# Inline diffusor on fluval 206



## CaptainC (6 Sep 2016)

Help needed if possible guys.
I have been struggling to get good co2 levels, as in consistent levels with a glass ceramic diffusor.
I've got a solenoid to bring it on stream and then the led lights after but seem to get large co2 bubbles they just don't diffuse and sit atop the water where they burst.
I'm thinking of an inline diffusor but have the fluval 206 canister with the fluval ribbed hosing and the aquastop.
Anyone know if there's a way, an easy ish way of adding the inline to the hosing or is new hosing required?


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## AverageWhiteBloke (6 Sep 2016)

This maybe?


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## HiNtZ (6 Sep 2016)

We need a bit more info really.

Tank size?
Diffuser size?
BPS?
Surface movement?
Pipe sizes (internal)?

I've got a 25L here running off a yeast reactor 1/2 bps with a roll your own cigarette filter in. The bubbles aren't fine fine, they also just go straight to the top and pop - yet my drop checker is green and plants doing well.

Let us know what your setup is and we'll get to the bottom of it. There are more options than inline.


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## CaptainC (6 Sep 2016)

It's a Fluval Fresh 60_ 85 litres.
Current diffusor is a bazooka which is making a bit of a difference compared to standard glass Taifun type previously used.
Surface movement is gentle as twin outlets from 206 pointed ever so slightly up enough to just agitate surface without real ripple/splash.
BPS is 30 per minute at moment.
Drop checker, using JBL bauble type is happy green right now and the bazooka seems to be doing a better job of keeping the fine mist of CO2 in suspension rather than bubbling large bubbles up to the surface.
I'm using an Eheim compact 300 pump rated at 300 l/h about 3 inches under the surface to both push the co2 around and nutrients for plants as the flow from the fluval 206 twin nozzles leaves dead spot in that corner.
If the bazooka continues as it is,(post written prior to it arriving) I may not faff with inline.
Anyone rate the bazooka? Mist stay misty or does it trail off with time/algae carbonate build up?


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## CaptainC (6 Sep 2016)

AverageWhiteBloke said:


> This maybe?


 Yeah, seen this and seems OK, if a little faffy but doable. 
Just trying to stay away from having to butcher/botch pipework which according to this is 16/22?
Would other clear type 16/22 hose be easier to build up and so have two sets, one with inline to plug in and other fluval as backup? Answered my own question there I think.


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## HiNtZ (6 Sep 2016)

It quite clearly must be something to do with the glass diffuser if you are seeing a slight improvement with the bazooka already. I had two sizes of a similar type (atomic IIRC) - one size was for up to 150L tanks, the other up to 300L. The 150 just couldn't cut it on my 125 with overflow and sump so went with the 300 model and it was fine.

I eventually got rid of it as the layout of my tank wouldn't allow me to position it in a way that I liked visually, or physically have full impact. So I went for an eheim inline.

Now considering an in sump CO2 reactor to eliminate the 7UP look my tank has, save on CO2, and get maximum diffusion.

Pipes, joiners, reducers are available on that auction site for cheap.  From my pump to diffuser is 16mm ID, then half way up the ID drops to 12mm with a reducer. I prefer narrower, more powerful jets of water than larger slower ones hence the size reduction.

Your turnover on the tank seems low to me, 3.5 times an hour isn't a lot. Any reason why you went for a 300? They rarely pump what they say they will - my 1200lph which has to pump 1.5 meters of head delivers only 800 at the outlet but I'm still turning over 6 tanks of water an hour. Yours being a canister might be close to 300, but I'd bet it's not dead on still, especially when it starts collecting the muck from the tank.


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## CaptainC (6 Sep 2016)

HiNtZ said:


> It quite clearly must be something to do with the glass diffuser if you are seeing a slight improvement with the bazooka already. I had two sizes of a similar type (atomic IIRC) - one size was for up to 150L tanks, the other up to 300L. The 150 just couldn't cut it on my 125 with overflow and sump so went with the 300 model and it was fine.
> 
> I eventually got rid of it as the layout of my tank wouldn't allow me to position it in a way that I liked visually, or physically have full impact. So I went for an eheim inline.
> 
> ...



Ah sorry, I seem to have not made myself clear. The 206 supposedly chucks out something quoted as 6_700 lph and the Eheim compact is literally just there to provide flow up against the bazooka to disperse CO2 and move nutrients around water column so the 206 is filtering but flow movement through water not great so Eheim there to assist movement. 

Two days with bazooka really seems to have allowed consistent reading of co2, mist doesn't go straight to surface and dissipate so at this time am leaving it be and no inline planned as yet, but you never know, less clutter in the tank is always a good thing.


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## AverageWhiteBloke (6 Sep 2016)

I have just started the inline diffuser and so far I'm impressed by it. There's differing opinions on what's the best way to get co2 in the tank. Some people 100% dissolve co2 in reactors and such so no wasted gas and no ugly looking mist, others go with the mist because it clings to plant leaves and makes it readily available to the plants. My experience so far with the different methods are....

Reactors truly do dissolve all the co2 but can reduce flow and a bit of a faff at pipe cleaning time. Normal glass diffusers use the misting method but as you are experiencing the bubbles aren't exactly misty, spend a short time interfacing with the water column and are out your tank very soon after putting it in (I've only used cheap ones, more expensive ones may yield better results, all Amanos tanks can't be wrong ) Then you have the bazookas, finer mist which lingers about in the tank for longer generally floating about and dissolving. I haven't used these in a while and to be fair they probably have moved on in quality in the mean time but mine would get a hole in them after about 3/4months use. Good for ease of maintenance though, whip them out and clean in bleach without the hassle of stripping down pipework. Inline diffusers are on a par if not slightly better as the Bazookas, may cause slight reduction in flow but the mist (if placed just after the filter) needs to travel through your pipe work before entering the tank so has already done a fair bit of dissolving before it enters and by then the bubbles have shrunk more making it even more of a mistier IMO 

I suppose a lot comes down to whether you like to see equipment in the tank and how much hassle you want at cleaning time. Me personally, I think the glass diffusers albeit not as effective look good in the tank and are quite hypnotic to watch. Regarding your filter, I think you did answer your own question  I wouldn't be carving up my pipes. If you fancy a go with the inline diffusers a couple of metres of hose will be a couple of quid and the diffuser £20 ish so |I would keep my original pipes in tact so I have the choice of either or.


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## HiNtZ (6 Sep 2016)

CaptainC said:


> Ah sorry, I seem to have not made myself clear. The 206 supposedly chucks out something quoted as 6_700 lph and the Eheim compact is literally just there to provide flow up against the bazooka to disperse CO2 and move nutrients around water column so the 206 is filtering but flow movement through water not great so Eheim there to assist movement.
> 
> Two days with bazooka really seems to have allowed consistent reading of co2, mist doesn't go straight to surface and dissipate so at this time am leaving it be and no inline planned as yet, but you never know, less clutter in the tank is always a good thing.



Oh right, I appologise. Best to cover all bases just in case. That's more than enough then.

Yeah the mist  has very little buoyancy so gets dragged all over, I'll show you mine tomorrow - little video. It's like a snowglobe!

I'm sure someone told me once that oxygen is 10,000 (or some stupidly high number anyway) times easier to get into water than CO2.... it's all a battle to minimise the escape of it to be more efficient. I've covered my sump now, and the overflow in the top tank has a durso with an air feed to break the vacuum, straight back to the atmosphere of the sump! If any CO2 leaves the water as it falls over the baffles in the sump, it has no option but to go up through the air line to the durso pipe, sending it down the overflow back to the sump reimpregnating it into the dirty tank water to be passed through and up again.

Some people say the loses of CO2 from an uncovered sump is negligible - 9 bps covered vs uncountable bps uncovered is all the proof I need. Even though I get my 5KG CO2 for £12 a bottle, it's the difference between 4 months and 8 months without changing a bottle (which is how long 5kg lasts me on a 125L )

Definitely check reactors out like Averagewhitebloke said. And also, I'll try and find it - there's a video on youtube talking about co2 bubbles and if there are any benefits of them touching the leaf of the plants as it goes past (as opposed to the dissolved CO2 in the water). It kind of makes sense as the gas being right near the leaf effectively is as close to the plant to being on land in a gas atmosphere as possible, which as we know is a hell of a lot easier to grow terrestrial compared to submerged because of the uptake of CO2 being easier on land by plants.

I'll see if I can dig it out.


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## HiNtZ (6 Sep 2016)

Go to 4:10 he starts to talk about it there.


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## CaptainC (6 Sep 2016)

HiNtZ said:


> Go to 4:10 he starts to talk about it there.




Nice one, thanks for the link, I'll check it out and try and pick up the bits I need.
You seem to have the right set up to ensure minimised loss of CO2 there.
I'll take a look at the reactors also, am open to whatever seems to be best fit solution for my set up/budget/experience level, only started the hobby January this year and quickly went the planted route. Learned some harsh lessons I'll tell ya.
Appreciate the info, all helps greatly.


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## HiNtZ (7 Sep 2016)

CaptainC said:


> Nice one, thanks for the link, I'll check it out and try and pick up the bits I need.
> You seem to have the right set up to ensure minimised loss of CO2 there.
> I'll take a look at the reactors also, am open to whatever seems to be best fit solution for my set up/budget/experience level, only started the hobby January this year and quickly went the planted route. Learned some harsh lessons I'll tell ya.
> Appreciate the info, all helps greatly.




Good luck, you'll be fine - everyone has different requirements, just got to find what's good for you.

I've been doing it a few years, started with high tech off the bat and quickly learned my lessons. Not the ideal way of starting, but I'm impatient and I got there in the end! 

.....still learning though of course.


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