CO2 reactor. how effective?

[bkw1982]

well do u guys think this will be an effective co2 reactor? it's a fluval 1plus head inside a plexi glass box ( which is glued together with tank silicone) and a piece of filter sponge. from reading the purpose of the reactor i thought this would be pretty effective.

the idea: a tube with and air stone would be put and the bottom of the box and the bubbles will rise throught the sponge and sucked into the fulva 1plus and pushed throughout the bottom of the tank. i had these materials layin around the house and decided to try it( completely out of boredom). So do u guys think this will be effective? it will be hooked to 2 2l bottles of DIY CO2 on a 25 gallon tank. any thoughts?
any advice or improvements welcomed

 

[$eaba$$]

Nice Job

May be a bit big, but it will do the job! If it's going in a bigger tank, you can just hide it well. Nice creativity too!

Good Luck!

 

[Mgamer20o0]

i would just pull the power head out of the box and put the co2 line right up to the intake. the only thing i would be worried is the bubbles going up and not into the power head.

 

[bkw1982]

i would just pull the power head out of the box and put the co2 line right up to the intake. the only thing i would be worried is the bubbles going up and not into the power head.

its completely sealed off, tht was my first wrry too. i put sealeant around every cranck tested it under water, seemed tight. i thought bout hookin it directly to teh intake but the motor sounded like it was startin to stall, it would spurt then stop spurt then stop. wht i found was tht the CO@ was not being the disolved into the water but instead goin straight into the the fan part. with this i hope to disolve the co2 before it gets to the fan and causes problems. it a simple design tht needs to be tested to see how effect it is. the other reason i put it in the box like tht is to keep my betta from gettin his fins stuck in the intake. the dimensions are 4''X3'', i will be puttin in some new drift wood and plan to hide it either behind tht or some plants.

 

[Mgamer20o0]

well it doesnt hurt to try it and see what happens.

 

[beviking]

Try it and see.
You might try having the opening at the bottom. Leave the pump at the top and just bubble in the CO2 at the bottom. The bubbles will rise into the chamber (plexi-box) and the pump will swirl the water around, mixing the CO2 with it. The water exits the bottom.
A similar design puts the pump on top of a chamber (box/bottle) pushing water down and exiting the bottom. The CO2 is mixed inside and since it is always rising, it is always getting mixed with the water. Add some foam or bioballs in the chamber to disrupt the waters path and for better mixing...like this...
http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/1209978429045182475RguQNZ