# Flow amd co2 reactors



## john arnold (10 Nov 2018)

Hello

Have 240l fluval roma tank with fluval306 filter i want to use an aquamedic 1000 fir co2 as my inline gives too many bubbles, is my filter too weak for the setup i want .? Or does anyone think i need to upgrade filter?


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## Oldguy (10 Nov 2018)

john arnold said:


> is my filter too weak for the setup


Try and measure the actual output from your Fluval 306. Two people, a watch and a BIG bucket. One keeps time, the other keeps an eye on volume and can turn the unit off. From your results you can check with the flow requirements of the reactor. In most cases canisters are too slow, they are designed to filter and not to move water. Pumps move water but do not filter. Wishing you dry floors.


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## Zeus. (10 Nov 2018)

Well your fluval 306 has an output of 1250LPH and the stated flow rate of the aquamedic is 1000-2000 LPH so you should be OK but like most things there is only one why to find out! 
Do you plan on using an inline atomiser with it ?


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## john arnold (10 Nov 2018)

Oldguy said:


> Try and measure the actual output from your Fluval 306. Two people, a watch and a BIG bucket. One keeps time, the other keeps an eye on volume and can turn the unit off. From your results you can check with the flow requirements of the reactor. In most cases canisters are too slow, they are designed to filter and not to move water. Pumps move water but do not filter. Wishing you dry floors.



Yeah maybe i could just use an external pump, thats a good idea thankd


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## john arnold (10 Nov 2018)

Zeus. said:


> Well your fluval 306 has an output of 1250LPH and the stated flow rate of the aquamedic is 1000-2000 LPH so you should be OK but like most things there is only one why to find out!
> Do you plan on using an inline atomiser with it ?


That seems like over kill I thought the reactor would do away with the atomiser...


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## Andrew Butler (10 Nov 2018)

Oldguy said:


> they are designed to filter and not to move water


If you put too much resistance on your filter it will damage it over time, this is from first hand experience. 


Oldguy said:


> Pumps move water but do not filter


100% agree


john arnold said:


> 240l fluval roma tank with fluval306 filter


You have a 240L tank with a filter that has an advertised flow rate of 1150 LPH which gives you a little under 5x turnover per hour assuming your filter is giving you that as an actual flow rate.
Normally it's suggested people aim for 10x tank turnover per hour in a planted tank.
If you were to put an inline reactor then you would probably find this further impedes flow.


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## Zeus. (10 Nov 2018)

john arnold said:


> That seems like over kill I thought the reactor would do away with the atomiser...



Yes and NO - smaller bubbles lead to larger surface area so faster uptake of CO2 I have reactors and inline atomisers


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## john arnold (10 Nov 2018)

Zeus. said:


> Yes and NO - smaller bubbles lead to larger surface area so faster uptake of CO2 I have reactors and inline atomisers


Oh ok, i guess i could just get a cheapish pump just tonrun the co2 aye, does anyone do it that way?


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## Zeus. (10 Nov 2018)

john arnold said:


> Oh ok, i guess i could just get a cheapish pump just tonrun the co2 aye, does anyone do it that way?



Have you looked at the APS EF2 ? 

Been doing some testing on them (in middle of lastest test ATM)  *CO2 APS EF2 reactor with internal Venturi fitted - testing ATM**. *Cheaper than aquamedic* *


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## Oldguy (10 Nov 2018)

john arnold said:


> does anyone do it that way?


Yes, I have a cheap power head/pump that I am coupling up to an inline diffuser, but both will be in the tank and will exit via home made spray bar. I know that I am losing diffusion time by having a short delivery system but I hope to maintain flow. The reason for in tank was there was a horror story posted on this forum about an inline diffuser splitting, guy came back to more water on the floor than in his tank. If I find that my DIY system works, then I will get a more expensive pump.  Bye the bye the pump will be fitted with a shrimp pre screen. I don't want little critters minced.


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## Andrew Butler (10 Nov 2018)

john arnold said:


> guess i could just get a cheapish pump just tonrun the co2


It's a win win for you, increase flow and add CO2 without hindering your filter. Just make sure the pump output isn't fighting your filter.
As @Oldguy says worth putting a screen on your intake at some point.


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## john arnold (10 Nov 2018)

Zeus. said:


> Have you looked at the APS EF2 ?
> 
> Been doing some testing on them (in middle of lastest test ATM)  *CO2 APS EF2 reactor with internal Venturi fitted - testing ATM**. *Cheaper than aquamedic* *


Ok ill look that up keep us posted please


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## john arnold (10 Nov 2018)

Oldguy said:


> Yes, I have a cheap power head/pump that I am coupling up to an inline diffuser, but both will be in the tank and will exit via home made spray bar. I know that I am losing diffusion time by having a short delivery system but I hope to maintain flow. The reason for in tank was there was a horror story posted on this forum about an inline diffuser splitting, guy came back to more water on the floor than in his tank. If I find that my DIY system works, then I will get a more expensive pump.  Bye the bye the pump will be fitted with a shrimp pre screen. I don't want little critters minced.



 That is a horror story but i want to kerp it out of the tank i hate all that equipment inside but good to know what to be a bit more carefull with equipment wise


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## john arnold (10 Nov 2018)

Andrew Butler said:


> If you put too much resistance on your filter it will damage it over time, this is from first hand experience.
> 
> 100% agree
> 
> ...



Yeah i think 10 times turnover is excessive, my fish would be blown around crazy, but i dont think my 306 filter would be good enough with the aquamedic, so mybe go with a seperate setup for the the co2


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## Andrew Butler (10 Nov 2018)

john arnold said:


> i think 10 times turnover is excessive


I think many people will disagree with you on here about that but it's your call. 
Just remember you're quite possibly not getting the flow rate your filter says anyway.


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## ian_m (10 Nov 2018)

john arnold said:


> Yeah i think 10 times turnover is excessive


I have 5600l/hr in my 180l tank, x30 rate and fish have no problem going where ever they like in the tank.


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## Daveslaney (10 Nov 2018)

The 10x filter turnover is from The manufacturers claimed output rates from the filters. These are usually with a empty filter and no head hight on the pump. In reality once you have media in the filter in your cabinet below the tank( pump head hight)a inline heater etc.
You are probably only getting 60% of the quoted flow rate I would think. So a 1000ltr hour filter will prob only give you 600ltr hour turnover.
So by using the 10x rule you should always have decent flow in your tank.


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## john arnold (11 Nov 2018)

Ok i see but in my 140l i have an oase 350 at 1100 lph and the cardinals find it a bit hard to swim in certain places, msybe im thinkin*of when i had a wavemaker in the 240l it was too much for the fish then so maybe i need filter upgrade before the reactor or get an external pump just for the co2 reactor


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## john arnold (11 Nov 2018)

Has anyone got any external pump recommendations, cheapish one that is as ive spent too much money lately


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## Andrew Butler (11 Nov 2018)

john arnold said:


> the cardinals find it a bit hard to swim in certain places


Maybe where the main filter flow is directed?
I have 2x Fluval G6 in my 200L. These have an actual flow of 1000 LPH (2460 LPH pump performance) each so I'm on just over 10x actual turnover. If fish get right in front of the filter output then they have a job swimming too.
A spraybar softens this 'intense'  jet of water and improves flow in a lot of cases.


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## john arnold (11 Nov 2018)

Andrew Butler said:


> Maybe where the main filter flow is directed?
> I have 2x Fluval G6 in my 200L. These have an actual flow of 1000 LPH (2460 LPH pump performance) each so I'm on just over 10x actual turnover. If fish get right in front of the filter output then they have a job swimming too.
> A spraybar softens this 'intense'  jet of water and improves flow in a lot of cases.



Wow thats some good filters, your all making me feel i need some more filtration, maybe i will use another filter and with that put the reactor on so if flow is restricted by reactor which it will, i will still have good fliw on other filter

Thanks all for the advice


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## david watson (11 Nov 2018)

i have the fluval 240l with a fx5 running through a sera co2 reactor and a 950lph wave maker you wont need to worry about having too much water flow.

i tried a diffuser and then an inline diffuser but was using heaps of co2 and the tank was full of micro bubbles, switched to the sera reactor and i had to turn the co2 way down.

now i have millions of bubbles in the tank but its all from pearling 

once you run the filter output through an external heater and then a co2 reactor it will cut the flow rate considerably.

hope this helps
dave


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## david watson (11 Nov 2018)

as a further note the 306 is just strong enough for my 60l tank (fluval f60) with inline heater and reactor.


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## john arnold (11 Nov 2018)

david watson said:


> as a further note the 306 is just strong enough for my 60l tank (fluval f60) with inline heater and reactor.



Now i feel so inadequate...haha..ok think i will get a secondary filter and run the reactir through that when i get through this crappy thing they call  christmas and im Going to rescape my 240 l at same time, put. The fish in my 100 l for a few days while it all settled down, thanks


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