C02 reactor

[|squee|]

http://www.gwapa.org/articles/inlineco2reactor.asp

Click on the first picture on your right.

I've been scratching my head over my UP brand reactor for months now. Tried modifying it, changing bioballs, inverting the system, making it longer, smaller, blah blah, and I still can't get my c02 to dissolve properly so that bubbling starts around one hour after lights turn on. Right now, the bubbling only starts at night, about 5 hours after the lights turn on.

Is this a problem that concerns my c02 reactor? If so, will the above-mentioned one help? I'm wondering about where to buy those parts too... I've never seen most of them before in DIY shops. ( Or maybe I'm blind )

Peter, I read your post at Tom Barr's webbie regarding your c02. Seems to me that you have built this reactor.... do you mind sharing how you built it?

Thanks,

[liuhao]

i am also very curious and anxious to know, assuming co2 already reaches the ideal 25-30ppm, with light on, how long does plant start bubbling?

i am using 2x20W FL tubes for my 2 feet tank (15 gallon). my light and co2 on at 6pm. 1 hour later at 7pm, co2 already reaches 25ppm. when previously i used a "not so good" FL tube, plants started minor bubbling from 11pm and fast bubbling from 1:30am. last week i switched to ADA fl tubes (much brighter), plants started minor bubbling from 9pm and from 10pm, the bubbling is like crazy. i am using an external reactor (which is considered to be most efficient) and ph controller to control my co2. so co2 is not a problem but i still can not get plant bubbling 1 hour after light on.

maybe my light is not strong enough?

[Nicky]

Why not go and get one reactor from NA or DIY one yourself? The parts for the NA reactor can be easily available from good hardware shops.

[PeterGwee]

|squee|, you can consider buying the external reactor from C328 auntie's shop. Its a very well built reactor in my opinion. The price is not cheap though but its a good investment. I do not use the CO2 inlet provided as there will be substantial back-pressure at the CO2 input if I were to use it. (the rate of CO2 going into the reactor might vary in my opinion due to the amount of back-pressure acting at the injection point..I rather feed my CO2 into the powerhead suction side. More tiny bubbles after the impeller..more surface area to water volume of contact.). I have not tested its efficiency and response time yet but the initial test shows that the area of the reaction chamber is able to hold the tiny bubbles within the unit without burping. The outflow is also pretty strong with a maxi jet 900 (225g/hr..overkill in Tom's opinion but should work very well up to 90gallon).

Tom has yet to post his design to me but I'll go ahead to try this unit since I hooked up the system just yesterday. I'll test the response time when I do my weekly water change on Sunday.

Oh..you will not get pearling within one hour! It will take at least half the day or so to do so. The response time is a test for the CO2 system to hit 30ppm within an hour from ambient levels (3-4ppm).

Regards
Peter Gwee

[|squee|]

[quote:43a54ea8a5="PeterGwee"]|squee|, you can consider buying the external reactor from C328 auntie's shop. Its a very well built reactor in my opinion.[/quote:43a54ea8a5]

Is it something like the one in the pic I posted up?

[quote:43a54ea8a5="PeterGwee"]
Tom has yet to post his design to me but I'll go ahead to try this unit since I hooked up the system just yesterday. I'll test the response time when I do my weekly water change on Sunday. [/quote:43a54ea8a5]

Oh, so you bought a set for yourself? Hmm... I might go down one day when I have the money

[quote:43a54ea8a5="PeterGwee"]
Oh..you will not get pearling within one hour! It will take at least half the day or so to do so. The response time is a test for the CO2 system to hit 30ppm within an hour from ambient levels (3-4ppm).
[/quote:43a54ea8a5]

Hahaha I didn't know that. I thought a really good reactor will be able to induce pearling in one hour. However, I saw this tank in Gratiola ( the big giant one in front of the sofa if you've been there ), it was bubbling within an hour after the main lights where switched on. How did he do it?

Also, my current reactor ( the green one with black bioballs, UP brand ) is working allright, although there's buildup in the reactor at the end of every day. This is normal right? The buildup is to the extent that the bioballs stop moving though. But every morning the bioballs are moving again.


PS
Could you pm me the price of the c328 reactor Peter? Thanks if you could.

[vinz]

When the tank starts to pearl depends on the O2 levels in the tank and how fast the plants produce O2. Pearling occurs when the water is saturated with O2.

One factor is how much O2 is lost in the night due to respiration and water turbulence, and hence how much O2 is in the water when the CO2/lights come on.

Another factor is how fast the plants can produce O2 beyond their own requirements. Strong lights coupled with sufficient CO2 and fertilisers can accelerate photosynthesis in plants. But I think some plants just simply have a slower metabolic rate. Generally, a tank full of fast growing plants should pearl sooner.

BTW, pearling should not be an absolute indicator of a healthy planted tank.

[acidjc]

I am using those so-called ext reactor, however mine was those smaller version type , trsnsparent green in color. so I install inside the tank inline with the water outline. (with some added on pipe and joints bought from C32

I added 1 bio ball on the top, the bottom 1/3 filled with cermeic. So when the water pump in from the top it will turn the bio ball and create a circilar motion passing dissolved CO2 and water thur the cermeric at the bottom then out to the rainbar.

so far, I did not see any undissolve CO2 coming out from the rainbar in form of bubbles.. I think this method is quite good..at least it work for me.

Plants started to bubbles abt 1hr after ON the light and CO2

[|squee|]

Thanks for the explanation vinz. Cleared up a lot of questions in my mind.

So from what I understand, a external inline reactor is something like the following?



Or is it better if we position it at the inlet, and make the water flow opposite direction to the bubbles rising up?

[crandf]

pic is wrong, your suggestion is the commonly used design, except the part about making the bubbles rising up (you didn't think you could come up with an innovation so easily, did you :P ). Bubbles entering from below will probably be swept directly towards the outlet beside them. I suppose if you adjust flowrate really carefully and play around with the diameters of the reactor and the pipes, you can avoid this, but in US I think they just intro the bubbles from the middle of the reactor length instead.

[BFG]

Squeel, there is a way to 'cheat' to get pearling. Use Egeria Densa. It produce more O2 than other plants. Cheap too!