Diffusers: Inline or in tank?

[ffmedic7]

I am getting ready to build my own quality CO2 rig (Victor Reg, Burkurt solenoid, Fabco NV) and would like some thoughts on the diffuser. I like the thought of reducing parts in my tank, so the inline diffuser appeals to that. I have been looking at the models from GLA In tank or the inline, but would love to hear from those who have much more experience than I.

I have a 20G bowfront, a sunsun 302 filter.

Thanks!

Matt

 

[soundgy]

I'm in the same boat. Waiting on my victor reg to come in soon.

Ceramic discs look nice, but having little to nothing in the tank looks much better.

Anyone have experience on this matter?

Matt K.

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk.

 

[pat w]

No experience yet but I opted for the inline myself. I've got a somewhat involved plan to mix the effluent with the rest of the return water and feed a full length spray bar I've built but have yet to install.

Pat

 

[evandro.carrenho]

I have never had an online one. But I wonder whether cleaning them is more trouble than the glass diffusers.

Evandro

 

[GillesF]

I've obtained much better results with inline diffusers + spray bar. The CO2 is more equally distributed and the bubbles are very small

 

[ffmedic7]

I am hearing that maybe the diffusion works better in the inline ones, but I agree that the maint would be more of a hassle. Speaking of, how often are some of you having to clean your diffusers ? and how are you doing so?

Thanks!

 

[pat w]

Orlando at GLA has mentioned a 50/50 mix of Clorox and water. Just a soak I would guess. As to frequency ... no idea.

Pat

 

[Jim Miller]

Since bleach and H2O2 are both oxidizers I think I would opt for the H2O2.

Jim

 

[SuperColey1]

I use a Boyu one (£5/$7) on ebay. I only clean it every 3 months or so. Compare that to the glass ones which need weekly cleaning IME. It is in the cabinet. In the dark. Main problem with the glass in tank ones is that they are directly under the light.

Some people leave them in 6 months and then just buy a new one

They work great too

AC

 

[scottward]

For a tank as small as 20G I don't think you'll have any trouble at all. Why not just build an inline reactor, or buy one (e.g. AM1000), which would well and truly handle the diffusion of CO2 for a tank your size. You could probably just stick a single return in the centre of the tank and leave it at that, I doubt you'd even need a spray bar.

 

[Matt F.]

I dump my ADA diffusers in bleach once a week. rinse and dechlor after and you're all good. Of course, you can buy the ADA superge, which is the same thing. This keeps your diffuser clean and working properly.

I soak for about 15-20 minutes while I do thye water changes.

 

[hbosman]

I use a Boyu one (£5/$7) on ebay. I only clean it every 3 months or so. Compare that to the glass ones which need weekly cleaning IME. It is in the cabinet. In the dark. Main problem with the glass in tank ones is that they are directly under the light.

Some people leave them in 6 months and then just buy a new one

They work great too

AC

I used a Boyu for a year without ever cleaning it. It never seemed to need it. After that year, I swapped it for a new Boyu and the bubble size was about the same. The replacement did get on my nerves though because it would whistle. I have heard that same noise in one of my in tank glass/ceramic diffusers so, it might be hit or miss whether you get one that does that. I am currently using an UpAqua inline diffuser which makes much finer bubbles and no noise fortunately. I have been using the UpAqua since December and haven't seen an increase in bubble size yet. I two believe, the inline ones require much less maintenance since they are not under the light.