# Do I need a Bubble Counter if I have a spiral diffuser?



## wlevine09 (Apr 7, 2014)

I have a different spiral "bubble counter" and in my opinion it is not very good for counting bubbles. I use this one







And I find that when my co2 drop checker liquid is perfectly green my bubble counter says im at like 6 bps on a 24 gallon tank.


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## Rookiiwoo (Jul 13, 2014)

Wait, you have a metal diffuser? I haven't seen those. The glass spirals are hard to clean I've heard but I liked the look of them. I don't mind getting a regular small diffuser without the spiral if it's more practical. Just kinda thought the novelty was cool.


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## essabee (Oct 7, 2006)

Rookiiwoo said:


> I've decided to go with c02Art after reading through a lot of reviews and the general consensus here of the bad quality in other brands. GLA is a tad bit too expensive.
> My questions are:
> 1. I would like to get a spiral glass diffuser. I've read this can double as a bubble counter. If so, do I not need a bubble counter anymore?
> 2. If I get a bubble counter with integrated check valve, do I need an additional metal check valve on the tubing between the regulator and diffuser?
> ...


Bubble- counters and drop-checkers are visual aids to enable you to get the feel of and/or be assured of the quantity and effect of the use of CO2 in your tank - if you feel the need for them - have them, its your personal preference.

When you connect any equipment which is to be protected from water by a pipeline which connects it to water - it would be prudent to safe-guard it with a check valve; 2 check-valves are twice the the protection. 

Spiral diffusers may look nice, but have very low capacity of dissolving CO2; so are useful only when very low levels of CO2 is being added. They do not need any extra pressure for working. If any part of the bubbles are escaping from end of the spiral - you would need a more effective diffuser.


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## Rookiiwoo (Jul 13, 2014)

Ahh, I had read that since it takes longer to get to the actual diffuser part it took longer to dissolve the c02 by the time it bubbled out, plus the fact that it was a visual aid. So a regular mini c02 diffuser would be better? It's not a particularly big tank. I don't imagine my c02 needs being too great. However, I am carpeting mini hairgrass.


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## wlevine09 (Apr 7, 2014)

Rookiiwoo said:


> Wait, you have a metal diffuser? I haven't seen those. The glass spirals are hard to clean I've heard but I liked the look of them. I don't mind getting a regular small diffuser without the spiral if it's more practical. Just kinda thought the novelty was cool.


That isnt a pic of my tank, I just used it as i have the same spiral counter. As for the stainless steel diffuser, I dont like the way the ceramic disc sits in them personally. I use this as my diffuser 









And I am the same way, I liked the look of the spiral much better than the plastic one I had and I ultimately trust my co2 drop checker liquid than I do BPS as 3 bps on a 180 gal is very different than 3 bps on a 10 gal.
@essabee the diffusor he is thinking of is a spiral that leads to a regular ceramic diffuser like this i assume


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

I think of bubble counters as somewhat like a meter of any sort without markings to tell what size is measured. Is it miles or kilometers, type thing? 
It may not show how much CO2 is passing but it does tell you when more is and when it might have stopped. This is good info, especially when first starting a tank and not being really good at judging the CO2 amount by the plant performance. Turning the needle valve and seeing the bubbles go by faster/slower can be a real help but setting it at any special number of bubbles doesn't mean it is the right level and other ways to judge can help more.


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## wlevine09 (Apr 7, 2014)

PlantedRich said:


> I think of bubble counters as somewhat like a meter of any sort without markings to tell what size is measured. Is it miles or kilometers, type thing?
> It may not show how much CO2 is passing but it does tell you when more is and when it might have stopped. This is good info, especially when first starting a tank and not being really good at judging the CO2 amount by the plant performance. Turning the needle valve and seeing the bubbles go by faster/slower can be a real help but setting it at any special number of bubbles doesn't mean it is the right level and other ways to judge can help more.


I like the analogy. I still think the "my checker is green. im good" is better than "this thing is really bubbling." My friend has an 8 gal. tank and when he saw my diffuser on my 30 gallon going he nearly lost his head.


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## Rookiiwoo (Jul 13, 2014)

Well, to be safe I ended up going with the Nano diffuser (not spiral), bubble counter with check valve, AND stainless steel check valve. Better safe than sorry


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## essabee (Oct 7, 2006)

@wlevine09 - I assumed the diffuser to be those ladder-types only in spiral shape.


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## wlevine09 (Apr 7, 2014)

essabee said:


> @wlevine09 - I assumed the diffuser to be those ladder-types only in spiral shape.


I see. Also as an aside, despite the amount of space the ladder type take up, I sure love watching the bubbles shrink as they go up.


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