CO2 reactor

[MdmBudak]

Hello,

Does a CO2 diffuser work better than a CO2 reactor?

I'm currently using a CO2 reactor but the bioballs get stucked after afew hours and 1/4 of the reactor is filled with undissolved CO2.

When I reduced the CO2, the problem improved but I notice less bubbling from plants and alage started growing.

I'm thinking of replacing the reactor with a diffuser, will it solve the problem?

[PeterGwee]

A reactor is always better than a diffuser ime/imo. Remove the big bioballs and get those small ones instead. Fill the entire chamber up with as many as you can pack in there. Get a small powerhead with a flowrate of 2-3x the size of your tank and hook it up to the reactor. Tied off the CO2 input from the reactor side and feed the CO2 to the powerhead suction side instead. The impeller would atomized the CO2 and the bioballs would help to retain the small tiny bubbles which will dissolve fast in the reaction chamber of the reactor. One thing good about this method is that there is little or no bad pressure on the CO2 line which works very well for DIY CO2 users.

Regards
Peter Gwee

[MdmBudak]

Got a diffuser from my friend but the ceramic plate is clogged with algae. Is it possible to clean it and also, how can I prevent alage from growing on it?

Thanks

[Sleepy_lancs]

dip it in vinegar. Put some sand ontop of the outlet seems to stop algae from growing

[loupgarou]

dip it in vinegar. Put some sand ontop of the outlet seems to stop algae from growing

argh!. never thought of that..

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as for reactors. you don't really need the bioball inside. just put ONE bioball..

I'm using aqualine,, the bioballs are there but they don't spin. (aren't supposed too.