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CO2 Reactor for small tank..which ones?

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MMonis

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Aalborg, Denmark
I am thinking of switching to an external CO2 reactor, as my existing NEO intank diffuser has started sending out larger bubbles even after the bleach cleaning method. This is also causing my external canister filter to burp often as the diffuser is close to the intake of the filter.
Also a lot of CO2 bubbles are escaping directly to the surface.

Now I just have a 15 gallon planted tank equipped with an Oase Biomaster 250 Thermo filter with output as a spray bar. Need some advice as to which external CO2 reactors would suffice for this aquarium size ?
I came across a few listed here:
Would it be an overkill if I switch to an external CO2 reactor instead of the intank diffuser and would you have any other suggestions than the list above ?

Regards,
Mel
 
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MMonis said:
I am thinking of switching to an external CO2 reactor, as my existing NEO intank diffuser has started sending out larger bubbles even after the bleach cleaning method. This is also causing my external canister filter to burp often as the diffuser is close to the intake of the filter.
Also a lot of CO2 bubbles are escaping directly to the surface.

Now I just have a 15 gallon planted tank equipped with an Oase Biomaster 250 Thermo filter with output as a spray bar. Need some advice as to which external CO2 reactors would suffice for this aquarium size ?
I came across a few listed here:
Would it be an overkill if I switch to an external CO2 reactor instead of the intank diffuser and would you have any other suggestions than the list above ?

Regards,
Mel
Click to expand...

All of them would likely do the job on a 60 litre tank as your injection rate will be much lower than the maximum they can handle.

They likely all have their issues - the first has been tested by several people on this forum in the thread you’ve probably already read. On the third there are plenty of reports on the web about, some say the plastic is very brittle and breaks, other complain of noise.

The second remains untested on here as far as I am aware, but given it’s diminutive size, and your likely injection rate, might well be perfect for your setup.
 
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Wookii said:
All of them would likely do the job on a 60 litre tank as your injection rate will be much lower than the maximum they can handle.

They likely all have their issues - the first has been tested by several people on this forum in the thread you’ve probably already read. On the third there are plenty of reports on the web about, some say the plastic is very brittle and breaks, other complain of noise.

The second remains untested on here as far as I am aware, but given it’s diminutive size, and your likely injection rate, might well be perfect for your setup.
Click to expand...
For the first one, can it be used out of the box or is it necessary to mod it in some way ? I read the thread which had this info but then was completely lost on what the final outcome was, considering my noob skills in this area 😀
 
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MMonis said:
For the first one, can it be used out of the box or is it necessary to mod it in some way ? I read the thread which had this info but then was completely lost on what the final outcome was, considering my noob skills in this area 😀
Click to expand...

Yeah, it can be used ‘as-is’ out of the box - that’s not to say it can’t be improved with a bit of tweaking, like most things, but that’s not essential.
 
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Hi! I actually have the JDAquatec reactor, Maxi version with 16mm pipes. I used it on my previous 120P tank with an Oase BioMaster 600. This reactor is quite compact (see picture) and very solid. I was able to get full CO2 dissolution if one keeps the flow at a medium/low rate. Note that I had the reactor on a filter bypass. According to the table of the manufacturer below I should have been running it at a flow rate of 300-400 l/h (never actually measured it). The reactor managed to achieve full dissolution even if I skipped the bypass altogether, but then burped a couple of CO2 bubbles every few minutes. If you have any questions about this reactor just ask. I used it for nearly 2 years with zero issues.

In case you decide for this model I would suggest you get the Midi version so that you connect it directly to the 16mm pipes of the Oase (the Mini version uses 12mm pipes). You may also need a bypass. In the past, this manufacturer was selling a version with integrated bypass. If it is not available anymore then you can build one easily.

IMG_2887.jpg1645041042163.png
 
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I'm currently testing the JD aquatec midi 16mm reactor with integrated bypass.

Started using it about 2 weeks ago. Mixed opinion so far. It's great not having any mist, but I was expecting to use less co2 due to reactors being more efficient, however I'm not finding this. My tank is 125l with biomaster 600.

To achieve the same pH drop I was achieving before with an in-line diffuser, I've actually had to keep the injection rate the same. I can always hear a trickling noise. It accumulates a lot of gas, I've fiddled endlessly with the bypass to tune it - open it wide and the gas escapes straight out the top of the chamber into the tank. I've found it best just to keep the bypass closed. I have to purge it daily by opening the bypass.

It's a compact unit, neat and well made. Perhaps I should have got the maxi? I'm currently waiting for the yidao reactor to arrive from AliExpress, we'll see how I fare with that....
 
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hypnogogia said:
That’s good to hear, as I’m considering investing in one. Just need to find a way to get hold of it in the UK, now that brexit has made these things more difficult.
Click to expand...

Sdogg said:
I'm currently testing the JD aquatec midi 16mm reactor with integrated bypass.

Started using it about 2 weeks ago. Mixed opinion so far. It's great not having any mist, but I was expecting to use less co2 due to reactors being more efficient, however I'm not finding this. My tank is 125l with biomaster 600.

To achieve the same pH drop I was achieving before with an in-line diffuser, I've actually had to keep the injection rate the same. I can always hear a trickling noise. It accumulates a lot of gas, I've fiddled endlessly with the bypass to tune it - open it wide and the gas escapes straight out the top of the chamber into the tank. I've found it best just to keep the bypass closed. I have to purge it daily by opening the bypass.
Click to expand...
Interesting. I don't have that issue, but I have the Maxi, also with a Biomaster 600. What I experienced when I skipped the bypass is that there were some large CO2 bubbles coming out of the reactor once in a while - meaning there was CO2 accumulation inside the reactor. But at lower flow rates, there was no CO2 accumulation and I could only hear the reactor at a very close distance. Ah! Note that I built the bypass myself and have a valve controlling the water flow into the reactor (the optional bypass that ships with this reactor has no valve on the reactor inlet but on the other water line). So, I was probably running the filter at a low flow rate, and therefore maximising the dissolution.
 
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MMonis said:
Maybe you should write to them directly as they also ship orders outside of amazon and ebay.
Click to expand...

Thanks, yeah I have, I got in touch with Jörg Düren directly through the website - he replied straight away. Shipping to the UK is 29.99 EURO. He said he had to cancel the Amazon.de order because the shipping is only set up for Germany at 14.99 EURO, so I will order directly from him instead.
 
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Wookii said:
Thanks, yeah I have, I got in touch with Jörg Düren directly through the website - he replied straight away. Shipping to the UK is 29.99 EURO. He said he had to cancel the Amazon.de order because the shipping is only set up for Germany at 14.99 EURO, so I will order directly from him instead.
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Shame it got cancelled, but great that he is so accommodating. So in total it will be about £86. Let us know how you get on with it. So far I've only seen generally positive reviews, with a few saying they get a few bubbles coming through.
 
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hypnogogia said:
Shame it got cancelled, but great that he is so accommodating. So in total it will be about £86. Let us know how you get on with it. So far I've only seen generally positive reviews, with a few saying they get a few bubbles coming through.
Click to expand...

I went for the Midi with the bypass fitted and mounting bracket which was 103.99 Euro delivered, and came to about £94 via Paypal. Hopefully it will work well - I plan to use it on my forthcoming 1500 which will have a sump, and this form factor will fit nicely inside the sump.
 
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Hi all
I just installed the midi version yesterday with a bypass on my 576l tank with 112l sump.
Previously had the co2art bazooka which was doing a good job 3bps was enough to go from 7.5ph to 6.9, green on the drop checker with 20 ppm fluid in.

The reactor is driven by a Eheim compact 600l/h small pump, bypass closed all the way, same pump feeds my eheim reeflex 800 UV light (On same loop). It's quite impressive actually, but ph rise to ~7.05, so now i'm trying 3.5bps, to see if I can get it back down there.
I do hear occasionally hear it burping and venting out a lot of co2, but its ok at least i don't have to look at all the micro bubbles anymore.
In my case I think it's not as effective as the bazooka diffuser, but I wonder if I install a 1000l/h eheim compact instead, it might be more effective not sure, my UV is rated for max 600l/h for killing off microbes so I probably wont to that.
Let me know if you want a small video

/Rasmus
 
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I was told that the Midi needs 350lph to operate effectively, so you might want to try opening the bypass to reduce the flow through it?
 
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