Will this work? (mistless CO2 and no burping filter)

[TimT]

I'm getting a big new tank and I'm pretty hooked on a reactor so I don't get a CO2 mist in the tank. I know some people can put an atomizer on the intake side of the filter and not get burping but some will. And I'm not too keen on taking the chance.

The biggest silent filter adequate for my tank I can fit in my stand will probably not be able to run both a reactor and a spraybar with good distribution. And getting two big canister filters that will fit side by side in my stand and splitting the CO2 seems too expensive for my budget.

So I hope I can get away with an Eheim 2076 for the spraybar and then use a smaller pump/powerhead/whatever to run the reactor and then lead the CO2 laced water near/into the intake of the Eheim 2076. This will take not be done in a totally closed system with tightly connected hoses but more that the outlet of the reactor hose is 'first choice' for the intake to the Ehiem. The objective being that the Eheim doesn't have to use power to run the reactor and that it is totally dissolved CO2 that is put into the Eheim which I hope will result in no burping(?) This in contrast to an atomizer that still has small bubbles that can get stuck in the filter and can result in burping. Spraybar and both inlets will of course be placed to optimize distribution and some kind of (pre)filter will be added to the reactor pump so it doesn't clog up. The reactor I have in mind is a DIY one that looks VERY resilient to clogging. Simply just a long fat tube where the CO2 bubbles travel against the current until totally dissolved.

Here is the basic structure of the design:

Do you think it will work?

 

[Alastair]

Yeah that would work. Or you could just knock up another spray bar and have some tubing from the reactor run to the spray bar and position it above the eheim spray bar

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 2

 

[foxfish]

I cant quite get my head around your diagram, I don't think you can squirt water up the inlet of a canister filter!
If you are expecting to direct water towards the inlet then only a limited amount will actually go into the canister, this might still work but I am not sure why you want to get the already dissolved gas in the inlet?
I think Alastairs idea might be better.
Anyway it would help to know some more details like your tank size & reactor size, it is important to get the reactor working as a start point.

 

[TimT]

Thanks for looking at this guys!

Or you could just knock up another spray bar and have some tubing from the reactor run to the spray bar and position it above the eheim spray bar

Two spray bars? I'd rather not if possible for cosmetic reasons. If possible I'd like to just have one long spraybar running the entire length of the tank. Also to keep the flow as good as possible.

this might still work but I am not sure why you want to get the already dissolved gas in the inlet?

The Eheim's 1.700 liters per hour is 10x the liters in the tank (160 liters). So the Eheim would ensure me that I get good distribution of the CO2. I hope I could get away with a much smaller and cheaper pump for the reactor. And as mentioned I can't fit a silent external filter in my stand that would be powerful enough to pull the required 10x liters per hour after the reactor has taken its toll.

Anyway it would help to know some more details like your tank size & reactor size, it is important to get the reactor working as a start point.

This is where it gets a bit messy. The tank is rather large: 120x60x50. But it will be divided up in two sections of 80cm and 40cm with an artificial natural looking steep wall between them with moss and everything. The left 80x60x50 part of it will be high-tech (when substrate, stones and wall are subtracted it ends up at ~160 liters). The last right part of 40x60x50 will be a paludarium setup with low flow and no CO2. The reason for this is that I like high-tech and the plants it lets you grow in it but I also want to have an area with floating plants and some surface fish that doesn't thrive with high flow. In the paludarium section I will easily be able to fit a smallish cheap internal filter to clean that section and also the pump and reactor under the 'land' part of the tank. The two sections will probably not be 100% sealed from each other so a little water will be able to travel between the two sections but it will not be much. The reactor tube will be approximately the same height as the tank and will be accessible together with the internal filter and the pump by lifting out the plant pots in the 'land' section of the paludarium. This construction also enables me to make due with a smaller Eheim 2076 external filter that can fit in my stand under the tank.

I like the idea of the pump and reactor being inside the tank so I wont risk leaks from this part of the setup. I know I lose some real-estate space to this but I already have decided to allocate some of the tank to a 'land' section so I might as well use the space under the land for something constructive.

I'm currently on a business trip so I won't be able to upload a sketch of the tank before I get back tomorrow. I hope my description makes sense?

I don't think you can squirt water up the inlet of a canister filter!

You may very well be right, but can I ask why? If the Eheim will have a higher suction (after the loss to the filter media) than the real outflow from the reactor I cant get my head around why it shouldn't work. If the reactor feeds the Eheim in a T-section like on the drawing the high suction from the Eheim should ensure that no water from the reactor will escape the wrong way? It will be a real hose going from the reactor to the side arm of the T-section. Or am I missing something?