IronChefItaly Posted October 23, 2013 Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 I am currently using the stock Fluval 88G CO2 system and observe a good portion of the bubbles reaching the surface (uses a ceramic disk). I have looked at several other methods of diffusing CO2 and am curious what other people have found to work best in terms of efficiency. The method must be... less than $50 aesthetic no ceramic disks or ladders I am considering... power head co2 reactor (not too sure whats involved with this?) placing the co2 output near my HOB filter intake? Any advice or suggestions is greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted October 23, 2013 Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 I feed the CO2 into the INTAKE of a pawerhead - that chops the CO2 into a fine mist that gets sent all around the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cainechow Posted October 23, 2013 Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 Second vote for CO2 into the power head intake. I get 100% diffusion with that method. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayba Posted October 23, 2013 Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 If you have a canister I used this for a long time. http://gwapa.org/wordpress/articles/external-inline-co2-reactor/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekbottom Posted October 23, 2013 Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 +1 for the CO2 reactor. I had a ceramic diffuser and I used it for about a day. As I watched the tiny bubbles rise to the surface I got this very sick feeling of throwing money away lol. Now, I don't see any tiny bubbles in the tank and the drop checker is always green. I have a Cerges style reactor and a Rex Griggs style. The Cerges is easier to build but a little more expensive. The Rex Grigg, I think is more effective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McTurtle Posted October 23, 2013 Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 Mine is on the output of my canister filter. It works, but I don't know how efficient it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyfisher Posted October 24, 2013 Report Share Posted October 24, 2013 google elite mini co2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayba Posted October 24, 2013 Report Share Posted October 24, 2013 My Rex Griggs one has zero bubble even at 8 bubbles a second. If I was to do it again I would make it with an inspection port for cleaning and fill it full of bioballs to create some turbulence inside. Cost me about 25 bucks to Jimmy rig together at Totem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFish9999 Posted November 1, 2013 Report Share Posted November 1, 2013 a good device to use is something that makes the co2 bubbles collide Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shambhalove_ Posted November 7, 2013 Report Share Posted November 7, 2013 Cant beat a reactor... http://www.rexgrigg.com/diy-reactor.htm or a little less DIY for a cerges... http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=110100 An additional note, CO2 is cheap, much cheaper than replacing fish so crank up the surface agitation and stop worrying about "wasted" CO2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blink Posted November 8, 2013 Report Share Posted November 8, 2013 google elite mini co2 This is a good option, they are cheap enough and small but there is absolutely nothing wrong with ceramic discs. I'm using the same diffuser that came in your fluval kit and none of my bubbles reach the surface because I have my filter return blowing over the diffuser which blasts the CO2 all over the tank quite nicely. You can also put the diffuser underneath your filter intake or under a powerhead as has been mentioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckmullin Posted November 8, 2013 Report Share Posted November 8, 2013 wood is a great option for dispersing co2. the 'original' method! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaykit Posted November 8, 2013 Report Share Posted November 8, 2013 google elite mini co2 This is a good option, they are cheap enough and small but there is absolutely nothing wrong with ceramic discs. I'm using the same diffuser that came in your fluval kit and none of my bubbles reach the surface because I have my filter return blowing over the diffuser which blasts the CO2 all over the tank quite nicely. You can also put the diffuser underneath your filter intake or under a powerhead as has been mentioned. +1 for the Hagen mini. I use 2 of these on my 180g planted tank and they work great. Plus, with my black painted background, I can't even see them. Especially, behind all of my plants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekbottom Posted November 8, 2013 Report Share Posted November 8, 2013 I had used an Elite mini for a while as well, in a small tank. It worked pretty good. The problem was finding one of them, there was only one place in the Edmonton area that sold them anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frogfish Posted March 10, 2014 Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 +1 for the reactor inline with a canister filter output, havent seen a bubble since the disc was swapped for a reactor. I would be cautious with any system that disperses into the intake of a canister due to the damage the gas could cause. In a smaller tank the old disc diffuser sits under the intake of an aquaclear 50 filter and there are no bubbles except for the ones coming from the plants in both tanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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