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CO2 Reactor for small tank..which ones?

M

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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Rasmusm said:
Thanks, will try to open it a bit 🙂
I have now opened bypass 10-15°, will give it a couple of days to settle in 🙂
Click to expand...
I've tried different bypass positions, giving it a day each time to settle.
You may get less noise with a more open position but the pH drop rate becomes much slower, to the point where would probably take about 4hrs in my setup.
Opening the bypass fully results in the bubbles escaping straight out the top of the chamber, you can hear it doing this.
The best compromise I found is to fully close the bypass, high injection rate. I get 1.2ph drop in 3 hrs - was expecting a lot better for a reactor, especially one that is so highly praised in the promotional material.
After the photoperiod you can hear the accumulated gas so I have to purge it by opening the bypass and allowing the gas to escape out the top of the chamber.
Only thing maybe I should have done is get the maxi? Only benefit over an in line is no mist.
Still find it shocking there isn't an off the shelf reactor that "just works" without issue or the need to yeehaa modify
 
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I am thinking to go with the Yidao CO2 reactor instead of the Midi as the cost of the midi is almost 3.5 times the cost of yidao. And since I just have a 54 litre tank I am guessing the yidao should be sufficient.

Would it be a problem of surface agitation with my Oase Biomaster 250 which is rated 900 l/h and my outflow being a spray bar if I setup the Yidao co2 reactor ?
 
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Update on the reactor, hmm not really happy about it... 4.5bps 1.5bps more than with my co2art diffuser. And yet pH is still 0.2 higher than with diffuser. Using 50% more co2 to get less of pH drop just feels weird
 
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Rasmusm said:
Update on the reactor, hmm not really happy about it... 4.5bps 1.5bps more than with my co2art diffuser. And yet pH is still 0.2 higher than with diffuser. Using 50% more co2 to get less of pH drop just feels weird
Click to expand...

Oh that is surprising to hear, are you still getting loads of gas burping out of it then?
 
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Only if I shut off the valve completely will it burp out gass every now and then. But slightly open it doesnt do that 🙂 I dont quite get why my ph is higher hmm. If we assume it dissovles 100% then should be better than a diffuser, and the 3bps I was running on diffuser should be more than enough
 
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Rasmusm said:
Only if I shut off the valve completely will it burp out gass every now and then. But slightly open it doesnt do that 🙂 I dont quite get why my ph is higher hmm. If we assume it dissovles 100% then should be better than a diffuser, and the 3bps I was running on diffuser should be more than enough
Click to expand...

Yeah, that was my thinking, if all the gas is being dissolved and you're getting no significant bubbles, it should be dissolving more CO2 than your diffuser. How are you measuring the pH drop - just checking you are hitting the same minimum pH as previously?

Perhaps its worth checking you haven't got any leaks on the reactor or CO2 line since you changed over?
 
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I measure ph with my tds pen, same spot daily. I can place the probe in my overflow chamber and leave for a few minutes for the probe to stabilize.

I contacted the guy in Germany, He told me to measure pH in my sump with the diffuser and then with the reactor.

Obviously the micro bubbles from the diffuser are getting sucked in through my return pump and up in the tank.
But the reactor is on a closed loop in the sump aswell, so should equally be sucked up into the tank. More testing is needed 🙂 just affraid of bba eventually...
 
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