Which Co2 Delivery system are you using

[felix_fx2]

try pushing higher bps until the tube inside fizzes/bubbles.

you can see your actual working pressures range after, say 20mins...

when it's not delivering co2 its not working pressures. yet.

[guppies_79]

Hi felix, thank you for the suggestion. I try that later tonight. And report if it works.

[guppies_79]

Hi felix, I tried what u suggest. Increase the bps till I see bubbles fizzle in the inline chamber. Left it for at least 30mins. But the working pressure still shows 30psi only. the outlet pipe also sprays out little bubbles into the tank.
Am i doing things right?

[ConcaveLiNkiN]

Just wondering if you had turned the main valve to the max.?


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[guppies_79]

@eric, nope. I only half turn the main valve. u reckon I should fully turn on the main valve?

[Urban Aquaria]

The working pressure on the gauge will naturally decrease due to back pressure when the system is in operation... as long as you see tiny bubbles coming out of the ceramic tube inside the inline diffuser, its working properly.

The outflow pipe should spray out tiny bubbles which are small enough not to float, so they would ideally be circulated around the plants on the substrate.

Btw, if you want to decrease the time it takes for the bubbles to start forming, just reduce the length of the Co2 tubing so that pressure builds up faster in the diffuser.

And yes, you should open the main valve fully, or else that can sometimes restrict flow too.

[Suzerolt]

I'm using an Up Inline atomizer
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But feel that the misting is making the tank look "cloudy". Anyone feels this is annoying? ( because i'm trying to get the water as clear as possible)
Currently set up at about 3bps for a 3ft tank.


I assume that an inline reactor such as the ISTA turbo reactor like the one Urban Aquaria would have less mist. Comments?
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[milk_vanilla]

Misting, yes a bit 'kamciong' when you see first time, in long run you get used to it

Or else if you switch to rain bar, i feel better, probably mist scattered nicely rather than massively come out from the output glass.

Never use the reactor jet, other aquarist might have better review and experience.

[Urban Aquaria]

Yes, inline diffusers which use ceramic tubes will create a mist effect... there are some theories that the tiny bubbles getting swirled around and settling directly on plant leaves allow them to absorb the pure Co2 more effectively. I guess that theory is debatable though.

If you're not keen on seeing the misty effect in your tank, then consider trying an inline Co2 reactor instead, if matched properly with your canister filter flow rate and bubble count, you will not see any bubbles or mist as they will be completely dissolved in the reactor before reaching the outflow pipe.

[guppies_79]

@UA, thank you for your suggestions. I have turn on the main valve fully now. Yes, I managed to get tiny bubbles fizzing from the ceramic tube in the diffuser and outflow pipe. But that also means I need to increase the bps to get this effects. And this brings me to a new set of problems . I measure the pH and it is very acidic, bet 4.5 to 5. But the drop checker still shows blue after more than 2 hrs. I am confused now

[Urban Aquaria]

@UA, thank you for your suggestions. I have turn on the main valve fully now. Yes, I managed to get tiny bubbles fizzing from the ceramic tube in the diffuser and outflow pipe. But that also means I need to increase the bps to get this effects. And this brings me to a new set of problems . I measure the pH and it is very acidic, bet 4.5 to 5. But the drop checker still shows blue after more than 2 hrs. I am confused now

Do monitor the bps after the system is on for a few hours, the initial higher bps is due to the system still building up pressure within the Co2 tubing and inline diffuser, once the necessary pressure is achieved, the actual bps could be different, so use that as a point of reference for the settings.

If your tank is still in the midst of cycling with ADA Amazonia Aquasoil, then the pH could drop below 6.0 (sometimes even down to 5.0 or lower, depending on ratio of new soil vs water volume), and with Co2 being injected, the pH will drop even lower. Once the tank is fully cycled, the pH should become more stable.

Also check your drop checker indicator solution, make sure its those type that are pre-mixed, otherwise you'll need to mix it with 4dkh water to make it work properly.

[guppies_79]

@UA, I am using borneowild plant soil. I have been cycling the tank for the past 2 weeks without CO2. And the pH is stable at 6. Then pH starts to drop drastic after injecting CO2. I measure the pH yesterday night and its stable at 4.5 to 5. This is 4 days after CO2 injection. I use 4dkh solution in the drop checker and it still shows blue. Sorry TS, i know we are drifting off topic here. But how do I start bring up the pH?

[Urban Aquaria]

Maybe the tank is still cycling so the pH is lower than usual... i guess you could wait until its fully cycled and see if the pH stabilizes abit higher.

Since you measured the pH dropping after Co2 is injected, it means the Co2 is being dissolved in the water... the only issue now is your drop checker doesn't seem to be working properly so you don't have any indication of the approximate Co2 ppm levels (it could be really high and accumulating everyday, hence the large sustained drop in pH).

Not sure why your current indicator solution isn't working though. Perhaps post up info on the indicator solution you are using and also post a photo of how you position the drop checker in the tank?

It might be a good idea to just get the pre-mixed indicator solution and try that in your drop checker, at least you could have a tried and tested benchmark to check the Co2 levels.

[erwinx]

Reading other forums, people seem to think that dissolving co2 fully appears to be "turbulence" so bio ball reactors are considered the most effective.

Googling for diy bio ball reactor projects shows that in their quest for zero visible co2, people build pretty large bio ball reactors.... which suggests that if you want zero visible Co2, you have to go all the way and build a big reactor.

Though frankly, instead of building a DIY reactor, if you have a powerful enough flowrate, just buy an eheim 250 prefilter, fill it with bio balls (thats like 3 litres worth!), and attach it after your current CO2 reactor.... I'm sure there'll be a big reduction in visible co2. As the eheim prefilter has no motor, there is no issue of co2 air pockets forming and damaging the impeller.

[Suzerolt]

Good tip to use a canister filter + bio ball. I will experiment it.

[Urban Aquaria]

If anyone is keen on inline Co2 reactors, i'd recommend the ISTA inline turbo reactor, so far i've been getting pretty much 100% dissolve rate (based on using it with a 750 l/ph Eheim Ecco Pro 300), the inbuilt self-propelled rotor system really chops up and mixes the Co2 completely. I've since switched all my tanks over to using these inline reactors too... the price is less than $20 at most LFS anyways, quite okay in terms of cost.

Note that the size of these reactors have to be matched to the canister filter's flow rate (they have recommended flow rates on the box instructions), if the reactor model is too large and the flow rate is not high enough to match it, the overall flow might be affected.

[milk_vanilla]

Urban,

Interesting option, is the big reactor model support up to 1250l/h canister ?

[Suzerolt]

I purchased the ISTA turbo reactor today to try out. In brief, i'm quite happy with it. Thanks Urban Aquaria for the recommendation.
There seems to be only one model rated at 360L-1000L/hr. Hose size 12mm. I purchased it at C328.

Just to share, my set up Outflow -> Eheim 2017 prefilter (full of sponge) -> Eheim Professional 2 (full of bio media)-> Chiller -> tank inflow.
I measured it running at ~ 650 L/hr this morning before adding the ISTA turbo reactor.

Some bubbles (not much) are seen in the lily pipe into the tank but that is coming from the bubbles generated by the impeller of the reactor. It is not undissolved CO2.
At least the tank looks much clearer now. Before that, the mist from the inline atomizer made the tank appear cloudy.

[Urban Aquaria]

I purchased the ISTA turbo reactor today to try out. In brief, i'm quite happy with it. Thanks Urban Aquaria for the recommendation.
There seems to be only one model rated at 360L-1000L/hr. Hose size 12mm. I purchased it at C328.

Just to share, my set up Outflow -> Eheim 2017 prefilter (full of sponge) -> Eheim Professional 2 (full of bio media)-> Chiller -> tank inflow.
I measured it running at ~ 650 L/hr this morning before adding the ISTA turbo reactor.

Some bubbles (not much) are seen in the lily pipe into the tank but that is coming from the bubbles generated by the impeller of the reactor. It is not undissolved CO2.
At least the tank looks much clearer now. Before that, the mist from the inline atomizer made the tank appear cloudy.

Cool... glad that you found the Co2 reactor which works for your setup too.

Urban,

Interesting option, is the big reactor model support up to 1250l/h canister ?

The ISTA inline turbo reactor is rated for 360-1,000 l/ph canister filters... so far i haven't seen a larger version of that particular model design using the same system though (the 16/22 one uses an inline ceramic diffusion system).

Alternatively, you could look at the ISTA Mix Max reactors, they have a different casing design but use the same in-built rotor system, and they come in 2 sizes. The M-size is rated for 360-1,000 l/ph and the L-size (which has a longer reactor chamber) is rated for 1,000-2,000 l/ph. So for your particular canister filter, the L-size version is probably more suitable.




Source: http://www.istaproducts.com/details+...9/products/62/

Here is their product demo video:




I actually have the M-size version and tried it out, it works well too. The only issue i find with the Mix Max reactors is that they don't have lock nuts on the hose connections (unlike the "turbo" version), so you might want to buy additional hose clips to make sure they stay securely connected during operation.

[milk_vanilla]

Thanks Urban,

Last thing, how noisy they are compare to up iniline diffuser? Which apparently UP just sound mild 'hisss' in my system.