Anyone using ISTA Max Mix CO2 reactor??

[tcampbell]

The purpose of the bottom one is to hold the pipe in place and stop the vibrating sound of the pipe with the water movement and the co2. If that DIY method worths for you, great. Others in the design process found that it was more noisy if rotating so it was made stiff. In other models it is actually sealed to the pipe.

Actually I am not referring to the 2 sets of propellers on top.
Yes both of them should be rotating.
I am referring to the bottom one, just before the outlet.
that bottom propeller is as-designed to be tight fit and it is not rotating when I first use it.
so I took it out and sand it and now all 3 propellers are rotating. (top2, bottom 1)

[tcampbell]

i've stopped using my ista because it leaked after i reinstalled it after cleaning. now im using a spare na reactor. but if i were keeping small 2ft tanks i would definitely use the ista reactor.

Leaking was probably due to the gasket being twisted when reisntalling after cleaning. Making sure the gasket and the threads of the cap are clean when reinstalling usually fixes that. It is one of the problems of making it easy to clean. The is a model with it completely seal but after a while it got clogged so that was discontinued.

[tcampbell]

If ran after the filter and you do proper filter maintance then usually it does not need to be cleaned often, maybe once a year or longer.
Mist or complete disolved in the water makes no difference to plants. It is just that the mist shows up on plants leaves quicker making it "appear to be bubbling" when in fact it is just the mist. CO2 level in the tank usualy rises quicker with a reactor compared to a mist, as well as giving better tap visability without all the tiny bubbles floating around the tank.

QUOTE=ladygaga;578739]Now I don't think it's a good idea to use of reactor (I used two canister, one is just for CO2 reactor).

1) The reactor would become very dirty after a couple of days running.
2) Plants prefer bubble/misty co2

after 2 months running of reactor, now i return back to a diffuser.[/QUOTE]

[ladygaga]

If ran after the filter and you do proper filter maintance then usually it does not need to be cleaned often, maybe once a year or longer.
Mist or complete disolved in the water makes no difference to plants. It is just that the mist shows up on plants leaves quicker making it "appear to be bubbling" when in fact it is just the mist. CO2 level in the tank usualy rises quicker with a reactor compared to a mist, as well as giving better tap visability without all the tiny bubbles floating around the tank.

QUOTE=ladygaga;578739]Now I don't think it's a good idea to use of reactor (I used two canister, one is just for CO2 reactor).

1) The reactor would become very dirty after a couple of days running.
2) Plants prefer bubble/misty co2

after 2 months running of reactor, now i return back to a diffuser.

[/QUOTE]

There have many debates about dissolved Vs mist CO2 in the tank.
IMO, dissolved CO2 is H2CO3--> H+, CO3(2-), it's not kind of CO2.
Misty CO2 is pure CO2 (100%) which is the major pigment of photosynthesis.

Anyway, I never saw any comparison in real time.

[Ingen]

I know this is an old thread. Was searching the forum for a reason why I'm getting micro bubbles from Ista Max Mix. My Co2 is around 3bps and using a Dymax 600 power head to power the reactor. Initially, there were tons of bubbles coming out at full throttle. After reading this thread I reduce the flow from 1/2 to now minimum but still having micro bubbles coming out. Any idea what else should I tweak?

[qngwn]

micro bubbles are not buoyant enough to go against the current flow, thus it is exiting your reactor. it's perfectly fine. I tried squeezing bioballs into it before, but the hole is too small to let a bioball through. you're getting a very high dissolvation rate already!

[Ingen]

I see bubbles even when my co2 is not switch on. Due to space constraint I couldn't turn the reactor upside down, but I release the air by running the reactor with the co2 inlet detach, waited for the water to spill out before inserting the co2 pipe. Any ideas and suggestions?

[ConcaveLiNkiN]

Hi all,

Just to share my experience with the Ista Max Mix. I am using the medium size:

1. I initially used this for my DIY CO2 generator (yeast and sugar mixture). Back then I was using the MaxiJet1200 to power the Ista Max Mix. This system did not work, as the pressure from the MaxiJet1200 is too strong and the CO2 pressure from the DIY is simply not high enough to push through the Ista MM. Thus water is being back flowed through the CO2 line.
2. Then I changed the the MaxiJet1200 with a smaller Exo Terra Repti Clear F150 with only 150L/hr, even when turning the pressure to the minimum, the flow of the CO2 is not stable. When I shook the CO2 generator bottles, I get perhaps 1bps and when it sits, I do not really get any count.
Conclusion, the Ista Max Mix is not very suitable for DIY CO2 system.

Finally, I bought a CO2 pressurised tank to replace my DIY system.

1. Still with the Exo Terra Repti Clear F150. This time, I had 3bps running and it seems the pressure from the CO2 cylinder is too strong for the F150 even when the F150 is running at 150L/hr. Air gaps started to build up at the upper portion of the Ista Max Mix and it filled all the way to more than half of the Ista MM.
2. Then I thought of replacing it with my MaxiJet1200, but I recalled reading this thread and it mentioned too high the L/hr and CO2 might not be mixed properly before it exits the Ista MM. Did a little product research and I thought the Eheim Compact 600 with a flow of 600L/hr might be a good fit. So I went ahead to purchase it to try it out

http://www.eheim.com/resources/produ...0410080405.jpg

And guess I was lucky right, ran the system for some hours and I do not see an air gap in the upper portion of the Ista Max Mix. The CO2 bubbles were broken down into small little bubbles that flow throughout the tank before exiting through the water surface.

I will monitor the system for another few days before providing an update to all.

Thank you for reading.


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[ConcaveLiNkiN]

An update to all:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ5CUSgI46Y

This setup had been running for 4 days, no visible air-gap.

Conclusion, the Eheim Compact 600 is ideal for the setup. Thank you all for reading.

[felix_fx2]

Looks like the speed is stable and not too fast.
But.. why the video never zoom in

[ConcaveLiNkiN]

Looks like the speed is stable and not too fast.
But.. why the video never zoom in

Request and I shall show. Haha... Where do you need me to zoom into? I shall video the portion which you request when I get home.


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[Urban Aquaria]

An update to all:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ5CUSgI46Y

This setup had been running for 4 days, no visible air-gap.

Conclusion, the Eheim Compact 600 is ideal for the setup. Thank you all for reading.

Not sure if i missed any previous info... but i was wondering why not connect the Mix Max reactor externally inline with your canister filter output hose instead, then you'll have less items taking up space in the tank.

[qngwn]

Most people will connect it externally, but perhaps some are scared that they might leak (yes and they do leak over time), thus some people choose to put in their tank

[ConcaveLiNkiN]

Most people will connect it externally, but perhaps some are scared that they might leak (yes and they do leak over time), thus some people choose to put in their tank

Correct! I am very "Kia Si" one. So I chose to put it in the tank. Before I decide on this system, I had reds that chances are it might leak over time. So I decide to place it in the tank.

I chose to use a submersed pump for this system as I do not want to affect the flow rate of my filter. I strongly believe that with sufficient current flowing within the tank, I will somehow reduce algae growth by quite a fair amount. 25 days after my initial setup, green spot algae is all I see for now. keeping my fingers crossed.


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