NA CO2 reactor questions

[o2bubble]

Hi all, I'm thinking of getting the DIY external CO2 reactor from Nature Aquarium. Mr Chan told me that the flow rate will not be affected and adapters for 16/22mm hoses are provided to use with my ehiem 2080 filter. Have a few questions:

1. What is the actual size of the inlet/outlet into/from the chamber of the reactor? Is it 16 mm?

2. Does changing the elbow pipe to a curved pipe better to increase the flow rate and thus better dissolve the CO2. Read from some threads that it does but less effective to create a whirlpool turbulence effect to dissolve water?

3. How frequent it is needed to maintain the reactor? Read it's quite troublesome and have to overturn to prevent airlock to prime the filter etc.

Appreciate your kind comments on this. Thanks!

[blue33]

Hope i can help. Currently using one of this.

1. What is the actual size of the inlet/outlet into/from the chamber of the reactor? Is it 16 mm?
Ans: Chan will provide to the right size of your filter size when you bought it, he will ask you before fixing the hose adapter for you.

2. Does changing the elbow pipe to a curved pipe better to increase the flow rate and thus better dissolve the CO2. Read from some threads that it does but less effective to create a whirlpool turbulence effect to dissolve water?
Ans: His current one is using elbow pipe, it does gives better whirlpool spin than the curve one, the force is greater and better, better dissolve CO2 also.

3. How frequent it is needed to maintain the reactor? Read it's quite troublesome and have to overturn to prevent airlock to prime the filter etc.
Ans: When you first start the filter and the reactor(or even after cleaning the reactor), you got to turn over the reactor first to remove the airlock during filling up the water, when fully fill just return to the original position. Cleaning wise, i hardly clean, unless you do not maintain your filter well. Btw cleaning is very easy also.

[o2bubble]

Thanks bro blue for the comments! Actually for question 1, I am asking about the actual outlet size in the reactor's chamber i.e. in this case should be the size of the elbow pipe connected to the hose. And the actual size of the outlet without any adapter.

I am thinking to use a seperate pump to run the reactor instead. This will eliminate any risks of reduced flow rate if I connect it to my filter and then my chiller. Draw back is the additional pipings.

[o2bubble]

Another question: Does anyone knows if this NA external reactor can take 2400l/h flow rate? Thinking of using an Eheim pump 1260 to drive it together with 1/3 Arctica chiller. Concern whether the external might leak due to too much pressure from high flow..

[o2bubble]

or can I use NJ-1700 New Jet pump for 1700 l/h through a pre-filter, then reactor and lastly the chiller?

[Desewer]

Another question: Does anyone knows if this NA external reactor can take 2400l/h flow rate? Thinking of using an Eheim pump 1260 to drive it together with 1/3 Arctica chiller. Concern whether the external might leak due to too much pressure from high flow..

Sorry for digging up old thread.

The 2400lph flow rate should not cause the reactor to fail/leak as long as the outlet is not blocked. I'm trying to recall what I learnt in secondary school (many moon ago) but even if the outlet is of a smaller diameter, the end result would just be higher pressure at the outlet and the whole reactor fixture should still be able to work properly.

(and now for my post hehehe)

I have been using an NA external co2 reactor for half a year now, bought 2nd-hand (very cheap!) from another bro in this forum. Only issue I had was the reactor taking up a LOT of floor space beneath my aquarium, because the copper fittings were for the 16/22 hoses, and my filter (Eheim 2034) uses 12/16 hoses. I had to connect step-down fittings which extended my reactor inlets/outlets by at least 6 inches either side (reactor --> original 16/22 fittings --> 16/22 hose --> step-down fittings --> 12/16 hose).

I tried to look for 12/16 copper fittings at NA but Mr Chan didn't have them anymore. He offered me equivalent-sized plastic fittings but I declined. Eventually, I found the copper fittings at a hardware shop across from Loyang Tua Pek Kong for $2.50 apiece. Will fit them on this weekend and reduce the space taken up by the reactor base!

Efficiency-wise, the NA reactor is really one of the better ones around. I have a spare co2 flipper currently in use whilst I am cleaning the reactor and replacing the hose fittings. I just hope that my filter flow rate (600lph) is good enough. With all the additional fittings I had (step-down and all that) I guess the flow rate was slightly affected because at high bps levels I would get a large air pocket formed in the reactor. Even overnight, after the co2 is switched off, there would still be about an inch of air/co2 inside the reactor just prior to the co2 being switched on again. I wonder if this is the trapped non-co2 gases...

p.s. I added generic white filter sponges on the inside of the reactor. This way, any mulm/dirt exiting my filter would get caught by the sponges and hence act as an additional layer of mechanical filtration. I plan to add some biological media inside the reactor to increase my bio filtration capacity too.

[Star-flog]

I got NA co2 reactor from a bro here. What is the correct way to install. Upright and bottom on top?

Will connect to Eheim 2026 should be okay right?

[Desewer]

the inlet and outlet should be at the bottom. hence the clear plastic cover should be on top. co2 is injected from the bottom and will float to the top, where the elbow joint at the end of the hose allows the water from your filter to create turbulence and dissolve the co2.

if you placed it upside down i.e. with the inlet and outlet at the TOP, then any co2 would simply rise to the highest point and get flushed out of the reactor and into your tank. the co2 dissolving efficiency would hence be lowered drastically.

p.s. 2026 should be enough to drive the reactor. it's rated at 950lph...

[Star-flog]

the inlet and outlet should be at the bottom. hence the clear plastic cover should be on top. co2 is injected from the bottom and will float to the top, where the elbow joint at the end of the hose allows the water from your filter to create turbulence and dissolve the co2.

if you placed it upside down i.e. with the inlet and outlet at the TOP, then any co2 would simply rise to the highest point and get flushed out of the reactor and into your tank. the co2 dissolving efficiency would hence be lowered drastically.

p.s. 2026 should be enough to drive the reactor. it's rated at 950lph...

Thanks for your explanation and appreciated. At first, I was thinking to mount upsdie down on the wall.