# Cheap Co2 reactors



## rolexbene (21 Apr 2012)

Hiya has anyone had any expireance with cheap chinese Co2 reactors like this one
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/250963893748? ... 513wt_1202
I need one for my 60l tank but don't have much money to spend, the basic principle of how they work looks simple enough so I can't imagine there is much difference between them as long as they dont leak


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## ceg4048 (22 Apr 2012)

Hi,
    If you don't have a lot of money, then why not just port the gas directly into the filter inlet. You can do that for free and the principle is the same.

Cheers,


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## Ian Holdich (22 Apr 2012)

i have been thinking about that myself just lately Clive...i'm still mixed up on the bubbles versus no bubble argument though. 

ps, i also don't want to knacker my impeller with C02.


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## ceg4048 (22 Apr 2012)

Yeah, I know how you feel. There are a couple of options. You can switch out your impeller for a needle wheel version if it's available, or you can do you own DIY needle wheel version. This will chop the bubbles up finer. You can also use an airstone/diffuser mounted in the intake pipe so that the bubbles are finer heading into the impeller. As long as you don't hear any cavitation noises the impeller will be undamaged.

The mist-versus-no mist issue becomes almost academic if you have excellent flow/distribution, but mist does seem to produce good results. It's important that we're talking about mist and not just run-O-the-mill bubbles though...

Cheers,


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## Ian Holdich (22 Apr 2012)

I suppose you really wouldn't need you bubbles chopping would you, if it's going through the media in the filter this would disperse the bubbles. Yes, i meant mist, as i'm getting a bit fed up with mist, i'm finding it a bit of a ball ache when looking at my tank due to that 'cloud'.

I might give it a try and see what happens.


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## rolexbene (23 Apr 2012)

Yeah it's just I don't want to f*** my impeller already been through two running it dry by accident. Might give the cheap co2 reactor a go though. Cheers


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## foxfish (23 Apr 2012)

Those little rectors work very well indeed, if you remove the biaballs you can get a vortex spinning with a small powerhead & even the small one will dissolve huge amounts of gas without any visible mist!!
Although not recommended I have used them externally too, you need to  epoxy the joints but I had one of the larger models running externally for 5 years pushing a continuous stream of bubbles in a 180lt tank.
The unit was feed by a large pump from my sump into the display tank above...


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## Sentral (27 Apr 2012)

I always assumed that you use these externally, surely nobody actually had that monstrosity inside their tanks?!

Tempted to get one and make it watertigh


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## rolexbene (27 Apr 2012)

Yeah same here they were external, but it appears they are suposed to be internal, Crazy!
Defiantly not putting one of those in my tank although I might consider botching it on the outside with some juberlee clips like in your picture.



			
				Sentral said:
			
		

> I always assumed that you use these externally, surely nobody actually had that monstrosity inside their tanks?!
> 
> Tempted to get one and make it watertigh


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## foxfish (27 Apr 2012)

You might be surprised at how desecrate the green unit become when tucked tight into a corner especially in a Dutch style tank with a stand of valis in front!
They are so cheap to buy, it is just such a shame there is not an external model available!
Gluing the components together is pretty simple with either superglue gel or epoxy but the material is very brittle so you will always have the threat of a crack appearing!  :?


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## GillesF (7 May 2012)

ianho said:
			
		

> i have been thinking about that myself just lately Clive...i'm still mixed up on the bubbles versus no bubble argument though.
> 
> ps, i also don't want to knacker my impeller with C02.



This has me worried. Can impellers get damaged with a few burps a day (let's say 1 or 2 small burps/hour)?


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## ceg4048 (7 May 2012)

Damage to pumps only occurs if the impeller blades make contact with the housing or if the chamber of rotating parts such as bearings run in a dry mode, which only happens if the water in that area becomes evacuated and if there is only gas/air in it's place. If you hear this sort of rattling then this is called "cavitation". In that case the pump parts wear more rapidly because they are not being lubricated by the water. You can sometimes hear this cavitation if the pump is started dry or not primed properly. The individual bubbles themselves cannot harm the plastic or metal parts on contact, as the gas bubbles are softer and simply get compressed or chopped up. This is actually the effect we are looking for. Burping is a good thing, even though it sounds inelegant, because that means the gas is being forced out of the impeller cavity area.

So it's the cavitation that you should be worried about, the possible buildup of dry gas in an area that should always be wet. You should not be worried about bubbles harming spinning plastic or metal blades.

Cheers,


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## hotweldfire (8 May 2012)

Used a similar reactor externally for the last few months. Have only just replaced it with an up atomiser. Mine was an ISTA (Waterplant) one that was designed to run externally or internally. Was quite worried initially as it leaked for the first few days. More of a weep than a leak actually. Then it stopped. I think it is pretty efficient. Does impact flow a bit though.


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## GillesF (8 May 2012)

ceg4048 said:
			
		

> Damage to pumps only occurs if the impeller blades make contact with the housing or if the chamber of rotating parts such as bearings run in a dry mode, which only happens if the water in that area becomes evacuated and if there is only gas/air in it's place. If you hear this sort of rattling then this is called "cavitation". In that case the pump parts wear more rapidly because they are not being lubricated by the water. You can sometimes hear this cavitation if the pup is started dry or not primeped properly. The individual bubbles themselves cannot harm the plastic or metal parts on contact, as the gas bubbles are softer and simply get compressed or chopped up. This is actually the effect we are looking for. Burping is a good thing, even though it souds inelegant, because that means the gas is being forced out of the impeller cavity area.
> 
> So it's the cavitation that you should be worried about, the possible buildup of dry gas in an area that should always be wet. You should not be worried about bubbles harming spinning plastic or metal blades.
> 
> Cheers,



Thanks for the info. Actually, I only hear a few burbs in 8 hours. I don't mind the filter burping out the CO2, it fills the tank with tiny CO2 bubbles which the plants like.


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## Ady34 (8 May 2012)

ceg4048 said:
			
		

> Burping is a good thing, even though it souds inelegant, because that means the gas is being forced out of the impeller cavity area.
> Cheers,





			
				GillesF said:
			
		

> I only hear a few burbs in 8 hours. I don't mind the filter burping out the CO2, it fills the tank with tiny CO2 bubbles which the plants like.


Hi Guys,
when this issue occurs, does this random ejection of c02 class as fluctuating levels for the plants, or is it so minimally different that it doesnt matter?
Cheers,
Ady.


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## ceg4048 (9 May 2012)

No, it does not matter.

Cheers,


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