Tom's internal venturi reactor

[milesm]

hi,

i can't remember the site, but there is one that shows how to construct Tom's internal venturi reactor using the viewtainer, with pictures. the first step was to discard the bottom (the non-slitted one). can anyone direct me to this site? i've searched the forum here and on plantedtank and aquaticplantcentral, but cannot find it. i also checked back in my history, but could not find it either. thanks.

 

[Tom Barr]

It's here actually.

 

[Tom Barr]

And more here:

 

[Tom Barr]

Note small 3/16" burp hole on opposite side of the venturi.
The viewtainer is 4"x2", cost 1.99$ at OSH, Home Depot etc

Rigid airline tubing is 69 cents for 3 feet.
Rio powerheads about 8.99 or so on line etc

I use the lighter to melt the holes into the sides.
The suction cups holes as well.

The top is cut with a X shape and tightly wegded the Rio 180 elbow in there and then snap on the powerhead.

The rest is self evident, look at the pictures and do that.

 

[milesm]

Tom,

thanks for the quick reply. i saw the pictures you just posted. i was referring to a 'how to' , with pictures.

btw, what you refer to as the top is in fact the base, is it not? the top has the slit, the base has the 4 'feet'.

 

[Tom Barr]

Does it look 4 feet long?
There's no ' apostrophe behind the 4, it's just a typo.

It's as simple as looking and doing, there's no need for detailed step by step instructions, if you messed up, then the veiwtainer cost you 1.99$ to make another one

Everything is there and laid out.
Every orientation is shown.

I have attached a word doc with a detailed drawing as well.
If you are into DIYing things, you should be able to figure it out, it's a simple device.


Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[Tom Barr]

http://www.barrreport.com/articles/41-diy-internal-reactor-great-yeast-co2-users.html

Still looking for what Greg did with that Word Doc I drew.
Op, found it


Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[milesm]

Does it look 4 feet long?
There's no ' apostrophe behind the 4, it's just a typo.

It's as simple as looking and doing, there's no need for detailed step by step instructions, if you messed up, then the veiwtainer cost you 1.99$ to make another one

Everything is there and laid out.
Every orientation is shown.

I have attached a word doc with a detailed drawing as well.
If you are into DIYing things, you should be able to figure it out, it's a simple device.


Regards,
Tom Barr

let me be more clear: it appears you are using the end cap that has 4 foot-looking things molded into it. i think you should edit step 1 of your word doc from "The bottom removal part of the viewtainer is discarded." to "the bottom end cap (the one with 4 foot-like things molded into the cap) should be retained and used in the following steps. discard the end cap with the slit."

it became obvious to me that the bottom should be used and the top discarded. my reason for asking about that pictorial how-to site was that it also said to discard the base.

this may be misleading to those who may not be too diy savvy.

thanks.

Milesm

ps. they cost $2.79 now

 

[Tom Barr]

Haha, I ain't that clear sometimes either
Dang, i knew I should not have said nothing, they went and raised the darn price to 2.79!! Them ratscallions!

Yes, I went back and changed the ' in the last post.

Thanks for the comments.

Now go make one and see.
Them go bug other folks and show them how.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[milesm]

possible project for this evening. i might also try to make one with co2 input to powerhead's venturi (similar to rio) and attach the reactor's venturi line to input of the powerhead.

i'll see how it compares to my japanese-made reactor that has the co2 input at the top, water coming in tangentially from the top, bioballs in the body of the tube, and tangential output at the bottom. it's made out of clear green plastic. it does not seem to be terribly efficient, but most likely a function of diy co2.

Milesm

 

[Tom Barr]

This works much bettere than those.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[milesm]

i made one of these reactors and i got the co2 misting, but needed another powerhead to disperse it around the tank. i didn't measure co2 levels, but the plants seemed to grow well, with a little pearling, and bba seemed to abate somewhat, after 1 week of use.

however, the unit is difficult to place vertically. i found attaching the pump to be the most difficult part of the construction. the pump (catalina 200) makes the whole thing a bit top heavy and wobbly. plus, with the addition of the circulating powerhead, it just took too much room in my 30 gal tank. add to that the silicone that i slapped on to keep the suction cups in place, it ain't the prettiest thing to behold.

my japanese made reactor has a tangential output on the bottom, powered by a catalina 200 powerhead that provides good circulation throughout the tank. i will drill a hole for the venturi connection and see if i can get more misting than it currently produces (flows through bioballs). is the burp hole absolutely necessary? (i run it continuously, with diy co2.) Tom, i remember one of your article says something about o2 or other gases collecting in the tube as the day goes on, which makes the reactor less efficient. is this why the burp hole is needed? thanks.

Milesm

 

[Tom Barr]

The burp hole just burps excess out beyond whatever level you drill the burp hole at. It self levels the amount of gas in a tube is all.

I think you did not add the suction cup on the side of the tube, the top heavy aspect is good when you add the suction on the side of the tube.

You melt it in there and clip the suction cup in, that holds the units very well to the side of the tank, the weight of the power head keeps it pressed down.

You are NOT suppose to use a catalinia powerhead(you can if you so chose, but I've never used them, nor suggested to), that was your own choice to force all that together.

Rio's are cheap and available, they work very well for this reactor and are 9$ on line.

Just in case, folks are to use an elbow inside the top of the lid, not a straight down attachment to the powerhead output/effluent side.

Most folks use a filter in conjuction with a powerhead/reactor, simply placing the out flow near the reactor solves any of that extra powerhead needed business to get the CO2 well mixed in the tank etc.

If you want to have more directional flow(If you use a filter, it's not needed), simply slap the end cap on the viewtainer on the end and melt/drill a 1/2" hole on the bottom of lower side of the cap etc to direct the outflow anywhere you want.

This is not brain surgery, it's simple and solving issues you may have takes a little fiddling and some simple solutions.

Many want to use other brands etc, that's fine, but you may have more trouble putting it together.

If there is something you like about one unit, and want to add it here, just ask, adding a cap is a simple thing, so is placing it in the flow of the filter etc.

I think many times folks hit their heads against the wall when there are very simple solutions, lord knows I've done that enough more than I like to fess.

I hate that

But it can do the same thing as those green plastic giant tubes they sell for CO2 reactors, never found them to do well myself nor a few stores that carried them here.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[milesm]

thanks for the reply Tom.

btw, i do not have any filters on this tank. the only circulation it gets is through my powerhead/reactor.

with respect to rios, they are not available here, and with shipping, especially foster and smith who apply double shipping charges to Hawaii, it just is not worth it. besides, rios have a poor reputation, per old threads on aquaria.rec.

 

[Tom Barr]

I've used rios for a number of years, they are just as decent given the similar brands, and range I'm dealing with here, the Rio 180's do have limited life spans, but so do all types of smaller powerheads.

Some simple modification addresses no filter set ups, I also do not suggest those either(no filter planted tanks).

You are welcomed to do them, but I've found over time the tanks do better with filters vs not.

A little fiddling will allow you to do whatever you want, such as splitting the outflow with a Tee, one for the reactor and the other for the circulation pattern you want.

There are many easy cheap simple solutions to this depending on where you wanna go go here.

Don't box yourself in, rather, explore the limits


Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[milesm]

thanks for the words of encouragement.

the only economically reasonable filters available here are hob's. cannisters are practically double over online prices; online shipping charges make it a wash, especially foster and smith, who double charge shipping fees for residents of Alaska and Hawaii.

is it a fact that hob drive off co2? or have you empirically debunked that too?

Milesm

 

[Tom Barr]

You can change their flow to reduce it.
Also, simply maintaining good high water levels will reduce it.
Hagen are not bad, plenty of folks use them and CO2.

Of the 9 tanks I have, only 3 have canisters

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[thatguy2012]

Does the depth of this reactor matter, I have built it and was wondering if it works better deep or shallow.

 

[Tom Barr]

Generally up high and out of the way as the mist and flow come out the bottom and travels downward at first through the tank.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[milesm]

i finally got around to add the venturi connection in my reactor. it appears to be more effective than co2 bubbling under a powerhead: more pearling and pearling earlier in the photoperiod. also, fewer bubbles flying all over the tank.