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u shaped glass tube

Simon Cole

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Joined
25 Dec 2018
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840
Location
Snowdonia
I am just adding a pressurised CO2 system and I saw these attachments on Ebay. The don't look very strong, but I cannot seem to get the wide ones (20mm) in acrylic. Will they break easily? Is there another way of doing this (DIY)?
s-l200.jpg
 
I've had them in glass, simmular as on the photo, still have it and one with 1 short and a 20cm long leg. The long one broke one day. The small glass one i still have.

What i didn't like with the short one, is the tube will turn white after a day submersed. Than its a nice clear glass diffuser and a clear U but a white tube in between looking silly awfull. There for i bought the long U.. Still it needs a short piece of tube to connect turning white sticking out as a sour thumb. Same as the clear suction cup on the diffuser.

I guess in the end the acrylic version will be a lot stronger and snap less easily than the glass version. In any way always put on or take off tube that first is softened in hot water. Don't jerk off a cold tube or it might snap. Only thing is acrylic can scratch and turn dull from cleaning, glass doesn't.

Mho, if you can't get around using tube submersed that turns awfully white and green. Than using clear glass or plastic to hide it doesn't work, there is always an uggly part atracting attention. Than why not simply go all the way nice design stainless steel. Or even beter an inline diffuser, these actualy still work the best. And these come also rather cheap as well, i've used the Mufan inline diffuser for a few years and i realy liked it.

www.aliexpress.com/item/Mufan-4-in-1-Multil-Functions-CO2-Diffuser-with-Bubble-Counter-Check-Vavle-Diffuser-For-Planted/32800716993.html

Is there another way of doing this (DIY)?

Can't think of anything looking good enough.. Other than diy bending acrylic tube can be done.. You need to fill it with dry to the bone fine sand. Absolutely no airpockets after its filled with sand. Tightly plug both ends, heat the tube till approximately 80°C (in hot water) and gently bend it. Dip it in cold water and it stays in bend shape.

Point of causion.. The tiniest air pocket in the sand it will shift during bending and cause a kink in the bending process. Thus it realy needs to be 100% filled with sand from plug to plug.
 
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Thanks for your reply Marcel. Unfortunately it's a Juwel tank with existing internal filter, or else I would certainly opt for the inline diffuser that you suggest. I'm upgrading the lighting and I felt obliged to add CO2 at the same time. I would certainly look at getting an external filter, but I have a lot of other tanks to upgrade or maintain, so this older one (which was second hand, with a scratch) is at the bottom of my bucket list. It would just be nice to see the plants optimised, particularly my Hygrophila pinnatifida which looks embarrassing. I have taken note what you said about the glass, acrylic, and stainless steel options. I'd be interested in working with glass, but bending acrylic sounds interesting and quite useful. I've got a reactor on another tank - do you find that inline diffusers create a lot of tiny bubbles?
 
do you find that inline diffusers create a lot of tiny bubbles?

Well the CO² gets imediately diffused into the stream/flow and the suction, speed and vortex effect in the hose disolves the CO² more sufficenty than the same ceramic disk diffuser in the tank.

The days i used CO² i always saw a lot of CO² bubbles break the water surface with an in tank diffuser. That is a waste... Tho must say didn't have to much turn over.. 10 x seems like an edy in a box to me and a constant rafting condition for the fish that never stops.. Thus i switched to inline and never noticed a bubble in the tank, but the pH profile droped significantly faster compaired to the in tank diffuser. Conclusion that it works more sufficient even with lower turn overs is evident.. :)
 
Sorry to say I got the same one off fleday and it broke 2 days later so I got the ones from co2 art and still have them.on two tanks a year later seems the co2 art ones are a thicker glass to me guess you get what you pay for

Cheers
Jay
 
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