Bubblewand for CO2 diffuser?

[geofied]

Hey, found a clearance bubblewand (with a bonus free check valve!) for ~$2 at Wallyworld. Anybody here had any experience good/bad in using one of these as a CO2 diffuser? It's bendable too!

I'm such a consumerist.:drool:

[legendaryfrog]

Using a bubblewand is a bad idea for a few reasons. For one, the co2 would just escape at the surface, defeating its purpsoe. And secondly, I dont think the co2 has enough **Force** to even escape the bubble wand.

[geofied]

Well, I suppose I should have gotten the proper name first, its a "Bubble Curtain".

So I hooked this thing up, and in 5min or so it started releasing these tiny little bubbles from the "skin". They mostly hang on the surface of the wand thingy and eventually release to the top of the water. This has got to be doing some diffusion, and I would venture to say more than a stone since they don't immediately float up.

I was skeptical too, legendaryfrog, but I'm thinking this thing has some promise. Might be able to couple it with something else to make it more effective.

[Mgamer20o0]

nope. wouldnt help much.

[vic46]

Tank size, filter type and CO2 source please.

[placidmiranda]

sorry nevermind

[Mgamer20o0]

he is talking about pumping co2 into the water. you want the smallest bubbles as you can get. a mist is better.

[geofied]

OK, so as the CO2 saturates this wand, it is starting to flow faster in some parts (the directions say wait up to 48 hours for the airflow to evenly in the wand). It is rapidly coming out in tiny bubbles, as close to a "mist" as I've seen with my CO2 efforts so far. These bubbles look to be 1mm or less in most cases. I've got a steady stream of bubbles coming from one area.

I've added a bell trap of sorts above the part that is currently giving off the most bubbles and some of the bubbles caught in the trap are re-forming into bigger bubbles and some are kind of popping. Seems to be a good thing when new bubbles jostle the "pile", hopefully diffusing more.

Couple of ideas I'm tossing around, so indulge my curiosity a bit:

A. I suppose I could put a half-tube above the wand lengthwise if it were laying horizontally. The bubbles would be trapped and be moving around a bit, getting water time.

B. Anybody see any benefit to burying the wand in the gravel? My guess is the bubbles would get extended exposure and diffusion opportunity that way.

C. I'm also thinking you could put a tube around this wand, hook up a pump and make a pretty sweet reactor.


What do folks that pump CO2 through airstones do differently than this?

[Mgamer20o0]

fols use airstones?

i would like to see some pics. wonder how it would work with pressurized system. i would put it close to the out put of the filter that should blow it around more. i wouldnt put it in the gravel.

[mellowvision]

I might try it in the gravel... the gravel would cause friction on the bubbles as they try to escape to the surface, they would roll around the source of friction, which would cause diffusion in the same manner as the hagen bubble ladder. it's worth a shot.

ideally, you want the co2 to get trapped near or under plant leaves, so that it diffuses slowly right where it's needed most.

[geofied]

fols use airstones?

i would like to see some pics. wonder how it would work with pressurized system. i would put it close to the out put of the filter that should blow it around more. i wouldnt put it in the gravel.

I've seen peeps here say they use airstones, regular and wooden to diffuse their CO2. I just wanted to know if they just let the bubbles surface, or try to bubble into their filter intake from that point or something. This wand thingy seems similar aside from the fact that it is gase permeable membrane as opposed to a porous stone.

I've taken some pics, but I'm supposed to be sleeping, so I won't transfer them tonight. Video would definitely be better though. I'll do my best to update the thread with pics tomorrow after work...ugh, work...

Yeah, I would love to see how it would do with pressurized CO2. Probably a similar effect as the air bubble "curtain" that it was intended for. Who knows, maybe as this thing saturates, even my DIY will push a "Carbon Curtain". Ha. I'll be happy with a mini blind at this point.

[geofied]

I might try it in the gravel... the gravel would cause friction on the bubbles as they try to escape to the surface, they would roll around the source of friction, which would cause diffusion in the same manner as the hagen bubble ladder. it's worth a shot.

Yeah, well put. That is what I am trying to envision with the burying idea, although burying it is easier said than done. Luckily this is kind of my utility tank I'm trying this in, it's a little more open than my other planted tanks.


ideally, you want the co2 to get trapped near or under plant leaves, so that it diffuses slowly right where it's needed most.

For the time being I've wedged a Riccia donut (hole-less) above the bell trap thingy to catch the rest of the bubbles and the ones that eventually bloop out of the bell.

[geofied]

OK, update. The first couple of days the bubbles started releasing from more spots on the tube, but as of 2 days ago the CO2 seems to have found its spot for releasing from this thing. It still comes out in tiny bubbles, but almost exclusively from one spot. The good thing is that spot happens to be right under my filter's water return and the bubbles get beat back down when they hit the current. I'm hoping this adds to the diffusion a little.

Here is the same product, just a different brand name, and possibly a little longer than mine. I still haven't been able to get a good picture of the bubbles yet.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=12084&N=2004+113405

[mellowvision]

chances are, the wand is clogging with yeast, and the bubbles being beat down by your return is reducing the amount of co2 staying in the water

[geofied]

I'm wondering the same about the sludge, but how do you figure bubbles going back down into the water (before getting to the surface) would be worse than just floating to the top to release?

[mellowvision]

surface agitation releases co2 into the air. any co2 laden water is right below the point of exit... can't be ideal. forcing the bubble back down doesn't have much to do with it.

[geofied]

I think you're missing something mellow (I'm probably not explaining right). The CO2 doesn't make it to the surface the first time, it gets forced back down by the current about 3-4 inches down to continue diffusing/agitating. Now on the second rise to surface they'll likely release at the top if they make it. However, many seem to be getting dissolved in the water before they get to the top. So unlike the ladders that we use, which still release 3-4mm+ bubbles at the surface, these bubbles are either obliterated in the current, or release at less than 1mm. Much more surface area in contact with the water than with a single bubble. Their is surface movement from the filter return, but I have bubbling to a minimum.

This is the best photo I have of the bubble stream. Sorry, can't get my ISO high enough to "freeze" the bubbles. I also just noticed that the bubbles reduce in size the closer to the downward current they get. The green thing at the bottom is the bubble wand (and reflection). I need a place to post video...

[geofied]

And for my next trick...

I just found a nebulizer that we had for my son when he was a newborn. :idea: I'm going to try pushing CO2 through the little atomizer apparatus to see what bubbles come out. Tubing is about the same size, so I just scored some extra CO2 tubing as well.

I like being a scavenger even more than being a consumerist. :grinyes:

[mellowvision]

nebulize that shiz!

[geofied]

Fo'CO2'izzle!!

[mellowvision]

LOL

[BrkD]

i use a ceramic diffusor and works great. the results are very fine bubbles and very happy plants. i tried airstones to diffuse co2 in a diy set up, but it was no good.

[geofied]

i use a ceramic diffusor and works great. the results are very fine bubbles and very happy plants. i tried airstones to diffuse co2 in a diy set up, but it was no good.

Good to know. Some people are getting clogs when they use diffusors, but then again, if the mix is a little off or you don't have a bubble counter/gunk collector that may apply to most options.

I'm on a little mission to scavenge for things I have around my house that will work. I'm a packrat, so this should turn into something. I'm sure when it is all said and done I'll just end up buying a ceramic/glass diffusor. They do look really pretty.

[rwilliams254]

I don't use CO2, but I have 2 long airstones (bubble wands) burried in the gravel. Great affect!

[mellowvision]

I've found the glass diffusers won't work with DIY co2... there's not enough pressure to keep them going. but they sure are pretty.