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CO2 Reactor UK sellers?

That's because you created a weak venturi. I think the only way this would work at the outlet end is if you did something like this:
View attachment 174786
But at this stage your setup work pretty well and reducing the inlet end of the venturi may or may not work but something worth trying and easy to do.

Yeah, I can give it a go. The increased pump power might help that too, as the pressure differential will be greater, but to be honest I'm just pleased (semi-amazed!) it worked at all - it means I can draw that main gas pocket back into the flow on a continuous basis, and it's completely self contained within the reactor with presumably negligible effect on flow. So mission accomplished for what I set out to achieve.
 
I love your experiment 👍 awesome work! That 5mm tube is that OD? Is that exact match so that tube doesn’t need glueing?

Thanks 👍🏻 Yeah, 5mm OD and it’s an exact match for the CO2 inlet inside the reactor. Bought it from Fleabay:

EBay

Here the deflector if anyone wants it - it’s not a tight fit, but holds with a bit of glue:

[Amazon product ASIN B005XIJ6HC]
 
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I also decided to modify the inlet as I didn’t like how the plastic elbow fires straight at the side of the reactor and forces water upwards and downwards, and wanted it pushing more downwards to enhance the vortex.
That is freaking awesome :) where is mine? :)

That is a very tidy venturi system, I am going to mod mine at the weekend ;) I do not care for the reflector! just going to add the tube to suck the CO2 back down again! :)
 
That is freaking awesome :) where is mine? :)

That is a very tidy venturi system, I am going to mod mine at the weekend ;) I do not care for the reflector! just going to add the tube to suck the CO2 back down again! :)

I would have thought with your 3D printing wizardry you’d have created something purpose built?
 
I would have thought with your 3D printing wizardry you’d have created something purpose built?
hmmmm now that you mention it!!
I will take it apart as I need to clean it now (3 months running) and will measure it all and time to design!!
 
Have been reading all notes on this and was wondering if this would work for a smaller filter? I see that you guys are running bigger filters 1800L + but mine is rated at 700lph but we all know that its not a tin of ronseal so what you see on the label is NOT what you get, ive only got a 46L tank but am feed up with the mist and bubbles in the tank and also would like to use less c02, so was just wondering is there a smaller option of reactor or if the reactor in the videos would be ok to run with my size filter?
Or even if there is a diy version that wohld work.
 
Have been reading all notes on this and was wondering if this would work for a smaller filter? I see that you guys are running bigger filters 1800L + but mine is rated at 700lph but we all know that its not a tin of ronseal so what you see on the label is NOT what you get, ive only got a 46L tank but am feed up with the mist and bubbles in the tank and also would like to use less c02, so was just wondering is there a smaller option of reactor or if the reactor in the videos would be ok to run with my size filter?
Or even if there is a diy version that wohld work.
Its may be a bit of overkill, but I cant see any reason why it shouldn't work. Having space to fit it in your setup may be an issue also there's the reduced filter output from your present filter with the reactor fitted may be an issue also.
 
Its may be a bit of overkill, but I cant see any reason why it shouldn't work. Having space to fit it in your setup may be an issue also there's the reduced filter output from your present filter with the reactor fitted may be an issue also.
I would try and fit it in cupboard underneath so that shouldn't be a problem.
As regards to flow i do run a Eheim skimmer 350 which ads flow to the tank but i am now considering changing from lilly pipe to a spray bar at the back, or getting a small external filter and just run the reactor just on that with nothing inside
 
I tried @Wookii hack by just adding the little tube at the top of the 90 degree pipe, that works great to be honest and it's such a simple mod, the only downside is that it make the reactor noisier when there is build of air at the top.
 
I tried @Wookii hack by just adding the little tube at the top of the 90 degree pipe, that works great to be honest and it's such a simple mod, the only downside is that it make the reactor noisier when there is build of air at the top.
If been searching through utube and have found some good reviews on the ista max mix which would sit nice under tank, some good tips about set ups and preventing any possible leaks so may consider using that item as a few had them running on ehiem classic 250 which is rated at 440lph and im running 700lph Ehiem experience, less normal flow out put then the less flow through reactor im guessing flow to be around 5 to 550lph which should be enough flow to run reactor plus maintain good turn over rate for 45x40x30 tank, lets face it if i dont try it i will never know lol and not an expensive outlay if it doesnt work, fingers 🤞
 
Also may change lilly pipe to a noe plus outlet i think it is as it has that little skimmer attachment so i can then get rid of that horrible 350 skimmer
 
Ok so I bought the infamous Yidao CO2 reactor to compare with my DIY reactor. I did all the mods as per @Wookii. I tested the reactor in my sink with a 1200L/h pump. Seems to work nicely but as @LondonDragon has also noted the noise is rather intense once the internal venturi kicks in and gas builds up at the top. I can attribute that to 1 thing: the flimsy and thin plastic. The larger volume of the reactor also amplifies the sound.
I will test it for real in my tank but if the noice bothers me I will revert to my trusty DIY which is very silent and probably works just as well.

Another mod I did was to sand down the opposite side of the hose connectors that contact with the o-rings. I noticed they were poorly finished. Although screwing hard would provide a decent seal I preferred making sure both surfaces were as flat as possible so that I wouldn't need to screw too hard since the quality of the plastic is pretty poor in my opinion. I started with 320 grit sand paper working my way up to 1200. 5 minutes job. This gave me a smooth finish. I'll be adding silicon grease too all o-rings before putting the reactor in service.
 
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