I have just made my first co2 system. Am I better to diffuse with the bell method or can I safely run in through my filter intake tube? I have a wet/dry filter built into my tank. (aqua one 850) Will I lose too much co2 with the last method? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Yes it is diy. I had an idea also to use the power head off a old fluval. Repalce the canister part with rubber tubing, hook my co2 line into that and let the bubble get eaten by the fluval impeller and then get spat out. Would this work?:
I don't know how the Fluval filter is made, but it certainly works to inject the CO2 into the inlet of a powerheadd and let the rotor chop it up into microbubbles. That is one way to get a CO2 Mist setup. If you don't mind lots of bubbles, both from CO2 and from pearling plants, CO2 Mist is a great system.
A fluval is really a power head with a canister and foam underneath. I have just done what you have suggested tonight and so far it seems to be working. Well I have lots of tiny bubbles. I have taken the canister off as to use up a least room in my tank as possible, covered the bottom in foam attached by rubber band (so fishies don't leave this world early!) and inserted the co2 hose just before the impeller. Would enough water still get through to keep the power head from over working? There seems to be a great output so I am assuming enough water is getting in.
If you are using the foam or sponge made for that kind of use it just barely slows the water flow. That stuff is very open celled. I use that kind of filter to do all of the filtering for my 29 gallon tank. Works great! (Less filling!)
Seems to be working great so far. Nice little regular burps of co2 and no large visabe bubbles floting up. Will the co2 work its way around the aquarium with the water flow?
With a CO2 mist system, or any other for that matter, your goal is to arrange the water circulation so the CO2 rich water does circulate to all parts of the tank. Using a spray bar on the filter output, directing it so that the water circulates good, or adding a small powerhead are methods that can be used. When you have insufficient circulation you can get algae in the "stagnant" areas and not other areas.
[IMG]s97.photobucket.com/albums/218/garysmum[/IMG]This is what I have made. Its a power head off a filter with a co2 line going into the brown cannister. I have wedged a piece of course sponge in the end of the cannister to trap the co2. I am seeing very small co2 bubbles in the far end of the tank so am assuming I have enough circulation to carry the co2 around the tank.
Co2 How To Diffuse? 
Linear Mode
