Advice on Co2 set

[lorba]

Thinking of changing my current carbon plate to cyclinder tank that you guys are using, need to collect some info as i have not much clue :

1) Full system requires : (?)
a) Co2 tank (how many litre for 3ft and how often will need to top up)
b) Solenoid (for timed switching on/off?)
c) Bubble counter
d) Reactor/Diffuser (considering the green cylinder type with 3-5 black ball reactor inside)
e) Are these all and if not, what else?

A friend bought a full set including a free reactor/diffuser from ah pek at $200, is it worth? Anywhere have more attractive offers?

thanks

[Simon]

1) Full system requires
a) Co2 tank - bigger the cylinder, the less often u need to refill, oso depending on the BPS (Bubble per second) setting, I recommend at least a 5litre if possible, at 2 BPS, shld last u ard 6mths or more.. maybe even longer

b) Solenoid + regulator, the regulator is the stepping down of high pressure gase directly from yr cylinder, u also have to check to see if it comes with a needle valve for fine tuning, the solenoid works like what u mentioned

c) Bubble counter - simple counting of bubbles (BPS), u also need a check valve to prevent backflow of water into yr regulator

d) Reactor/Diffuser - those green plastic cylinder with bio balls in them is the reactor, a diffuser is a glass fixture with a ceramic plate to diffuse CO2 into finer bubbles

yes, what yr friend should be a bargin, u also should check out NA to compare prices

[vinz]

a) As big as you can get. Things to consider:
- Where can you put it. Are you able to hide it, fit it under your cabinet etc.
- How convenient is it for you to bring it around for topping up.

[lorba]

thanks for the info!

If i choose the reactor, means i am connecting the co2 to the output from filter, while the diffuser is standalone? Which one is more efficient and wont lose co2? If I use the diffuser, do i have to place it near the outlet so that co2 can be better circulated?

I have a cabinet, so a 5l tank should be fine, just that the door is made glass, so probably can't hide much.

Anyway, if the inlet and outlet are located at the same corner of the tank, what impact have it on water circulation and distribution of co2 throughout the tank?

[tawauboy]

a reactor is more efficient and dissolves almost 100% of the injected co2 but takes up space in the tank. alternatively, you can get an exteranl reactor.
a difuser on the other hand looks 'chio' especially the ada ones. ask Simon. and those fine co2 bubbles rising up is quite mesmerising.

it is advisable to have the inlet and outlet pipes at different corners of the tank to aid circulation.

[vinz]

On the other hand, I really dislike the teeny weeny bubbles from the diffusor, so it's really up to you.

As for the tank... make sure it can fit standing up in your cabinet. I'm not too sure but I think you should not rest it on its side.

[lorba]

i see.. guess i will try the reactor, but the output from the reactor is at the bottom, seems to me it will disturb the plant even when faced to the tank wall.

[ryan]

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On 12/2/2002 8:54:34 PM

i see.. guess i will try the reactor, but the output from the reactor is at the bottom, seems to me it will disturb the plant even when faced to the tank wall.
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from the output at the bottom of the reactor u can connect it back to the spray bar and position it anyway you want!
thus not disturbing your plants...
the taiwan up brand reactor (which is probably what u are refering to) comes with those 'L' shaped tubes to aid the connection between the filter pipes and the reactor...

[Simon]

IMO, dun think there is 100%, but I guess the most effective way is by using a external reactor.. most reactor shld have a dissolve rate of around 80-90%, diffuser will always be lower than that.