that's difficult to bring back. For the tank a same background level of co2 seems to be best than trying to get no co2 to target before lights on. (side note my regulator also won't work on with a solenoid but that's another story :D )
Downside of this is I never see the tank without it being full of tiny bubbles, I was thinking with a bit of modding to the lid I could do away with the Koralia and atomiser and use my fluval 2 to mix co2 outside the tank still 24/7 which will give better viewing.
Ideally a big external canister connected to an aqua medic reactor would be ideal but these are austere times :lol:
 
I gave up with the trickle in the end due to CO2 issues. I managed to shoehorn the eheim pipework in without modding the hood. It was an expense I could have done without but was well worth it.
 
Yes Dave I wish I had done that from the stsrt tbh. I may be changing this set up altogether shortly. The one I'm thinking of getting the profile 850 comes with a filter which is a bit small so trying to haggle a bigger filter on the deal. I'm intrigued as to how you shoe horned the eheim in though in case I keep this tank.
 
Much appreciated Dave thanks.
 
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Shame really I was just getting to grips with this tank. Unfortunately I've moved house and this is still at my old house. Can't make my mind up whether to start from scratch or do something with this. Probably will change though and next time go for reactor rather than atomiser.
 
I think you'd be much better off not paying attention to the DC, and watch the plants, and the effects on them relative to the needle valve. Adjust the valve maybe 1/20th of turn up till you hit a really nice growth and no issues behaviorally with any livestock.

Do that slow and steady.

They make atomizers that fit in line or on the intakes of Canister filters.
 
Thanks Tom, I have turned up the co2 slightly and will keep an eye on the progress perhaps turning up a bit more in the next week or so. I don't have much fear about gassing fish as I mentioned the system is very good of getting rid of co2. Another good reason for turning it up is because the mist is in the tank 24/7 I wonder how much is getting into the DC's without a break thus making the level of co2 look higher than actual. Having it switching off would give the dc's a bit of a break at least.

Back to the original post though, I don't like fixing something that isn't broke but I think I'll see if I can fit an external canister and an Aquamedic 1000 into my budget. The mist is just not my cup of tea really. Anybody any experience with the AM 1000, I'm looking to get both the inside the cabinet if at all possible which looks like it may be a bit awkward with some restrictive looking bends :? Any advice on an affordable canister appreciated as well for a 165ltr aquarium. I'm planning to do away with the sytemised filter that came with it so the canister will be the only filter with a koralia for added movement. I thought the eheim classic would be ideal as the inlet is on the bottom of the can making it ideal for fitting the 370mm AM1000 in the cabinet but unfortunately I have since learned that the AM goes on the outlet not the inlet :oops:
 
I did the right thing and searched the board for reactor stuff which also raised my awareness of the sera 1000 reactor. Upto now both seem to have some pros and cons, sera one is considerably cheaper and there seems to be an issue with the co2 inlet pipe being brittle which I notice one member has got round by putting a join in the tubing negating the need to pull off this tube when cleaning :thumbup: another plus side is that connections are both on the top of the unit which gives me a bit more room in the cabinet to maneuver.

Reading the posts the am 1000 seems to be a more robust system but the size and position of the outlets are definitely not going to help my cause. Anyone have anything to add on the sera? Some of the posts seem to be quite old and couldn't really find anything about the longevity of the unit or maintenance just lots to do with whether it worked,noise and flow reduction etc.

Has anyone tried the 500 version? The bumf on it reckons its good for up to a 600ltr tank, looking at the specs the difference in length of the two units is 3inch. It also reckons a min filter turnover of 500 which rules my old fluval 2 out. Still looking for a good deal on a filter if anyone has come across one.
 
Ive had experience of both the sera 1000 and the am1000. And, if I'm honest, the sera wins hands down.
You get minimal flow reduction, compared to the am1000 which cuts flow dramatically also the am I found to make a fair splashing noise inside but, that never really bothered me. Also like you say the sera connects both the inlet and outlet at the top compared to the AM which is too and bottom again reducing flow. Both are good don't get me wrong but I'd go for the sera.
I'd again recommend attaching a small piece if say 4 to 5 inch length co2 tube , with a needle valve which you'd then leave permanently attached to the co2 inlet to the sera as yes it is brittle if pulled too much. I happened to break it.
I also know an online retailer that sells them way cheaper than elsewhere.
You have to get the nack of getting the trapped air out initially but it's great after that


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thanks Alistair, I think it was a few of your posts I was reading actually. Also davem commented that since ditching his aqua one built in filter he's never looked back and to be honest I think I should have done the same instead of trying to work round it. Funny how searching the board seems to come up with similar posts to my own all seem to be related to not wanting mist anymore. I've had a look at the science of each method but ultimately I just can't get away with the mist. Please let me know of the cheapest deal I have found one in Wales not sure if its same one?
How do you feel about the 500 model? Will it be adequate with 165ltrs? My dilemma here is I also need a canister my spare hydor 20 not up to the job I reckon and was looking at 1250 aquaone or the ecco 300. Some posts are saying to fast a filter makes the co2 impellers noisy! The 1250 is 1250 lph empty or 850 loaded and the ecco is 750 but doesn't state if that's working turnover. I'm trying to keep everything within a budget and theses filters fit. Big difference is the aqua use 32Watts while the ecco just 8.

If its only tenner difference between the sera 500 and 1000 should I go the bigger and get the aqua? Any suggestions for canister filters appreciated I'm gettting lost with it all :)
 
I have the AM1000, and while its ok, it has its issues:
1. Its designed actually for fairly low rate filters, and comes with 12mm hose connections. Perversely most users fit it to larger tanks with more powerful filters. This causes problems as these usually have 16mm hoses so your hoses dont fit well (needs jubilee clips and still at risk of leaking) and you lose huge flow. Also if you run high flow through the unit CO2 bubbles will be entrained into the outlet flow. This means you have to fit it with media which further reduces flow. So in other words, if you have 12mm hoses its probably fine (but maybe overspecified), if you have 16mm hoses its a huge compromise.
2. Its unwieldy, and the instructions for fitting into a cabinet are poor. Frankly I couldnt work it out and I'm a qualified engineer.
3. Accessing the interior is a pain - the hex shaped inlets are too big for an easy spanner but tend to seize up and are very hard to open. Plus the top one is totally impeded by the CO2 inlet and gas bleed.
4. the CO2 inlet pipe has no valve, so you have to fit your own. Small thing but at this price not good.
5. Its expensive.
6. That said, it will dissolve a lot of gas if you don't mind the flow reduction, and the painful maintenance. I installed Eheim double taps at high cost and it was worth it otherwise this is a pain to manage.

As an alternative, look at this german website. Look using google chrome and it will offer to translate mostly ok for you. They have one with a bypass which is the one to go for if your filter is powerful. It looks like a better design all round, albeit for more money. I add that I have no experience of this in use, but on the face of it it has attractive features. And they do one that's smaller and cheaper for less money.
http://www.aquamas.de/products/CO2-...reaktor-mit-Bypass-bis-ca-3000L-komplett.html
 
Thanks for your input guys, I think the Sera 1000 is the way forward. Again with the German reactor the hose connection on the bottom looks like a nightmare for plumbing inside a cabinet. The outlet on the top of the filter will need to bend round and back quite severely as height is restricted.

The filter is the issue, I'm trying to take into account the reduction in flow but without going over the top. I can only deal with the figures on spec sheets but they are probably well out depending on how the canister is packed, head of water, amount of bends I need to put in to get it plumbed etc. Researching the Sera not enough flow can cause issues as well as too much. I feel like goldilocks of filters at the minute :D

Hopefully I can get everything from one retailer but the options in my budget fall between the aqua-one 1250 and the ecco 300. I have to say I have owned a aqua-one system for probably 8 years now and only changed tubes in that time not even an impeller so as robustness goes their stuff is well put together BUT to be fair the Aqua-one systemised set up has very little moving parts compared to a canister which is probably a strong point for their set ups. If it isn't the impeller or actual pump there's nothing else to break. Just a shame that the trickle can't be sealed to prevent de-gassing or it would be a belting set up.

On other hand the Eheim uses less power, has a reputation for robustness and is slightly cheaper. Downside is does that less power use equate to compromising output and there is slightly more room for media in the aqua-one.

Hmm decisions decisions, just looking through the specs the reactor 500 needs 500lph and the 1000 needs 700lph with no max output.

The ecco 300 stats are..
Technical data EHEIM ecco pro 300:
- product type: 2036020
- for aquariua from 160 up to 300 litres
- Power consumption: 230 V/ 50 Hz 8 W
- Pump output: 750 l/h
- Pump head: 1,9 m
- Filter volume 2.8 l + 0.3 l (prefilter)
- Canister volume: 5.0 l
- Dimesnions: 205 x 416 mm ( diameter x height)

No sign if that's with empty canister comes in at £89.99

The aqua one Advance range...
Model Max flow Rate Aquarium Working turnover Power Canister Volume price
1050 1050 L/hr 200L 750 L/hr 32 Watt 8.5 L £84.99
1250 1250 L/hr 250l 850 L/hr 32 Watt 12L £94.99

There are also non-advance models which have less media capacity but only use 20 watts of power and don't appear to be self priming but for a £5 less the advance also comes with a 4 year guarantee.
 
Just ordered the 1250 aqua-one and the sera 1000, should be here tomorrow :thumbup: Watch this space :D
 
I have a TMC aquagro on the outlet of an eheim classic. Setting it up was a bit of a PITA. Because of the position of the in and outlets on the aquagro it means that the outlet for the eheim is at a right angle. It doesn't seem to restrict flow but its not ideal. My cabinet is big so I can position things to keep out kinks as much a possible but it still looks like a mess.

Ive just literally reconnected my co2 as have been running tank low tech since last summer and can't really remember if there was a mist or not. I don't think there is once it settles, but i'll be able to let you know for definite later on.
 
They were also something I considered. I hope this works out, I sort of got dragged down the road of a misty tank by firstly the cheapness of going about it and the fact that loads of tiny bubbles clinging to the leaves will undoubtedly be absorbed by the plants better. I always thought reactors were cumbersome and out of my price range but looking a bit deeper there are some alternatives. Ideally I would have nothing in the tank. Now with my increased filter capacity I'm sort of wishing I got an in-line heater as well :lol:

For me the the ultimate satisfaction I get from my tank after the work that gets put in is to sit in my chair and think that looks mint. I can't help think that it would look better without the bubbles. When we strive to achieve a snap shot of nature it detracts a bit to have all these bubbles floating about IMO. Even friends who know nothing about tanks have asked can I not knock the bubbles off which is saying something.

Unfortunately as we strive more and more to get gas dissolved in our tanks and equipment gets better at physically doing it it seems to be at the cost of the overall picture.

Only time will tell if I have made the right move.
 
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