# Best Co2 Diffusion Method for 55 Gal?



## JasonG75 (Mar 1, 2011)

I like the "FAKE" Atomizer on Ebay


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## shinycard255 (Sep 15, 2011)

I use a glass diffuser in my 60G and I have the diffuser underneath the intake of my canister filter. I hardly ever see the 7-up look anymore as most of the bubbles are chopped up into relatively small bubbles by the impeller of the canister.

My glass diffuser gives me more than enough CO2 that I need for the tank, you just need to make sure it's getting dissolved into the water and you have good water movement in your tank.

I started using my diffuser under a powerhead how you had, but then switched that to my filter intake as I didn't like the 7-up look, and honestly, the tank looks great now. I might see a few small CO2 bubbles here and there, but not as bad as with the powerhead


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## HD Blazingwolf (May 12, 2011)

for a reactor, and no bubble solution. the cerge reactor is a solid piece of work!!!!


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## Kevyg (Jan 25, 2012)

HD Blazingwolf said:


> for a reactor, and no bubble solution. the cerge reactor is a solid piece of work!!!!


Am i able to set it up so i can just use a separate pump with the cerges reactor? I have a pump lying around already..

my canister only rocks 264 gph... and its below the tank, so its less than that.

(i work at a grow shop, so the supplies for a cerges are almost as expensive as a rex grig's reactor.)

I was reading that you have to manually burp these often, also, if you do, then do you not want to use the hole where the red pressure release is?

(i may be thinking way too far into this)


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

I use rex style reactors and couldn't be more pleased. I just posted pics of the oxygen bubbles I'm getting from all the pearling on the plants if you want to see (click the link in my sig line). The bubbles are not CO2 bubbles, but oxygen from pearling. I don't ever see CO2 bubbles.

A rex style reactor should work just fine with your canister (although, I'd recommend a second canister for the tank even if you don't add a reactor).


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## Aquaticfan (Oct 30, 2011)

HD Blazingwolf said:


> for a reactor, and no bubble solution. the cerge reactor is a solid piece of work!!!!


This man is spot on!!!

Cerges Reactor and dont look back. I use several in my set ups. Works flawless.


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## Aquaticfan (Oct 30, 2011)

Kevyg said:


> Am i able to set it up so i can just use a separate pump with the cerges reactor? I have a pump lying around already..
> 
> my canister only rocks 264 gph... and its below the tank, so its less than that.
> 
> ...



This is how mine are set up so I can still use the bleed hole for bleeding off air when i want.. and the only times I ever have to do it is when I service my filter..... 




















Also I might note that eventually you have to clean stuff and Griggs reactors can be a little more difficult. Cerges are easy as well as dont kill as much flow. Ive used both in past.. and lean towards Cerges.


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

I found my Atomizer from GLA to be better than my Cal Aqua in tank. Atomizer gives a 7 up look depending on how much CO2. With reasonable levels, it's minimal. With no live stock, even though it may not be to high to gas anything, I get the 7 up look. You also want to make sure you are using every bit of flow in your tank to the best of your ability. You likely have enough with that filter, assuming the flowrate doesn't drop significantly as it clogs. Good flow will help more than anything IMO, even though it took me a long time to realize that.


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## JasonG75 (Mar 1, 2011)

You know, I think I am about ready to REALLY look into this method of diffusion (Cerges Reactor or rex style reactors) can someone point me in the direction of the HOW TO? THANKS


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## Bobby24 (Jun 3, 2012)

I just bought an Ista reactor for about $10 and it works really well, give it a shot I think you can get one on the net.


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## sketch804 (Mar 2, 2011)

all the information you could ever want on the Cerges' reactor:
www.plantedtank.net/forums/diy/110100-cerges-reactor-diy-inline-co2-reactor.html

I have a Cerges reactor and I love it and have never looked back! Great flow, good diffusion, NO 7-up look, everything I could want. I did the same as the poster above me where I left the purge plug in place and added another piece onto the reactor for injecting CO2. 
Also yes you can use you pump for the closed inline system as opposed to using your canister.


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## Kevyg (Jan 25, 2012)

I like it , i planned on drilling another hole so i can still use the bleed valve, but that makes WAAAAY more sense... lol +1 for that tip

I can piece together a reactor with parts already owned and things i can buy for less than $15 with it's own intake and output using a submersible pump converted to an in-line pump. 

That being said i can get more flow into my tank by introducing another 260GPH plus of water movement (non filtered).

As to the get another canister filter, do i really need another canister filter? (gives me an excuse to get one with UV filter if i do need another on).

I also have a simple Aqueon 55 HOB filter so i can have a basic backup culture of bacteria and help get debris out of the tank.

Thanks everyone! The answers here are always spot on.



Aquaticfan said:


> This is how mine are set up so I can still use the bleed hole for bleeding off air when i want.. and the only times I ever have to do it is when I service my filter.....
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

Kevyg said:


> As to the get another canister filter, do i really need another canister filter? (gives me an excuse to get one with UV filter if i do need another on).


Since you're looking for an excuse and I believe strongly in having two canisters on every tank, I can give you a few excuses.

Most important is with two canisters you can rotate maintenance between the two without having to worry about your tank's cycle. Planted tanks are messy which can cause canisters to get pretty grungy over time. After awhile, a canister needs to be cleaned out. When you have two canisters, you can do a more thorough job of cleaning one canister while knowing that the bacteria in the other canister remains undisturbed.

Over time, canisters break down. Usually, it's just little stuff like a snail got into the impeller or the o-ring needs to be lubricated or something simple like that. If you don't have time to fix it that minute (gotta run to school or work), it's not a problem because you have the other canister running. You can make your repairs when you have more time. It's even more helpful if both canisters are identical so you can swap out canisters if the one that's down is more critical than the other (it's the one running the CO2 reactor, for example).

Having two canisters makes bringing up new tanks a breeze. I have 4 identical canisters running my 90g and 75g (2 canisters on each tank). When I cleaned out my 75g which included bleaching it which killed all my bacteria, I was left with a completely uncycled tank. No problem. I just swapped a clean canister from my 75g with a dirty one on my 90g, and my 75g cycled immediately thanks to all the bacteria in the dirty canister.

I also have one canister running the CO2 reactor and the other canister running the uv sterilizer. It's a nice setup. I get very good flow and great circulation throughout the tank. It also lets me configure intakes on both sides with two full-length spray bars on the back of the tank. The point is that you can configure the intake and outputs more to your liking when you have double the canisters and double the flow.

Does that give you enough excuses to get another canister? :icon_lol:


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## JasonG75 (Mar 1, 2011)

+1 on the 2 canister method.

I have a 75g and I use 2 Cascade 1000, make maintenance a breeze.


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## Aquaticfan (Oct 30, 2011)

I've got 2 canisters on my 90 gallon. Each one has a reactor and multiple outlets. It allows me to have a decent surface agitation and lower current/flow to keep everything moving and co2 even. It also allows me to have to intakes to collect and filter waste. I run uv as well. Plus I've got close to 1100 gph flow for turn over. Plus I agree with others above on multiple canisters.


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## Kevyg (Jan 25, 2012)

i think i can definately go the two canister method, ill get the aquatop cf-400UV that will be more than i need and i can run my reactor through it.

the biggest hurdle........... convincing the fiancee to let me spend more money on this giant cube of what is starting to seem like liquid gold....


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## Ach1Ll3sH33L (Mar 1, 2012)

Kevyg said:


> i think i can definately go the two canister method, ill get the aquatop cf-400UV that will be more than i need and i can run my reactor through it.
> 
> the biggest hurdle........... convincing the fiancee to let me spend more money on this giant cube of what is starting to seem like liquid gold....


2 of those filters should be perfect, one on each side. I have one on my 50 gallon and use a powerhead cause it wasnt enough. 

To the ops question, im using a straight 2" pvc reactor on mine. I find that it works great, its churns the c02 and dissolves almost all of it. I do get a good amount of small c02 bubbles floating around the tank as well since i have my c02 cranked very high, 45ppm.


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