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Anyone Tried A Aqua-medic Co2 Reactor M

I've not used one personally, I take it they go inside the tank? If so they are bulky and expensive. You'd be better off with a 8-9quid ceramic diffuser :)

Sam
 
yep they do go inside the tank, so i guess they are pretty ugly. i have got a couple of ceramic diffusers but i am not much of a fan to be honest.
 
using ceramics the co2 doesn't stay a mist for very long at all, and i would say most just rises to the surface and escapes then there's the cleaning. I would love an inline but i would need a new filter too as they will not attach to fluvel hoses.
 
Hey Sam, how exactly does that inline reactor work?

Looks very interesting, trying to find one in englis at the mo
 
The reactor just goes in the middle of the return tubing on the external filter and the co2 gets pumped into it, where it dissolves into the water and gets sent to the tank. Very simple idea, but I've heard mixed reviews on their effectiveness and they can get a built up of Co2 in them which then needs degassing, which isn't tricky (most have a valve for this purpose) but its a hassle.

Sam

EDIT - Hunter - I find in only have to clean my diffuser every few weeks. If you hide it in the plants algae doesn't tend to grow on it. Anything you by to add co2 is going to need some sort of maintenance. That reactor would need cleaning like a filter, which would be every week or so, far more than a diffuser IMHO.
 
And too many people seem obsessed by the bubbles not being microscopic.

Yes the mist lasts an hour or so to be replaced with small bubbles.
Yes the bubbles rise to the surface.
Yes some is lost.
Is my DC blue from being short of CO2. No its almost yellow.
Do I make sure the surface is still to prevent lossage from gaseous exchange. My water surface is like a wave machine. lol
Does my Gas bottle run out quickly due to me injecting more CO2 to cope with the loss due to water movement on the surface? Last 600g bottle lasted 4 months @ 4bps (currently running @ 2bps)

Mine gets cleaned fortnightly not from algae on it but more the detritus/food that settles in the cup.

I have just taken these 4 pics to prove my point

1: The diffusor is producing bubbles and they are only coming out of one side of the diffusor (If I leave it longer in the bleach solution it seems to come from the whole surface but I prefer to do 5 mins then 5 in dechlor so I can take it out and put it in during a water change.)
diff.jpg


2: The Lily outlet is 2/3 submerged and 1/3 above the water surface meaning that it produces a mini rapid on the water surface. This draws oxygen into the water and also pushes the water current around the tank better. The water clarity is superb and no film/oil/protein ever builds up on the surface. This pic is from below the water surface looking upward.
lily.jpg


3: The drop checker on the opposite side of the tank is almost yellow telling me that I have over 30ppm CO2 in the water. This doesn't worry me as (see pic 2) I am drawing in more oxygen than most people do. (That is not my finger over the lense it is a Nymphea Rubra leave in the foregound)
DC.jpg


4: The bubble counter is currently set to 1.5-2bps which should mean that on this 33USG tank a 600g disposable bottle should last 6-8 months.
bubble.jpg


All I am trying to say is really this. If your DC says that your level is OK then the diffusor is working. It doesn't matter if the bubbles are rising to the surface or if they are larger than mist or if they are only coming out of 1 part of the diffusor. What you want is 30ppm and the DC is green/yellow then walk away happy.

Andy
 
nice work Andy i must say you guys seem very trusting of these drop checkers i'm not that convinced.
 
If Tom Barr says they work the I trust that implicitly seeing as the guy is obsessed with lab testing things. lol
 
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