Changed to a Sera Co2 Reactor 1000. Gave up on inline diffuser for my planted tank.

[Carl Whitbread]

Hi Bhu,
I have done an update for you

 

[Bhu]

Tnx 🙂

 

[kirk]

Did I just read a sentence with the words plastic plants in it.? That's when you will need algae......



To cover the hideous things.

 

[Crossocheilus]

JBL Cristalprofi e1501 greenline which has a reported 1400 lph. Some may say its over kill and it will support upto 600 l tank and my tank is only 180l

I use 2 of the same filter on the same tank, its not overkill by any means. What you use is actually less than the recommended 10x turnover, but that doesn't mean it can't work for you.

 

[Zak Rafik]

Hi Zak

I've had the (7)UP diffusor on for 2 weeks now. Much less co2 on my bubble count and plants doing great. Zero melt on the crypts so far so I'm thinking the water conditions are more stable. Only draw back 7 UP effect.

I still have a lot of BBA and hope it will recede. I put some plants into a low tech set up with zero co2 added and the BBA has disappeared on it 🙂 so it can go away! Here's hoping!

How's your set up?

Hi Bhu,
Nice to hear you've good progress. I hope you'll succeed very soon. As for BBA, give them some time and I'm sure they'll be gone.

As for my tank, long story short, I WAS struggling to get enough Co2 into my tank. No matter how much I pumped in, that darn DC refused to budge.
You can take a look in this post : Can an external canister filter be run with a separate pump? 🙂

Notice I said WAS and not IS. I have completely switched over to a new system which I think is giving me some positive results. I'll post the details after I see some further concrete outcome. I don't want to confuse the readers here any further.
As for the Sera reactor, I don't think I'll use it again. It's too much of a hassle.😡

I was on the verge of giving up on this hobby but luckily I managed to trouble shoot after some serious one to one chat ( 2 hours long) with my LFS friends here. God bless them.

I'll post some photos here of my tank in a few weeks time and also of the new setup.
Cheers.🙂

 

[Zak Rafik]

Hi, Carl,

I did not want any more 7up

Don't get too hung up on this 7UP thing. If we want healthy plants and fish, we must give up something.😉

I had finished with it all and thought plastic plants and air bubbles here I come.

At least you thought plastic plants. I thought of selling off my tank and all and have nothing to do with it for ever. I was that frustrated with the problems in my tank. As you can read from the above post. I'm seeing the light at the end of tunnel finally.🙂

Well I would like to report that my tank is doing really very well.

Fantastic. I'm glad for you.

The one thing to remember is not to get too involved with light. I have learnt that part of the success with co2 is good circulation and balanced co2 e.g. bps set at a rate and notconstantly changed by the user

You nailed it.
Might I also add : "one should not get too involved with DC colour change". Now I look at plant's reaction, fish reaction and lastly DC colour reaction to any Co2 changes I make.
I guess no matter how much we read or how much advice we're given, nothing beats some good old experience, (am I sounding like your grandparents )

My tip of the day - Don't make things overly complicated

My word, You sound like a ZEN master! 😉

Post some photos of your tank. I'm interested to see them.
Cheers.

 

[oviparous]

Hello,

For all the people who's reactor broke off, like me.
Just send a email to Sera with a picture of the broken bit and a proof of purchase (receipt or bank transfer).
If the reactor is not older than 2 years, they will send you a replacement (just the top) for free.
I received mine a few days after i send the email.

 

[Zak Rafik]

Hello,
For all the people who's reactor broke off, like me.
Just send a email to Sera with a picture of the broken bit and a proof of purchase (receipt or bank transfer).
If the reactor is not older than 2 years, they will send you a replacement (just the top) for free.
I received mine a few days after i send the email.

Hi, Thanks for the great tip.
Is it through the Sera main website? : http://www.sera.de/en/sera-service/company/contact.html
I wonder if this service is available for Asian countries?

Any photos of your reactor in action?🙂

Cheers.

 

[Bhu]

As for the Sera reactor, I don't think I'll use it again. It's too much of a hassle.

+1 on that! Was lovely to see the tank free of fine co2 bubbles but the sera is a pita. Needed cleaning to often, a separate pump and took way too much co2 (pps) for some reason.

 

[oviparous]

Hi, Thanks for the great tip.
Is it through the Sera main website? : http://www.sera.de/en/sera-service/company/contact.html
I wonder if this service is available for Asian countries?

Any photos of your reactor in action?🙂

Cheers.

Yep, did it through the website.
Don't have a clue about Asian countries..

I actually don't use the reactor any more.
When the reactor broke, and had to wait for the replacement, i put the CO2 tube in the filter inlet. And more than six months later, it's still there. I did have to up the bps about 1/3 to get the same pH drop.
When i switched from an Eheim prof 2226 to Eheim prof3 250, the influence of the reactor was much greater, although both have the same output. So when the reactor broke i had my flow back, and the CO2 was dissolving. What more can i ask! 🙂
It's a very efficient reactor, but the build quality could be better.

 

[Zak Rafik]

+1 on that! Was lovely to see the tank free of fine co2 bubbles but the sera is a pita. Needed cleaning to often, a separate pump and took way too much co2 (pps) for some reason.

Hi Bhu,🙂
Even though I won't be using the reactor, I'm very curious even now, to know what was that missing link that made the it fail in my tank. I notice reactors are not simple to start up. Allot of factors are interconnected to it.
Meaning:
correct number of BPS for Co2.
reduced flow due to the narrow tubes in the reactor.
the correct flow rate from the filter or pump to push the water not too fast nor too slow if not you'll have gas build-up inside the reactor.
start up time for Co2 into reactor before lights on.
etc.......

Yet I have seen some tanks, some planted tank as large as 5 feet running on a single reactor smaller than Sear 1000 and on 4BPS.😵 I guess these people have the Midas touch😉
BUT I also have observed these guys have a few years of experience in running some sort of fish tank. So who knows, maybe......just maybe, you and I may have some success in the future.😎
How is the BBA situation?

Cheers

 

[Zak Rafik]

Hi oviparous

When the reactor broke, and had to wait for the replacement, i put the CO2 tube in the filter inlet. And more than six months later, it's still there.

Yeah, I did once try to have the Co2 in the inlet hose but that lead to gas build up inside my chiller's coil. There was also the occasional burping of gas through the spray bars.
As my tank is a 4 feet heavily planted, the gas quantity needed for the plants was too much to handle. I think it would work fine for smaller tanks or moderately planted tanks....maybe?

It's a very efficient reactor, but the build quality could be better.

BTW have you noticed that Sear brand reactor and ISTA brand reactors look like long lost twins?😉
The Co2 nozzel and even the reactor's holder look very identical. So who is manufacturing for who?😕
http://i1295.photobucket.com/albums/b631/Zak_Rafik/Sear-n-ISTA-Co2-reactor_zpswwngwnnw.jpg

 

[Zak Rafik]

Came across this diffuser on the web.
Looks kind of interesting.

http://i1295.photobucket.com/albums/b631/Zak_Rafik/in tank Co2 diffuser_zpsq9peeb9z.jpg
http://i1295.photobucket.com/albums/b631/Zak_Rafik/in tank Co2 diffuser ista brand_zps9wispcw5.jpg
photo credit: Goole images

 

[Carl Whitbread]

I thought of selling off my tank and all and have nothing to do with it for ever. I was that frustrated with the problems in my tank. As you can read from the above post. I'm seeing the light at the end of tunnel finally.🙂


Hey Zak,
Please, please, please do not consider giving up this hobby. I would happily give you 2 hours of my time and more to talk to you any day.

Also as a quick update to all my followers out there.. (lol) my BBA has returned with avengance. I realise it must be the high phosphates in my tap water plus the additional phosphates that I am adding in my dry salts mix when I does using EI

Watch this space some photos will be coming soon.... I promise. Oh yeah, I also love my sera it has been trouble free ... for now.. lol Bu i wonder if that will change once I started the cleaning regime

 

[Carl Whitbread]

I use 2 of the same filter on the same tank, its not overkill by any means. What you use is actually less than the recommended 10x turnover, but that doesn't mean it can't work for you.

You use 2 of them!!!!!! Blimey, I have to almost turn mine off to feed the fish otherwise they don't get any food. How do you manage with 2?

Also what is your setup for 2? Do you have a filter with no media and a full spray bar for CO2 & Lilly pipes for your filter with media??

Do you have any photos that you can post to show your setup?

 

[Carl Whitbread]

Came across this diffuser on the web.
Looks kind of interesting.

http://i1295.photobucket.com/albums/b631/Zak_Rafik/in tank Co2 diffuser_zpsq9peeb9z.jpg
http://i1295.photobucket.com/albums/b631/Zak_Rafik/in tank Co2 diffuser ista brand_zps9wispcw5.jpg
photo credit: Goole images

Buy another Sera instead

 

[Carl Whitbread]

+1 on that! Was lovely to see the tank free of fine co2 bubbles but the sera is a pita. Needed cleaning to often, a separate pump and took way too much co2 (pps) for some reason.

hi Bhu
Are you still using your Sera or have you also removed it & replaced it with the inline?

 

[Carl Whitbread]

Yet I have seen some tanks, some planted tank as large as 5 feet running on a single reactor smaller than Sear 1000 and on 4BPS.😵 I guess these people have the Midas touch😉
BUT I also have observed these guys have a few years of experience in running some sort of fish tank. So who knows, maybe......just maybe, you and I may have some success in the future

Thanks for the nice compliment about my tank

 

[Carl Whitbread]

Did I just read a sentence with the words plastic plants in it.? That's when you will need algae......



To cover the hideous things.

It was a little tongue in cheek humour. I just nearly got to breaking point and thought take out the live plants and co2 and put in good old plastic plants and an airstone - job done. But hey defeatism is not on my list of options so I recinded and even now can't believe that I even thought about it 😉

 

[Carl Whitbread]

Have you ever made one of those posts that you then later regret ever making such a cocky post - well it has happened to me. About 4 days ago I had a slight indication of the start of BBA and then all of a sudden my tank is consumed.