CO2 and flow

Gilles

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So here is the story; i have a Fluval FX6, because i don't have the room for a sump at the current location where my tank is at. The tank in question is about 450 liters, about 110-120 US gallons net water volume.

Basically i have 3 (related) challenges at the moment. I hope you can quickly read through my story and advise me.
1) CO2 diffusion
2) Flow

1) CO2 diffusion
The Fluval has 1" hose and i previously had an Aquamedic 1000 reactor plumbed inline. The AM1000 has 1/2" hose so the restriction in flow was huge, especially if you consider PVC 90 degree bends and so on. So i removed my AM1000, and plumbed a spraybar across the entire length of the tank on Ceg's (Ukaps) advice and it greatly improved flow in my tank. CO2 has since then been done by 2x GLA Bazooka Atomizers but i have the idea i lose a lot of co2 in my tank and it just looks ugly. So i want to improve this by moving my CO2 outside the tank again.

I'm thinking of adding an Eheim Compact+ Marine (NW pump) by means of adding an extra inlet and outlet and basically adding CO2 on an external circuit. I intend to add a clear water house filter (e.g. Cerge's style) reactor of 20" AFTER my NW pump to increase the dwell time. Is this usefull? Or would you suggest not to use the NW at all and inject the CO2 as larger bubbles inline to the Cerge's reactor? What would be the best bet?

2) Flow:
Having the external CO2 loop in place, i would need to get the CO2 enriched water back to my tank. Now i could just have 1 output (a knee) in the back of my tank behind my spraybar, but that would create a lot of current, blowing away my background plants.. So i was thinking of adding another spraybar behind the primary spraybar with larger holes so the primary (filter) spraybar would transport the co2 enriched water to my plants. Since the spraybar is facing forward it would create a back to front to back loop distributing nutrients correctly. I could also NOT add the NW pump and plumb the reactor inline with my Fluval...

My tank does not have a traditional overflow; but i do have a CPR overflow CS100 (at home) and CS102 (ordered) with an Aqualifter and pre-filter at home, so could replumb my entire tank if that would help in any way;
1) I could plumb the CPR overflow to my Fluval, but i don't know if that would work
2) I could plumb the CPR overflow to a new to build (small) sump of 60x60cm and remove my Fluval all together.. (how about CO2 then?)

Basically i would first like to get your advise on it.. The CPR overflow would need to be dead silent before my wife would accept it
 

Gilles

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@Tom, any ideas on this? Wet/dry filters are hard to come by here in the Netherlands so i am thinking of building one myself.
 

mlongpre

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Oct 25, 2013
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Personally I'd try the easier solutions first. Try the reactor inline with filter so enriched co2 water enters tank same way the rest of the water does. If it doesn't work well enough then maybe try your other option of getting a second pump and spray bar going and running the reactor inline with that.

Not sure about overflows and connecting them to a canister. Probably best to keep the water topped up if you do this.


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