I've decided to set this up as a separate thread, rather than adding it to the DIY reactor sticky as this design is way more basic IMO than the ones posted there.
My idea started when i got my JBL Easy 2 CO2 kit just before christmas.
I set up the kit as instructed with the JBL Vario diffuser in the tank. The bubbles shrank as they climbed round the diffuser but lots of the gas collected in the cap at the top. This then belched out irregularly once the amount built up. As far as I am concerned this was a complete waste so I tried to improve diffusion.
First I directed the filter output directly at the diffuser. No reall difference so next I connected the nipple on the cap to a piece of airline and connected the other end the the outlet of the filter. I did this by making a hole in a piece of filter tubing and pushing the airline, cut at a sharp angle, into the hole. This then connected onto the bend of the filter output.
At first i set this with the airline angled cut facing towards the flow so that water was forced up the airline into the diffuser. This definitely had an effect on diffusion, but gas still collected at the top so i turned the airline around and it now functioned as a venturi, sucking water and any gas up the airline and out into the filter output. This meant little bubbles came jetting out of the outlet every so often as the CO2 built up at the top of the diffuser.
However this was still wasting a fair bit of the gas, IMO, so i had to think of another idea.
I have, quiet conveniently, a now unused gravel cleaner and a spare top for it (after i broke the last gravel cleaner!). These fit together and i have used them in the past to treat rainwater by syphoning water through it and putting carbon and floss inside among other things. This would make the perfect simple CO2 reactor, with Bioballs to break up the water flow and an airline connector to connect the CO2 pipe to.
To inject the CO2, I would put an airline connector into the tubing upstream of the reactor and the CO2 would enter here, be mixed into the flow of water like a venturi, then swirl around the bioballs in the reactor and mix with the tank water. It also has the advantage of only cutting a hole into a piece of tubing that can always be chucked if it didn't work!
To prevent leaks I siliconed all the pieces together. This meant carefully cleaning everything with meths,
then applying silicone, putting everything together and leaving to dry.
Once all the bits dried, I connected the tubing up to my external filter outlet pipe. I zip-tied it to the stand to keep the unit upright, but did this while the unit was empty and the reactor stayed full of air! I turned it upside down to remove all the air then connected it back up. After checking for leaks (none yet!) I turned on the CO2.
So far it's been running since boxing day (4 days) and i seem to have 100% diffusion with excellent pearling on the plant leaves. A small amount of gas builds up at the top during the day, but the CO2 is switched off about an hour before the 55W light goes out and by then all the excess gas has dissolved. I'm very happy so far. The only problem is the silicone hasn't stuck to the tubing, but there are no leaks at that point. I might try PVC pipe glue, or put a larger ring of silicone all around the tubing so it can't come off.
My idea started when i got my JBL Easy 2 CO2 kit just before christmas.
I set up the kit as instructed with the JBL Vario diffuser in the tank. The bubbles shrank as they climbed round the diffuser but lots of the gas collected in the cap at the top. This then belched out irregularly once the amount built up. As far as I am concerned this was a complete waste so I tried to improve diffusion.
First I directed the filter output directly at the diffuser. No reall difference so next I connected the nipple on the cap to a piece of airline and connected the other end the the outlet of the filter. I did this by making a hole in a piece of filter tubing and pushing the airline, cut at a sharp angle, into the hole. This then connected onto the bend of the filter output.
At first i set this with the airline angled cut facing towards the flow so that water was forced up the airline into the diffuser. This definitely had an effect on diffusion, but gas still collected at the top so i turned the airline around and it now functioned as a venturi, sucking water and any gas up the airline and out into the filter output. This meant little bubbles came jetting out of the outlet every so often as the CO2 built up at the top of the diffuser.
However this was still wasting a fair bit of the gas, IMO, so i had to think of another idea.
I have, quiet conveniently, a now unused gravel cleaner and a spare top for it (after i broke the last gravel cleaner!). These fit together and i have used them in the past to treat rainwater by syphoning water through it and putting carbon and floss inside among other things. This would make the perfect simple CO2 reactor, with Bioballs to break up the water flow and an airline connector to connect the CO2 pipe to.
To inject the CO2, I would put an airline connector into the tubing upstream of the reactor and the CO2 would enter here, be mixed into the flow of water like a venturi, then swirl around the bioballs in the reactor and mix with the tank water. It also has the advantage of only cutting a hole into a piece of tubing that can always be chucked if it didn't work!
To prevent leaks I siliconed all the pieces together. This meant carefully cleaning everything with meths,
then applying silicone, putting everything together and leaving to dry.
Once all the bits dried, I connected the tubing up to my external filter outlet pipe. I zip-tied it to the stand to keep the unit upright, but did this while the unit was empty and the reactor stayed full of air! I turned it upside down to remove all the air then connected it back up. After checking for leaks (none yet!) I turned on the CO2.
So far it's been running since boxing day (4 days) and i seem to have 100% diffusion with excellent pearling on the plant leaves. A small amount of gas builds up at the top during the day, but the CO2 is switched off about an hour before the 55W light goes out and by then all the excess gas has dissolved. I'm very happy so far. The only problem is the silicone hasn't stuck to the tubing, but there are no leaks at that point. I might try PVC pipe glue, or put a larger ring of silicone all around the tubing so it can't come off.