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Your views on diffusers/reactors?

CeeJay

Member
Joined
3 May 2009
Messages
945
Location
Surrey UK
Hi all.
Newbie here.
Made my first expensive mistake with my tank on WC day.
When I took out my diffuser to clean it, I managed to break it when trying to push it back in the clips, obviously not lined up straight enough. :oops:
Anyway I have had to hurriedly dig out this horrible looking JBL reactor thingy that came with my co2 kit just to get me out of jail.
I was wondering what your valued opinions were about the best form of co2 diffusion for my 180l Juwel Rio tank. I'm currently running the internal filter that came with the tank so in line difussion is not an option at this time.
Does anyone know if these JBL reactors are any good? Apart from looking so damn ugly. :(
I did like the look of the glass one I had but was wondering what is the most efficient form of co2 diffusion.


Chris
PS
I now have a Hydor Koralia pump in there too for better circulation so I thought maybe the glass diffuser would be best and let the pump blow the bubbles everywhere, but at this early stage of my planted tank adventure I'm open to your suggestions.
Thanks
 
Personally I prefer an external reactor, which is one less piece of equipment in the tank. In my experience, reactors are more efficient too, as I can run a lower bubble rate compared to a diffuser. My observations are not very scientific though, I just eye the plant growth and pearling. With my reactor, I run about 1-1.5 bubbles per second while with a diffuser, I run about 2 bubbles per second.

Reactors have the tendency to reduce filter output though, so be careful with that. Also, less CO2 bubbles floating around the tank means better photos of tank and fish ;)

Hope this helps.
 
I'm not really a fan of the external reactors, to bulky for me, but I have just ordered this, which seems to get decent reviews, though it obviously only works on an external filter.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0424472337

If you have to stick with an internal filter than you could position the ceramic diffuser just below it so the bubbles get sucked into the filter, that would give pretty good diffusion I'd reckon.

Sam
 
I have a Rio180 too. Had it since last December, and i've been doing the whole planted tank thing on a relative budget. I've recently just upgraded the external and added the external diffusor linked to above. Its quite a good job, and maybe worth looking at in the long term.

Anyway, when I started I upgraded in juwel internal filter pump to the Pump 1000 impellor to give 1000l/hr, up from 600l/hr. Then I bought a Koralia. You didnt say what type of Koralia you have, but I bought the Nano, and it just wasnt enough. If you have the 1 or 2 model, you'll be grand. The best flow I could get was running the juwel internal angled towards the substrate, running along the back of the tank, towards the Koralia in the left rear corner, which was pointing along the front. Best diffusion I seemed to get was putting the diffusor as low as possible below the outlet of the juwel power head, hence allowing the bubbles to rise up and get caught in the downward flow and taken around the tank.

I must admit I was never totally happy with this, but I'm fairly sure the weak nano didnt help. I had tried the flow running the other way around but really wasnt convinced it was as good. If I'd have had the Koralia 1 or 2, then running the CO2 beneath it, pointing it toward the substrate in the front and letting the juwel return the water straight back along the top of the tank is how'd probably try it now, but it really will be trial and error.

Actually reading back on that, I'm not sure that helped, but I'm sure you'll settle on something! :oops:

Oh, and you're not the first person to break your diffusor. A good tip is to buy cheap ebay diffusors in pairs (the ones from Hong Kong) so if you break one, you still have spare.

dsandson
 
The Boyu diffuser from eBay is cracking, however it does leave loads of fine bubbles going in to the tank. Still, my plants are pearling better than ever before and for £5 it's excellent! Note that it does have small internal diameter so using it on the larger filter pipes might reduce flow somewhat - it doesn't seem to have affected the 13mm piping on my TetraTec EX600 though.
 
Hi all
Thanks for the replies.
For your info I am still at the experimental stage with the flow around my tank, (I suppose you've all been there done that :D )
dsandson said:
You didnt say what type of Koralia you have,
I did get the Koralia 1 which has improved the flow dramatically now everything is 'swaying in the breeze' nicely but I reckon I've now got to up my co2 as I have noticed some 'hairy' algae forming on my HC carpet, and it's beginning to look ugly.
Oh the joys of a planted tank eh! :D :eek: :wideyed: :? :(
I think they call it a steep learning curve. I would have been seriously stuck if it wasn't for this forum and all you good people willing to share your experiences with me.
So once again. thanks to you all. :D

Chris
 
chrisr01 said:
ow everything is 'swaying in the breeze' nicely but I reckon I've now got to up my co2 as I have noticed some 'hairy' algae forming on my HC carpet, and it's beginning to look ugly.

I have tried and failed miserably to grow this plant, so wont try again until I've got my tank up to scratch. However, I have read (mostly from saintly) that increasing your KNO3 levels (if you use dry salts), and pointing the koralia pretty much straight at the HC should do wonders for it. Its also very inefficient at harnessing CO2, so needs as much supply as you can give it.
 
nry said:
The Boyu diffuser from eBay is cracking.
Been using one of these for just over a week and it works great, even on my under par Eihem 2224, some bubbles do still come out of the spraybar but I had to reduce the CO2 a little as there was too much CO2 in the tank with the diffusor, fish gasping for air, in comparisson to before when using the glass diffusor, which means I am using less CO2 to achieve the same levels.
 
nry said:
The Boyu diffuser from eBay is cracking, however it does leave loads of fine bubbles going in to the tank. Still, my plants are pearling better than ever before and for £5 it's excellent! Note that it does have small internal diameter so using it on the larger filter pipes might reduce flow somewhat - it doesn't seem to have affected the 13mm piping on my TetraTec EX600 though.
Any chance of a UK seller link please? Would this be OK with Eheim pipes?
 
dsandson said:
I have tried and failed miserably to grow this plant,
I meant to say, I'm not having trouble growing it, in fact it's spreading nicely and nearly all joined up into a big carpet now. It's just that in the last week or two it's developed this algae. From replies I've already had around here it does appear to be a co2 flow problem, so I've made some adjustments to the flow and now just got to wait and see. :rolleyes:

Chris
 
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