# Diffuser Alternative.



## Lozbug (22 Oct 2007)

Iâ€™m going to be doing the â€˜home-madeâ€™ Co2 set-up (from Georgeâ€™s article in PFK), and if I can avoid buying a bubble diffuser thingâ€¦.. I wanna. Can I just pop the tube outlet in the tank under spray bar, or by filter intake?

Iâ€™m not sureâ€¦â€¦â€¦thx.


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## Ed Seeley (22 Oct 2007)

Some people do just bubble CO2 into their filter intakes, but, after talking to the Ehiem supplier in the UK he was aghast that people would do that and said that in his opinion he'd have to think carefully about potential harm to the filter if they had been intentionally adding gas to the canister!

I run DIY CO2 into a Hagen ladder to up the contact time.  You could always make a DIY CO2 reactor like these, http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...m-projects/2958-diy-inline-reactor-plans.html


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## Matt Holbrook-Bull (22 Oct 2007)

eds said:
			
		

> Some people do just bubble CO2 into their filter intakes, but, after talking to the Ehiem supplier in the UK he was aghast that people would do that and said that in his opinion he'd have to think carefully about potential harm to the filter if they had been intentionally adding gas to the canister!



this is mainly because of the worry that the co2 will degrade and ruin the rubber seals in the unit, however.. many people have tried adding co2 directly into the inlet (including me) and seen no ill effects.. its always worth rubbing your filter seals in silicon grease anyway when you clean them out.. if you do that, i cant see what harm it would do.. after all, theres always co2 in the water anyway, no matter how you add it to the tank, the only issues would arise if there was co2 collected around the seals, which would be highly unlikely, if possible at all.


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## Lozbug (22 Oct 2007)

oooh that link looks awfully technical lol (will read it when not having a glass of wine lol)

so just having the airline tube stuck to tank - with lil' clip under spray bar with no bubble diffuser is a no no?


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## Ed Seeley (22 Oct 2007)

Frolicsome_Flora said:
			
		

> eds said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



He was also rather concerned about the possibility of impellor cavitation caused by gas in the cansiter, after all not all the gas seems to dissolve from my DIY CO2.

I agree it's probably not a problem but the DIY Reactors can be very simple Lozbug, it's just that some on that thread are very complicated!  Here's mine, http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...ects/35016-incredibly-simple-co2-reactor.html, but it's only going to be cheaper than getting a ladder type diffuser if you've got the bits lying around like I had!


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## Dave Spencer (22 Oct 2007)

I would be careful adding the CO2 bubble directly in to your filter, as it may get to the impeller before it dissolves. 

My CO2 is injected in the filter inlet after it has been diffused by a ceramic disc. I have been doing this through an AquaEl 250 filter for some time now, because I don`t like to see the bubbles blowing around the tank.

I`m at work on nights, so doubtless I`ll go home to a soaked carpet tomorrow morning.  

Dave.


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