Best way to mix gas and water ?

[zkt]

Seems to me the traditional way, decreasing the bubble size and increasing the contact time can be improved upon. A better way might be to spray the water into an atmosphere of co2. The rain that falls will then be the desired carbonic acid. In all fairness I outta run the bubbles thru a few feet of tubing first, just to see how much it takes.

 

[Kasakato]

More Co2 will evaporate and be wasted than what actually gets mixed with the water.

 

[Melvin Belton]

try this, a plastic 2x2x10 inch box that holds and allows CO2 to be absorbes at it's own rate. At saturation the CO2 stays in the box to be absorbed later. Here's the trick the CO2 is let into the inverted box by a hose fitting that is slightly lower than the rim of the box as the CO2 bubbles in it pushes out water as the CO2 is absorbed the water is readmitted keeping the CO2 slightly preasureized there is a vent nipple that is fitted with a short (4") piece of hose and is plugged to pervent the gas escapeing and is also handy in getting out those pesky air bubbles we all have floating around in our tanks. my generator is the size of a pill bottle 1 1/2 X 3 and attached to the box by a section of air hose all of this with 12 CO2 fizzers cost about $23.00 US produced in the states by DR. Fish Pharmauticals the Alka Seltzer tablets are about $5.00 US for 30 andIi picked it up at my lfs it seems a lot simpler than som of the DYI things i've seen

 

[zkt]

Im think along the same lines with the inverted box full of co2. If you sprayed a mist of high pressure watrer into the co2 it would mix with the water much more easily and faster then by difusion. Question is how to develop the needed pressure. impeller pumps arent much good at developing pressure. Prolly need 30 psi or so.

 

[arbitrage54]

Think inline filter

The best way to dissolve co2 into water is with a canister filter. Drill a small hole into the intake supply and use your favorite cement to attach an air check valve. My favorite is PVC cement, but you need to let it dry for a while and wash it well. When the co2 is forced by the impeller and through the media the bubble size decreases to increadible small. This types great for magnums. I've got a Pentair Aquatics modular system with a little giant pump and a customflo intake. The customflo was just made to have holes drilled into the siphon caps. By the time the bubbles get through all the media in the carbon filter they are microscopic if not compleatly absorbed.

 

[Kasakato]

Co2 is part acid. Over time it will eat away at any rubber parts in the filter. No rubber means no seals means leaky filter.

 

[Aries]

The best way to dissolve co2 into water is with a canister filter. Drill a small hole into the intake supply and use your favorite cement to attach an air check valve.

Be very carefull when inject CO2 on the INPUT side of canisters. You may end up "gas-locking" the impeller. This ONLY applies to those canisters where the impeller is on the top. This generally occurs on a power outtage where the CO2 build up. THen when the canister kicks on again, it cant unlock the build up of CO2. Then it runs dry - very bad for filter. This happened to my Fluval (among other problems). I would recommend building a cheap reactor and placing it on the output of the canister.

OR you can do what Tom Barr does

Just my $0.02

Good Luck

Aries