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

[Bhu]

yes I cant get a bigger eheim in my cupboard! 🙁 else I would have gone for the 350T

But what do you think of the idea of both feeds going into one?

The only way to control the eheim 1200 Universal will be with a ball tap/ valve.

 

[Zak Rafik]

Its so difficult. The 600 is very small piping 13mm and 11mm the 1200 is 17mm and 13mm !!! What to do!??

Im thinking that I could run one of these two pumps through the sera 1000 to this ...

http://www.aquatix-2u.co.uk/product...nnector.html?gclid=CM2-lLis5sECFSrjwgod_KIAjQ

then one end from my eheim 2171 then the final output from both pumps to the spray bar. Would this work?

Any opinions on this whether it would work or not much appreciated...

Cheers

Bhu

If I were you, I would just keep things simple. I would just have the pump and canister separated and not share the pipe. But then this is my own opinion. Maybe some expert members can shed more light on this issue.

I know it can be frustrating when choosing the right equipment for the tank but remember to keep calm, give yourself some time. I'm sure everything will work out fine for you.
Enjoy each and every process in this hobby. After all you're into this hobby to enjoy fish keeping and not to get more stressed.
Cheers

 

[Bhu]

I would just have the pump and canister separated and not share the pipe

The only problem with this is that I then need to have 2 spray bars and its a cramp tight fit already. I only have the left and right rear corners to go into the tank and that's just a triangle of space. Hard to explain its the design and making. Its an aquaoak cube. the tanks are made by sealife or something like that (not the best made tanks either) There are huge trim bracing all around the tank with just the 2 small triangles at the back to fit pipes in and out. I could just squeeze 2 spray bars in if I tried but also this will not look so good at the back as one spray bar...

 

[Zak Rafik]

I took this photo this morning. As you can see there is new growth during the past 7 days. There is hardly any leaves that are melting away. So I guess the reactor is doing it job.
Cheers

http://i1295.photobucket.com/albums/b631/Zak_Rafik/good-progress_zps44ddb8ea.jpg

 

[Bhu]

Looking good!

 

[Zak Rafik]

Looking good!

Hi
Any news from Sear about the reactor?

Here is small clip I made this afternoon. All the bubbles you see are from the plants only.
There is some strong movements among the plants as I have increased the powerhead to move the water since the algae attack.

 

[Bhu]

No nothing from Sera in Germany. Maybe they are looking for a translator 😉 thanks for the video it's great. Makes sense my tank look like a pond lol that's some flow! I do think I'm going to have to get the extra pump. My UP bust the other day and today co2Art shipped me an intense inline it is fantastic. So much better than the UP one. I'm thinking it must have leaked from day one as the intense lives up to its name. Very impressed. Saying that I still can't wait to get my sera 1000 which will arrive Monday to Wednesday.

 

[Zak Rafik]

Hi
My first inline diffuser was an Intense model. It got clogged within 1 month 10 days. As you will be using the new diffuser for the moment, you can take your time to choose the extra pump or the type of setup you prefer.

I did a small test on the reactor. I noticed that when I lowered the water pressure to the reactor, co2 gas started to buildup quickly at the top and only the bottom blade blade was whisking the gas while the top blade was hardly doing anything. The moment I increased the flow, both blades were working at optimal speed and co2 gas was dissolved quickly with no build up at the top of the reactor.

If you plan to get a pump, I would suggest that you get one with more pumping capability but one that comes with a adjustable function. You can even try with a valve control if the pump comes with only one speed.
Cheers

 

[foxfish]

Plenty of flow alright!

 

[Bhu]

Yes the intense is a temporary option. Did you know that you can soak the whole intense inline in bleach and clean it that way? It would mean either doing it in the night while your not dosing co2 and use a piece of tube in its place while its cleansing or have a second intense. That's sort of helpful on the sera, would be more helpful if you could give indications of the flow your talking about. lowered=??? l/h highered=??? l/h, was the lowered below 700 l/h? anyhow this is good to know. I can push about 950l/h through it with my canister but then my tank will suffer maybe with less flow. Its really annoying that I cant get a bigger eheim to fit my cabinet under the tank 🙁 must confess im liking the aquaoak cube less and less it really wasn't designed with use in mind lol looks good though ha ha ha

 

[Zak Rafik]

Hi
Because my reactor is connected to my spare Eheim 600, I simply moved the flow control lever to mid position (low flow) and high position (high flow). I can't measure the flow rate as the canister filter has got media inside it. So the the test I did was just an indicative one and not a precise test. At least this give us some idea on the importance of having a high flow for the reactor. Right?

 

[Bhu]

yes sure. I will look up the eheim 600 flow ratings and guess that half is half the flow maybe? I cant wait til I get my co2 stable and how its best for the plants. Just getting it to be lime green at lights on is a headache and that's coming on 4 hours before lights on! By the end of the day the fish are struggling I can tell and the drop checker is nearly yellow! so how to do it! Really hoping the sera1000 does it for me 🙂

 

[Bhu]

is your eheim, the classic, compact or professional?

 

[Zak Rafik]

Just getting it to be lime green at lights on is a headache and that's coming on 4 hours before lights on

Hi
When I used the inline diffuser, I had the Co2 on 2 before and after 2 ( that means total 4 hours later), the DC would be lime green. But now the Co2 is on 3 hours and after a total 5 hours, the DC is not lime green but light green. Anyway, the the reactor IS working for sure. Just yesterday I did some trimming and now after 28 hours, new shoots ( about 1 to 1 1/2 cm) are growing like crazy. The fish are fine also. Wish I had used a reactor much earlier.

is your eheim, the classic, compact or professional

Mine is a Eheim 600 Pro ( the one connected to the reactor). Fantastic filter but sadly not enough flow was created for my densely planted 4 feet 120cm / 255 Lt tank.

Any news from Sera yet?

Cheers

 

[Bhu]

No still no news from Sera! Really disappointing hey...my thanks for the info. Is your DC light green on lights on? I hear you need it to be perfect for lights on as that's the crucial and critical time for the plants. Well my reactor may arrive today I hope so, but saying that I'm really happy with the intense inline, much better than the UP one! Will let you know if I hear from Sera and how it goes with the reactor. I have decided to use the 250T for now and see how I get on. I think I do need more flow so just need to find the right pump.

 

[Bhu]

Well well well look what arrived today! Out with the old and in with the new!



The intense is sat there in the front so shows you the size of this thing! Installation was easy as another user posted and in the manual I'm using a one way valve from the sera unit to prevent any damage to its co2 inlet tube. Was worried to begin with as it would only half fill with water until I read turn it upside down der!!!!! So all working well. My only concern now is how many BPS as I don't want to kill my fish. Will be up at em crack of dawn I think to be watching this as the co2 comes on at 6 am. it's just a little less BPS than the intense as I figured I'd get a better dissolve rate. Still no email back from sera! Will let you know how it goes...

On another note I'm definately going to need another pump! It's very visible the drop in flow so unless there is an amazing way to join 2 pumps to one spray bar looks like I'll end up with 2 spray bars one above the other...

 

[Wisey]

I'll be interested to hear how noisy it is as I am setting up my aquarium in the bedroom and I want to minimise the noise from the cabinet. My filter has the heater built in and has an "official" rate of 1850lph for my 120 litre aquarium, so hopefully it would be powerful enough to run through a reactor and still give me decent flow.

 

[Bhu]

Hey Zak Rafik, how far up the co2 tubing does the water travel for you when your co2 shuts off? Im not worried as I have a one way valve in place even before my bubble counter and my BC has a one way valve too. Was just curious how far it will go...

 

[Bhu]

I'll be interested to hear how noisy it is as I am setting up my aquarium in the bedroom and I want to minimise the noise from the cabinet. My filter has the heater built in and has an "official" rate of 1850lph for my 120 litre aquarium, so hopefully it would be powerful enough to run through a reactor and still give me decent flow.

With cabinet door closed its silent. With the door open you can hear the needle paddles rushing round with the flow of water but nothing loud. Wow! What filter you got? That's a good flow through rate for the 120. Saying that Ive noticed a serious drop in flow since Ive added it so I will be getting me an Eheim universal 1200 🙂 and absolute zero 7UP effect all you see is plants pearling 😉

 

[Bhu]

Just double checked mine and it's definitely totally silent with the cupboard door closed. With it open there is a slight ticking sound from the needle wheel spinning. Very happy so far!