# calling experienced injectors



## plantnoob (28 Feb 2013)

having bought an in tank atomiser i have now come to decide i would rather have a system that doesnt fill my tank with loads of bubbles ( well as few as possible anyway) , great isnt it hindsight  . so i am now thinking about either the up inline atomiser or the co2 supermarket mixer reactor diffuser . filter is eheim 2213 so 12/16mm tubing .   could somebody with experience of either or both please highlight the pros and cons of each so i can make a better informed decision ?


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## foxfish (28 Feb 2013)

To avoid confusion - could you link to the devices you want to have opinions on because I think what you want is a reactor, not an atomiser?


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## plantnoob (28 Feb 2013)

no problem .
mixer reaactor diffuser
CO2 Systems For Your Aquarium - CO2 Supermarket  
would use the above on external filter
up atomiser
http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/up-co2-inline-diffuser-12mm-p-5431.html


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## jacaranda (28 Feb 2013)

The UP inline atomizer fills my tank with bubbles, very tiny bubbles though.


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## russw (28 Feb 2013)

Hi plantnoob
I'm new to Co2 but i have one of these TMC TROPIC MARIN AQUAGRO PLASTIC CO2 POWER DIFFUSER 500,1000,1500 FISH PLANTS | eBay (Similar to the mixer reactor you mention). I.M.O it has pros and cons. Cons: Its a bit noisy when the gas is getting injected (splashing noise), its a bit bulky; mines in the tank (especially in a tank that is small, such as mine) however I believe the pros are it will be efficient, it doesn't need much pressure to operate and very few bubbles seem to escape from it.

Hope that helps

Russ


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## plantnoob (28 Feb 2013)

hmmm , i really would like to keep my water as clear as possible . although not at the cost of plant health . god this co2 malarky is proving to be quite the minefield for the uninitiated !

thanks for the link russ . i did look at those aquagro ones , but the co2 supermarket 1 looks a bit less bulky


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## Tim Harrison (28 Feb 2013)

There are several threads that deal with this subject. The Up atomizer is perhaps the best option, and if you place it inline with the filter inlet CO2 diffusion will be optimized with no bubbles. There may however be the occasional hiccup from your filter as a result of slight gas build up, but nothing to worry about.


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## plantnoob (28 Feb 2013)

i did find several threads concerning the up atomiser but none on the other one .  ideally i was hoping that somebody had tried both and could offer comparisons


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## foxfish (28 Feb 2013)

Right - hold on lets get this straight... an atomiser is a devise that splits the Co2 bubbles coming from your regulator into millions of microbubbles - in other words it anatomise the co2 bubbles!
A reactor with dissolve the bubbles into the water but offering a suitable vessel & method to do so...
So the pros & cons are ... atomisers are compact & very effective but require high pressure to work & fill the tank with (very effective) micro bubbles or 'mist'.
Reactors are much larger & in fact the larger the better, but they will normally slow down the filter flow, take up room & cost much more that an atomiser.
Yes you can just feed the Co2 into a power filter but you wont really know what is happening or how long (efficient) it takes to dissolve the gas or if there is a build up inside the filter...
DIY reactors are very simple in design ie a 90cm length of 50cm pipe .... or look at my signature link..


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## plantnoob (28 Feb 2013)

1 thing about the atomisers im getting hung up on is how visible this "mist" is


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## Alastair (28 Feb 2013)

plantnoob said:


> 1 thing about the atomisers im getting hung up on is how visible this "mist" is



Its quite visible close up but from a few feet away you cant see it.


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## anttthony (28 Feb 2013)

Ive had ago with both and found the reactor much easier and efficient. But everyone of the up atomisers seems to work different think I got a dodgy one but wasent going to spend another 30 quid to find out. other people swear by them guess thats Chinese mass production for you

ant


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## plantnoob (28 Feb 2013)

Alastair said:


> Its quite visible close up but from a few feet away you cant see it.


i sit about 3 or 4 feet away from where my tank is situated so should look pretty clear then


anttthony said:


> Ive had ago with both and found the reactor much easier and efficient. But everyone of the up atomisers seems to work different think I got a dodgy one but wasent going to spend another 30 quid to find out. other people swear by them guess thats Chinese mass production for you
> 
> ant


read that quite a bit myself . its so difficult to know which choices to make .


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## anttthony (28 Feb 2013)

> read that quite a bit myself . its so difficult to know which choices to make .



Yer its hard especially with the money they cost think its just suck it and see and expect to spend a few bob in the process, its worth it when you nail it though. 


ant


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## plantnoob (28 Feb 2013)

its becoming very clear to me that i need to spend some time experementing with this side of things . i knew when i decided to go planted that it would be more challenging than previous setups . really wasnt prepared for just how involved it is though . by the time i get this dam thing set up it will have cost me too much money and too many late nights square eyed on the internet


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## LondonDragon (28 Feb 2013)

I have tried so many methods that it's tiring lol in the end I went back to the up atomizer which I have been running on the Rio since rescaping the tank. I am considering trying the AM1000 that I have lying around once again.

What we need is some one with good DIY skills to build us nice reactors that are at least 60cm long cause the AM1000 is too short to be effective.


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## plantnoob (28 Feb 2013)

i did manage to find some videos on youtube showing the mist from the up atomiser . it looks very acceptable indeed . although they were all using lilly pipes and i will be using a spraybar .


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## anttthony (28 Feb 2013)

I find myself always looking for better! I was tempted by the one with the impeller before. When my am 1000 is working perfectly. it is abit stumpy though iam using a shower puff in it at the moment and it does seem better.

ant


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## LondonDragon (28 Feb 2013)

plantnoob said:


> they were all using lilly pipes and i will be using a spraybar .


No issues using it with a spray bar, fine bubbles still all over.


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## LondonDragon (28 Feb 2013)

anttthony said:


> it is abit stumpy though iam using a shower puff in it at the moment and it does seem better


Found it build up a lot of co2 at the top of the reactor, did not try the shower puff, tried with and without the bio balls.


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## plantnoob (28 Feb 2013)

LondonDragon said:


> No issues using it with a spray bar, fine bubbles still all over.


seems like it could be a winner . would the setup go something like this

co2 bottle > bubble counter > check valve > atomiser > filter outlet pipe ?


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## anttthony (28 Feb 2013)

Never had that problem I was getting a mist in the tank tried everything apart from all the balls. Had a go with about 5 but they don't half rattle! 

ant


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