Compare BarrVenturi Reactor to Spio V Diffuser

[underwurlde]

Just came across something called a Spio V Diffuser that claims to be able to dissolve 98% of the CO2 that passes through it. Yes, I said NINETY-EIGHT percent!

See here:
Spio V C02 diffuser [2566] - £11.99 : Aqua Essentials

At just 12 quid I'm thinking 'yeah, right!', but it looks lovely and has 'buy me' written all over it!

Anyone come across these things / used them?
I have just built & installed a BarrVenturi (UK version) Reactor so how do these little things compare?

Of course the advantage of a BarrVenturi reactor is that is can be turned on & off, but it's disadvantage is that it is large & unsightly.

YOUR THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS PLEASE!!!

Regards,

Andy

 

[Tom Barr]

I really did not like these.
I do like the Rhinox sold on ebay, they are cheap, but as good as the ADA models.
I have several reactor designs, the internal is very nice and easy to use and cheap if you have a small power head.

I'd rather see you spend 20 instead of 12 and get something you like and want and is less obtrusive personally.

AE might carry them if they try them out also. I know the guy in SG that sells them and he can get a volume discount so he can sell them in the UK for a decent $.


Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[Professor Myers]

RE: Spio Diffuser

I'll second Tom on the Spio. I only use these for the very smallest of desk tanks. They are grossly inadequate for anything larger. A counter current reactor will easily quadruple saturated Co2. It is difficult to find another reactor that is as efficient as Tom's original design, and "Impossible" to do it for less money.

The design can be improved (I use this term loosely ! ) For a Great Deal more money...baring only marginal performance for the investment in time, and money.
HTH. Prof M

 

[underwurlde]

You guys are fortunate to live in a country where living does not cost a fortune.

I live in the UK. When I tell people state-side how much Petrol costs (sorry, Gas) they just refuse to believe me.

I constructed my own Barr Modded version of the venturi reactor and my biggest problem was getting a cheap power head. I ended up getting an AquaClear Powerhead, part number: (Art.#A-585) from Hagen, supplied by an LFS. It is rated at 127 US Gal / hour or 480L / hour - thus matching the one in Tom's thread.

The powerhead alone cost me (drum roll please) £20 ($40 if you guys were to hop on a plane & come on over to get one).

I could not find the power head mentioned in Tom's thread & certainly could not get one for $5. If anyone can tell me exactly WHERE to get them from then that would be great and would add credence to recommending the BarrVenturi reactor DIY design as the best AND cheapest CO2 reactor.

Andy

 

[Tom Barr]

I'd be happy to send a Rio to you from here given the cost, but the funny electric differences make that tougher.
Many on line places sell them cheap.

If you think things are cheap here, try latin America, India or China.
There's a cost associated with lower prices.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[underwurlde]

Aye, you pays your money, you get your goods.

But here, you also pay extortionate taxes to get the same goods.... Tax on the good themselfs and stealth tax in the form of delivery charges because petrol (sorry, there I go again gas) is 85% taxed.

Hell, a pack of 20 fags (not that I smoke) will cost you $10 and to fill your car up with 50Litres of petrol will cost $100 (for the non-super cheapo stuff) - that gets my small 1.6L sized crappy car 300 miles.


Aaaaaanyway. What would help some, is what was the part / model number of that small Rio power head that you used / stated in your build guide - a link would be even better as I could not find one (Google kept concentrating on something else called Rio).

90% of the difficulty in making things is easily sourcing the bits. How many times have you come across wonderful designs that people are kind enough to share & explain how to knock up only to find that the guy has used 'bits knocking around my shed that came off a Spitfire' or 'loads of these things laying around up here in Canada' and you think arrrgh.

When I source some bits I will constuct a 'UK' build guide and pass it back to you, thus making this wonderful idea more easily accessible.

Thanks again,

Andy

 

[Tom Barr]

Well, that's the challenge when we go international.
I had a Russian friend, cold War ear, make a UV sterilizer once.
He had a heck of time, ended up with a 6 foot long giant thing.
You have to make do with what you have available.

Some places you can forget about using Flourite or ADA, you have sand and dirt and that's it.

The pump is a Taam Rio 180.
You can do a search on any USA web site and hunt it down easy enough, but Maxi Jet will work as will most any small powerhead in the 300-500 liter/hr range.
Just use an elbow and the top of container is cut to size anyway.

You might also consider a venturi mazzi for larger tanks in the 50 gallon or higher range.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[underwurlde]

OK, will look that up.

Soz if not made it clearer (I may be getting my threads mixed up - it's been a long week), but I have already made a Barr-Venturi Reactor using an Hagen AquaClear Power head that is rated to shift 125 US Gal / hr (480L / hr) - but cost £20 from an LFS.

My obvious intention is to try & source your $5 pump for anyone else wanting to build one in the UK (even if it does mean shipping in from state-side - the power of the internet & ebay etc etc) to replace the only one that I have found that is easily available so far but comes in at £20 ($40.)...

Andy

 

[BHornsey]

Hi Underwurlde,

I had good results using these that I sourced from SwellUK.com;
Underworld Aquatic Systems Maxi Jet Powerheads 400 - 1200

Still 15-20 quid each depending on flow but, hey, that's what you get for being in this country: I agree, it's gets galling to read how cheap things seem 'Over There'. The worst seems to be lighting accesories, easily the most expensive pert of setting up an aquarium, yet seemingly dirt cheap in the US.

Brian

 

[underwurlde]

15 quid looks kind of reasonable (still not $5 though), until you add a fivers worth of delivery on top of that!

I reckon we should get America back. I'm sure they'd welcome us back with open arms with that eeejit Bush still in charge...

El Presidente Andy

 

[Tom Barr]

Well, don't send a Lord to do a serf's job then

My family came here in 1640, both sides fought in the Contenential army, one side were Irish(Bell), the other are Scots(Barr)
So you know we had an axe to grind
There is still a Barr's Traven there in Edinbrugh, opps, Dùn Èideann.

Likely why I'm onerous?

Yes, things are cheaper like due to the market size here, CA for example is the 7th largest economy in the world, and we produce more rice than the whole of Japan.

When you order a container of product here, it's gone fast, the UK is an isolated market by comparision.

It stinks for you folks there though.

I see cost and even though there's a 2:1 pound to $ exchange rate, the no# are about equal for many things. I loved it there though.

I like the train system there some much, I wish ours was decent, but this is a car country, or planes........

Regards.,
Tom Barr

 

[BHornsey]

That's funny, I work for the railway (a signalman) and I think it's being run into the ground. I get nostalgic for the bad old days of British Railways !!

 

[rkilling1]

Since you have an Aqua clear power head already, why not use it?

This is what I did to make one of Tom's reactors with an Aqua clear power head:

Aquarium Advice :: View Topic - DIY CO2 powered reactor

 

[underwurlde]

I have - about 2 weeks ago!

I went to an LFS and chose that one specifically (albeit from a limited range on offer). I chose it becasue it was of lowest Ltr/hr rating & closely matched the one that Tom had used in his posted guide.

After an hours worth of fiddling & siliconing managed to constuct my own & it works perfectly. The CO2 levels relying on the ladder was a crappy 13-15ppm. 2 days ago (after going to fully on for 3 days) the levels are rising above 25ppm. Bloody bonza little idea BTW

My point is that typically a state side power head cost Tom a sultry $5. A comparable power head in the UK (the AquaClear one) was £20! I am therefore in the process of trying to source Tom's guide referenced power head and hopefuilly get it imported (or 'from Hong Kong') for half the price that I had to pay.....

Andy

Thanks for the link BTW. Good to compare....
My version of the same uses a gravel vac for the chamber. This meant that I could simply hang a 3" line of airhose down the exact middle of the chamber from the gravel vac outlet. It therefore does not interfere with the cyclonic motion of the water and in my mind improves it somewhat as it acts like a central spivot.

 

[BHornsey]

Whilst not strictly powerheads, I've found a source for some cheap pumps in the UK.
They do a 6800Lph (about 1500 Gph) for £39
Thats half what I paid for my 3500L pump

Have a look here; Monitors Direct: Pumps
They also do some good digital monitors/controllers.