need help with CO2 diffuser

[happi]

Tug suggested that i need to upgrade my co2 diffuser. so which one should i get, i am about to set 50g tank. T5HO 108 watts, Pressurized CO2 5lb.


http://cgi.ebay.com/Rhinox-2000-Aqu...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3a4cfa7e9b

this is what i have used for my 20g tank. and i dont know if would work fine for 50g. Tug said it wouldnt so i am looking for something that would work very well. i could spend around $100-$200 on co2 diffuser if you could suggest anything very good. i dont like anything that hooks up to the powerhead etc, unless there is something that would connect to my koralia 1 and rena xp2. i dont like to hand many powerheads or too much wires around my tank. i want to limit all these. is there anything out there which would diffuse co2 at 100% and works the best.

thank you

and

thanks to Tug for helping me till now.


i accidently have created 2 same thread. please delete one thank you

 

[shoggoth43]

Why not just use both this and your existing diffusor? Put one at each end of the tank and use that for your starting point. You may, or may not, need a second needle valve to tie in the second diffusor for more control or you could just Tee them together and see if that works well enough for your purposes.

-
S

Tug suggested that i need to upgrade my co2 diffuser. so which one should i get, i am about to set 50g tank. T5HO 108 watts, Pressurized CO2 5lb.


http://cgi.ebay.com/Rhinox-2000-Aqu...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3a4cfa7e9b

this is what i have used for my 20g tank. and i dont know if would work fine for 50g. Tug said it wouldnt so i am looking for something that would work very well. i could spend around $100-$200 on co2 diffuser if you could suggest anything very good. i dont like anything that hooks up to the powerhead etc, unless there is something that would connect to my koralia 1 and rena xp2. i dont like to hand many powerheads or too much wires around my tank. i want to limit all these. is there anything out there which would diffuse co2 at 100% and works the best.

thank you

and

thanks to Tug for helping me till now.


i accidently have created 2 same thread. please delete one thank you

 

[happi]

hi

thank you for your info. but how i would tee them up. i mean i will buy another one which would be same kind of glass diffuser.
where can i buy the part to tee them up toghter. do they sell anything like that at petsmart or petco.

wouldnt adding 2 diffuser to one line would cause more or less bubbles on the diffusers.

thankx

Why not just use both this and your existing diffusor? Put one at each end of the tank and use that for your starting point. You may, or may not, need a second needle valve to tie in the second diffusor for more control or you could just Tee them together and see if that works well enough for your purposes.

-
S

 

[Just]

You can buy a T junction at pretty much any pet store that sells airline tubing.

Adding two diffusers might reduce the flow of co2 to each one of the diffusers, but I assume you could just turn up the co2 a little bit to compensate. If somebody knows from experience that this isn't the case, please correct me.

 

[BigFlusher]

Just to churn the mix...

I recommend thinking about the diy dual venturi system http://www.barrreport.com/showthread.php/3444-Dual-venturi-DIY-External-CO2-reactor.

They are easy to build, if you cannot find clear pvc, just use the regular stuff, it works well.

 

[captain_bu]

If you want to use two glass diffusers you will need to add a manifold (splitter) and a second needle valve to your CO2 regulator. If you run them off a T the pressure to the two diffusers won't be even, they need to be adjusted separately.

The diffuser you have is too small for a 50 gallon tank (think you are already aware of that). If you want to keep clutter to a minimum use a reactor plumbed into the outflow of your canister filter. You can either buy one (some are pretty expensive) or make one. Making one is easy and cheap. The dual-venturi design is nice but adding the venturi may not be necessary for you. The same style of reactor without the venturi may be enough.

I have the same size 50 gallon tank that you do. In the past year I tried numerous methods of diffusion. I went from a DIY style reactor (Rex Grigg's design), to injecting the CO2 directly into the intake of an Eheim 2028, to an ADA Pollen Glass Beetle 500 (largest glass diffuser they sell), to injecting CO2 into a Hydor Mini Elite filter in the tank, and then back to using the reactor. I went back to the reactor since my plants did not pearl as easily or do as well with any of the other methods that I tried. Keep in mind that plant density and scape are going to affect circulation in your tank, what works well with one layout may not work as well with another. Frequently it is necessary to add a powerhead to the tank to help move CO2 and nutrients to areas with low flow.

CO2 requires a bit of experimentation to get it right, there is no "best" and foolproof method. You will not get a one-size-fits-all answer on any forum but you will get lots of ideas about things to try. Go slow and remember the less light you use the easier it is to dial in CO2. I have become a big fan of hanging light fixtures for better control of light intensity.

 

[happi]

hi all

thanks for the advices. i dont i am going to use 2 glass diffuser then. i need something that works at their best. please send me link a and i will buy the co2 diffuser. i will be using rena xp2, if there is anything that could connect to this filter i would be happy to do that as well. because i heard that this was the co2 diffuse much better.


would this glass diffuser work for the 50g long tank:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Rhinox-5000-Gla...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3a475ab050

or this one but how do i hook this up to rena xp2 and is there anything else that needed to be added to it.
http://cgi.ebay.com/2-in-1-CO2-DIFF...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3a564c518b

or
CO2 Reactor 200 - up to 200 Liter(50 gallons)
http://www.aquatichouse.com/plants_files/co2reactor.asp

thank you all

 

[happi]

please someone answer this question, i really need to have the diffuser setup.

my setup is:
50g long
nova extreme 2x54 watts (108 watts) 2.16WPG
5lb co2
koralia 1
seachem Flourite Black Sand

 

[PHalas]

Captain_bu pretty much covered it ! The options have been presented & all will work, but only you can make your mind up!!

You don't like tank clutter so an inline reactor sounds like the way to go very efficient & can be set up out of sight. Myself this is what I would be looking @ http://www.barrreport.com/showthrea...ernal-CO2-reactor?highlight=home+made+reactor or if you are not setup for the DIY thing then an AM 1000 would be a good place to start, don't know who sells them, how much or where the best deal is But I'm sure it would not take you long to find out.

In either event I would be also considering the center placed 1 into 2 / dual outlet distributing the Co2 to both ends of the tank.

 

[nipat]

or this one but how do i hook this up to rena xp2 and is there anything else that needed to be added to it.
http://cgi.ebay.com/2-in-1-CO2-DIFF...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3a564c518b

Don't buy the one above, it needs to be submerged to operate. So if you don't use sump filter,
it needs to be in your tank. And it's big. Which is probably not the way you want.

For the Red Sea's Reactor 200, I don't know how it operates (if it needs a pump?). Or may be
it's just a normal diffuser but labeled as ‘reactor’. So no comment.

I think the suitable choices for you are inline types which can be used outside of tank
(such as AM1000: http://www.aquariumplants.com/product_p/am-73011.htm or DIY),
or inline diffuser (such as http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=370236770101
— they have different sizes, check you hose size before purchase).

 

[happi]

thanks everyone

i don't think i will try the DIY as i am not very good at that stuff. unless someone here who could sell me one. i am willing to buy one from anyone who could make one for me. but i am not sure how it would work on my rena xp2.


i am looking into the Aqua-Medic Co2 Reactor 1000. but i don't understand where it will hook up to the rena xp2. wouldn't it get stuff like debris, dirt etc when filter sucks that stuff up from the aquarium. i am not sure how this will work and just confuse about this design. someone please explain how this unit work and how it would be installed on the rena xp2.
http://www.aquariumplants.com/product_p/am-73011.htm


my last choice is this one:
http://www.aquatichouse.com/plants_files/co2reactor.asp
CO2 Reactor 500 - up to 500 Liter (125 gallons)

if anyone knows about this, please do let me know what is your experience with this unit and how it operate.

 

[shoggoth43]

The AM1000 would go on the output leg of your XP2. You would take the output hose of the XP2 and put it into the TOP of the AM1000. The bottom hose from the AM1000 would then go to your tank through the XP2 spraybar or nozzle. You may have some trouble restarting your XP2 after maintenace in which case inverting the AM1000 so all the air flows out to the tank should help fix that.

The other one is a combo reactor/powerhead. You place this IN the tank somewhere and attach the CO2 line. I don't know if you can aim the output on that though but I've seen them driven hard enough to kill fish in a 90 gallon tank so they're certainly powerful enough.

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S

 

[happi]

hi shoggoth

now it kind of make since about how the medic co2 works. how can i make sure that it will fit the rena xp2, unless you already know about it. can you please tell me more about it. i think i will be getting this one. i have heard good things about it and i am sure that it will work very well in my 50g tank. please do advice more.

i did not understand how the Red Sea's Reactor would kill the fish. but i heard it is very good also and does not require extra things to run it. far as i could remember, i think all you have to do is plug it in the power supply and plug in the co2 and that's all.

but i would defiantly spend more money on something that will run in long run and diffuse 100% co2 without wasting allot of co2.

so what are your opinion on the medic 1000, how good is it and how effective it is?

thank you

 

[shoggoth43]

The reason many people don't like the aqua medic is the inlet/outlet sizes. This limits the flow through the unit and is one reason people move to DIY reactors or rebuild the AM unit to have larger inlets. The XP2 uses 5/8" hoses I think and this will fit the AM1000. Flow through this might be a little anemic with the XP2 though since you probably won't be pushing much more than 150GPH or so. I don't really have any experience with the AM 1000 other than what I've read. If you do a search for AM 1000 on this site you should find several threads with people's likes/dislikes. If you use this with the XP2 you will want to make sure that you keep the filter clean since any flow changes due to dirty media will have a big affect on your CO2 levels and this may affect your decision. Stable CO2 levels during the lights on period are key.

The Red Sea unit is a decent little unit from what I've seen. The reason it killed the fish is that someone at the store decided the pH was too high and cranked the CO2 up to bring it down. It did just that and put so much CO2 in that they asphyxiated. Extreme situation and possible with any reactor or diffusor so it's more a case of improper/careless CO2 usage than anything else and not a mark against the RedSea product. But it if it can do that in a 90 gallon tank you should have no problems getting any amount of CO2 you're likely to want to dissolve in your 50 gallon. As with any CO2, go slowly and pay attention to what you're doing. Malnourished plants can bounce back, asphyxiated fish generally do not. It's pretty simple to operate. Plug in the CO2 line, put it in the water and plug it in. Control the CO2 with a solenoid and timer as you normally would, or use the pH controller thingy if that's your bit, and you're set.

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S

 

[happi]

thanks for reply

i guess i am better with red sea 500. i don't really want to mess with hoses and make it too complicated with aqua medic. i will go for the red sea 500 and i have seen some videos on youtube which shows that it works very well.

thank you for your reply