Coolest CO2 reactor ever

[ChicoRaton]

I made a gravel vac reactor a while ago but I was tired of the big unsightly blue thing filled with bioballs hanging in the corner of my tank, so I set out to make a better reactor and this is what I came up with.

What you need:

2-liter pop bottle (so many uses for these)
Rio 200 powerhead
Aquaclear 500 power filter

Obviously this is best if you already have the ac 500

What you do with this stuff:


Cut the top off of the bottle so that you have a bowl with a lid on the bottom then stuff it in the part of the AC where the intake tube goes in, lid pointing up. Put the Rio 200 underneath this inverted bowl and turn it on, then work all the air bubbles out.

stick the output tube from your co2 through the media basket mesh so that the tube goes into the input of the powerhead

Tada! An efficient compact reactor that is totally hidden!

[happychem]

Sounds cute, could you post a sketch? I'm having a hard time visualizing...

What I'm doing for my diy is:
a length of fluvial tubing to run the length of the tank
put small holes in about every 1 1/2" or so, bigger holes at one end
plug the big hole end with filter wool
attach the other to powerhead
run CO2 into powerhead intake

It doesn't work on the dissolution as well, but it does spread the flow and bubbles along the full length of the tank, so it's an improvement on the straight forward just run the CO2 to the input

plus it solves the problem of the powerhead pushing my plants over, now they just flow in the 'breeze'

[ChicoRaton]

I couldn't figure out how to draw it so I took a picture... this is looking straight down into the aquaclear.

http://www.hazy8.com/xr/reactor.jpg

the c02 tubing loops around to the powerhead intake... hope that's understandable.. it didn't photograph as clearly as I'd hoped.. oh and the bioballs are to reduce surface disruption. I didn't have an extra sponge big enough.

[125gJoe]

I'm sorry...I got lost..

Where do the actual CO2 bubbles exit from the clear plastic tubing? What is diffusing the CO2?

[ChicoRaton]

ok, see the powehead underneath the top of the soda bottle? the co2 bubbles into the intake of that, then the co2 bubbles get churned around inside the bottle until they dissolve.

[happychem]

I think that I see what you're doing. It's the standard powerhead to break the bubbles up method, but inside a closed chamber (filter housing) with a trap (pop bottle) to prevent undissolved CO2 from aerating.

He's combined the powerhead and bell jar diffusers into one, tucked into a filter. Cute. Well done. It seems to address the weaknesses of each method.

[Seaman]

What size aqua clear is that? Im going to try that when i get a chance!!

[ChicoRaton]

He's combined the powerhead and bell jar diffusers into one, tucked into a filter.
yup. 'xactly right.


Seaman, that's an aquaclear 110 (aka 500)

[125gJoe]

I...He's combined the powerhead and bell jar diffusers into one, tucked into a filter. Cute. Well done. It seems to address the weaknesses of each method.Ok, good! Now I see what's going on...

:cool:

[ChicoRaton]

Yeah, it's just a bell with a powerhead inside of it.

[happychem]

The thing that I like about it though is that it has the bubble crunching approach of the powerhead method and the CO2 retention of the bell jar method. Plus, since the 'jar' is in such a small enclosure, the current generated by the powerhead is much stronger in relation to the current normally associted with the bell jar method. In other words, more contact time with the gas. Although I wonder about the logic of having that much going on inside the filter, only time will tell. Probably no harm, keep us posted chico.

[daveedka]

I'm only asking this because it's a personal issue for me, and I'm intersted in trying you idea as well.
How much noise if any are you getting from the powerhead with co2 going through it? cavitation noise settles somwhere in the back of my teeth and drives me up the wall. :)
dave

[ChicoRaton]

It just sounds like a clock to me. I usually don't notice it. it only goes"tick, tick tick, tick, tick, tick tick" not "vrrrroowwwmmmph" the hum from my aquaclear is way more annoying IMO.

[daveedka]

Thanks Chico, I may give it a try, the descripton has me chuckling ( I train mechanics, I get a lot of wrtten descriptions of noises) The tick-tick I get when there is an air bubble in my powerheads is the noise I cant stand, but given the fact that there isn't much to lose by trying it, I'll give it a whirl. If the tick tick bothers me I'll use the powerhead elsewhere, and I dobt the soda bottle costs much to begin with.
Dave