# CO2 diffuser with the smallest bubbles



## daniel19831123 (24 Dec 2009)

Just wondering out of all the available CO2 diffuser out there, which one have you guys tried that produced the tiniest bubbles? I've used inline diffuser, ceramic diffuser and wooden diffuser but I find that the cheapest and the most efficient one being a small internal pump with a piece of sponge stuck to the outlet. The mist of CO2 produced is so fine that dissolving rate is nearly 100%. (Imagine those tiny bubbles that leak out from the side of ceramic diffuser, these bubbles are even smaller than those). 

Will take a picture if anyone is interesting in trying this out.

There are people in the states using wooden chopstick stuck into the end of airline tubing to create a wooden airstone and apparently those one created a very fine mist of CO2 too. However, the wooden chopstick needs to be replace every few weeks as it tends to get mouldy after a while.


----------



## Garuf (24 Dec 2009)

Finest I've ever seen is from a needle wheel meant for a reef skimmer, it produced a mist so fine the whole tank went entirely white like milk with bubbles in a matter of seconds.


----------



## daniel19831123 (24 Dec 2009)

These bubbles are just as fine as those skimmer bubbles! I can't seemed to find any other way to described these bubbles. you just reminded me about that. the good thing about this is that you can increased or decreased the Co2 rate to control the diffusion. The skimmer is normally driven by quite high power air pump and most of the bubbles ended up flowing to the surface.


----------



## Themuleous (25 Dec 2009)

I think whatever method you use it'll get less effective over a few weeks.  The ceramic diffusers start very fine but I find they loose this after a day or so.  I do find my buyo inline diffuser is very good, even after 6 moths of not cleaning it, the bubbles are still very small.

Sam


----------



## jarthel (25 Dec 2009)

daniel19831123 said:
			
		

> Will take a picture if anyone is interesting in trying this out.



photo would be good


----------



## daniel19831123 (25 Dec 2009)

Well I need a diffuser for my CRS tank and I really don't want to be using bleach in any of the equipment knowing how sensitive these shrimps are. Went online and found a few ideas, spend a few hours executing it and got it there in the end. The best thing of all the bubbles doesn't really change size unless your pump is really block.

It's a 400L/hour Juwel pump that was given to me. Stuck a sponge in the inlet to prevent shrimplets from getting minced, Then I decided to make a hole in a strip of the sponge and stuck it to the outflow to see if the bubbles and get any smaller once it's gone through the propeller. To secure the CO2 tubing, I just used a sharp scissor and pressed it against the plastic away from the propeller and grind my way through to get a hole big enough to accomodate the tube. The tube should fit snuggly into the hole and remained secure.

As you can see there is no need for me to wash this unit with potential harmful product. And the bubbles produced are super fine. Just as a size reference, the pore size on the sponge is medium.









The diffuser is not meant to be elegant in the first place as it's made up with bits and bobs from left over but I would have assumed that it could be easily hidden away in bigger tanks so that you don't even see the pump unit or the bubbles.


----------



## Charlieh (26 Dec 2009)

A mazzei !


----------



## daniel19831123 (26 Dec 2009)

Amazzei? What's that?


----------



## jarthel (26 Dec 2009)

all I see are red rectangles?


----------



## daniel19831123 (28 Dec 2009)

I think the website hosting the image was malfunction. I've changed the picture and it should be up again.


----------



## Garuf (28 Dec 2009)

Not a clue here either, try photoshack?


----------

