# CO2 System Help



## Nolan W. (Feb 9, 2005)

Last year, I ordered the Semi-Automatic CO2 System from Drs. Foster & Smith and bought a 5 lb. cylinder. Since this was my first CO2 system, I fumbled with it, then left it alone for a while. Turns out that the AM bubble counter leaks. Sooo... now I'm stuck with the Azoo regulator w/ solenoid, some cut pieces of silicone tubing, a bubble counter that leaks, and a glass diffusor with algae on the disk. How do I make this work for < $50? I have absolutely no DIY skills, so I can't really build anything. I really wish I did more research and bought the JBJ regulator instead. Now I'm stumped. :icon_frow


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## Aftica (Nov 26, 2003)

No worries - in reality the bubble counter is a NON REQUIRED piece of equipment - it looks cool - it obviously makes movement to look all scientific and Dr. Jekyll ish... but it don't prevent you from using the rest of the gear... (it DOES let you see how much CO2 and at what rate - useful but not earth shattering)

Here is a DIY bubble counter made by Rex from a bottle, tubing, and a wee bit of silicone sealant...








... requires absolutely zero DIY skill and works perfectly well (actually it is probably *more* user friendly than most commercially available bubble counters) Photo is blatantly gaffed from http://www.rexgrigg.com - check it out!

As for the glass diffuser with algae on the disk.. Dunno I have never actually seen one up close or investigated it's mechanics etc.. I assume it can be cleaned? (or does the disc have certain characteristics that would be diminished or destroyed by cleaning etc?) - again I am not familiar with them...

However over at http://aquatic-store.com/ *OR* at http://www.aquabotanic.com/abstore/index.html you can find numerous reactors that are less than 50 - many of which are quite good. What size tank are you thinking of hooking it up to? And what kind of filtration system will help as well to find flow rates and help make a wise selection etc..


OK - all that being said - check this article... http://www.plantedtank.net/pressurizedco2.html - pretty good help there as well...


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## Stu (Feb 16, 2004)

The _"official"_ way to clean a glass diffuser is to soak it in a recommended laboratory glass cleaner. However, you will get great results with bleach, just make sure to bathe and rinse it with water afterwards.

Am I right in deducing that you have a bottle of CO2, a regulator, tubing and the diffuser?
If these all work, then you're good to go in theory for crude injection of CO2. To make it a more usable system, I'd invest in a needle vavle to get fine control over the delivery rate.

As mentioned by Aftica, bubble counters are simple to make if you don't want to spend out on one. They are not necessary, but nice to have for a quick check on flow rate.


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## Nolan W. (Feb 9, 2005)

Stu said:


> Am I right in deducing that you have a bottle of CO2, a regulator, tubing and the diffuser?
> If these all work, then you're good to go in theory for crude injection of CO2. To make it a more usable system, I'd invest in a needle vavle to get fine control over the delivery rate.


Yes I have all that, and the Azoo regulator came with a solenoid and needle valve.

I think the Eheim diffusor I'm looking for also functions as a bubble counter, since you can see the bubbles rise through the clear plastic part. My glass diffusor cannot be taken apart, so it is very hard to get the water out, since the largest opening is about 1/16" wide. I'm afraid that the bleach solution may get inside the diffusor, and the dechlorinator won't be able to get in.

Is there some way to diffuse CO2 with my Fluval 204? I don't want a powerhead/pump in my tank, because fry may be sucked in.


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## Aftica (Nov 26, 2003)

sure - external reactor... place it inline on the return tubes from your filter to the tank. (I use this method - the Reactor 1000 works this way - see one on the aquatic-store link in my post above...)

There are cheaper ones other than the AM reactor 1000 available... or you can have a go at the DIY - myself I don't mind DIY when it came to my hood and lighting but when it came to the plumbing I wanted to be sure - so I bought mine but you can make it with fairly reasonable amounts of effort.


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## Canoe2Can (Oct 31, 2004)

I've got the same set up from Foster and Smith, and ended up with the same problems. Actually, my bubble counter worked okay until I upgraded to an Eheim diffuser. Apparently the check valve that comes with the Eheim creates so much back pressure that it just popped the top off my bubble counter. So I just took it out of the system. You can easily count bubbles with the Eheim, and I'm finding it to be more efficient than the no name one that came from F and S.

I've also had the same problem with algae on the disk of that no name one. And I can't get the water out of it either. At least with the Eheim one, if algae becomes a problem I can take it apart and only bleach the little diffuser disk. $16 for the Eheim, seems worth it.


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## Nolan W. (Feb 9, 2005)

*Aqua Medic Circular Reactor?*

I'm looking at the AM Circular CO2 Reactor (aka Reactor 500) on http://www.aquatic-store.com/ and it looks great for my tank. It's more efficient than a diffusor, right? If anyone owns one, can you give me a brief review? If algae starts growing in it, can you take it apart to clean? I REALLY want to get that CO2 flowing into my tank!

Oh, btw Canoe, it took a while, but I got the water out of my no-name glass diffusor by shaking the water out of the tiny hole. I was thinking about using a hypodermic needle before that.

*Edit* I just found out that the Reactor 500 requires a pump or filter outlet. I don't think the Fluval's ribbed tubing connects to it correctly. Guess I'm going with the Eheim diffusor. Yes, you can take the Reactor 500 apart to clean, btw.


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

Have you considered one of the power reactors like the Mini Vortex sold at AquaBotanic and some of the other sponsors?

These things are really starting to intrigue me. They seem both efficient and maintenance free. I am planning on trying one out on a new set up this fall. Anyone have any feedback?

Mike


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## Nolan W. (Feb 9, 2005)

Momotaro said:


> Have you considered one of the power reactors like the Mini Vortex sold at AquaBotanic and some of the other sponsors?


Awww... they're for 5 - 30 gallon aquariums. 10 gallons short. They really are neat little things, though... 4x4 in. in size. I'll consider them if I set up a small aquarium.

Does anyone use Coralife's ozone resistant tubing? That Fish Place says it's CO2 resistant in their catalog. I still have a lot of silicone tubing left, too. Has anyone had problems with cracking, hardening, or leaking?


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## Canoe2Can (Oct 31, 2004)

NWong, you and I must be on the same wavelength or something. When I bought my Eheim diffuser from Foster and Smith, I also bought 8 feet of the Coralife tubing. But I'm not real sure what to think of it at this point. It's been working okay outside of the tank, but I found that the connection to the diffuser that was underwater got real stretched out after a few weeks. I just cut off the end of the tubing, and it's working fine now, but it does make me wonder. The Coralife tubing is a product called Norprene, not "neoprene" like it said in their catalog. Someone else on this forum said that it was really good. I've only had it for about a month now, so I can't really say about it's long term reliability. I'm just a bit concerned about it maintaining elasticity.


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## Nolan W. (Feb 9, 2005)

Well, I bleached the no-name glass diffusor, and there are only a few brown spots left on the white disk. I'm very leery of the bleach being completely gone even though I used A LOT of AmQuel (practically an AmQuel bath!). The bleach could have seeped into the diffusor, and the AmQuel might not have eliminated it. That Fish Place STILL doesn't have the Eheim diffusor in stock! If the glass diffusor is safe, I have all I need to start injecting CO2 into my tank! BUT, if I try it, and it WASN'T safe, then everything in the tank is screwed.

It would really blow if I lost my male swordtail. He looks exactly like his father, who I bought about two years ago. And he hasn't had any offspring yet!


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## Opiesilver (Nov 3, 2003)

NWong8589 said:


> That Fish Place STILL doesn't have the Eheim diffuser in stock!


I had no trouble getting a shipment of Eheim diffusers last week from the US distributor. I wonder who they are buying from then. The distributor had plenty.


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## danmhippo (Feb 3, 2005)

NWong8589 said:


> Well, I bleached the no-name glass diffusor, and there are only a few brown spots left on the white disk. I'm very leery of the bleach being completely gone even though I used A LOT of AmQuel (practically an AmQuel bath!). The bleach could have seeped into the diffusor, and the AmQuel might not have eliminated it. That Fish Place STILL doesn't have the Eheim diffusor in stock! If the glass diffusor is safe, I have all I need to start injecting CO2 into my tank! BUT, if I try it, and it WASN'T safe, then everything in the tank is screwed.
> 
> It would really blow if I lost my male swordtail. He looks exactly like his father, who I bought about two years ago. And he hasn't had any offspring yet!


If you are worried about residual bleach inthe ceramic disk, just hook it up to an airpump and run it in a bucket of freshwater for 1/2 hour, it should dissipate chlorine out of it. You can leave it in the bucket running longer if you feel necessary.


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## Nolan W. (Feb 9, 2005)

danmhippo said:


> If you are worried about residual bleach inthe ceramic disk, just hook it up to an airpump and run it in a bucket of freshwater for 1/2 hour, it should dissipate chlorine out of it.


I don't have an air pump, so I guess I'm using CO2. I'm not really worried about the disk, but more about what may have got into the actual glass part of the diffusor. They make these things so that you can't take them apart to clean, so if algae grows inside the glass body, you'll have one hell of a time trying to get it out. The Eheim diffusors have many advantages over these, like coming with instructions, being easily disassembled for cleaning, and being cheaper!


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

I ordered an Ehim CO2 diffuser last week as well. It arrived without any problems.


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## Nolan W. (Feb 9, 2005)

ringram said:


> I ordered an Ehim CO2 diffuser last week as well. It arrived without any problems.


From where? I would much rather have an Eheim diffusor than the one I have right now! And I'm really anxious to get my CO2, which I had for 1.5 years, flowing into the tank!


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