Homer_Simpson

I tried a variation of this diffuser for my 10 gallon. I found that it is better to have some poly fibre and sponge before your c02 tubing going into the (that is why I passed it through the bottom) filter. As I use it with a c02 DIY bottle, there is some white snot that is produced and the polyfibre and sponge catches most of the snot before it hits the impeller and ends up in the water. Then each week I just discard the polyfibre with most of the snot, replace the polyfibre, and rinse the sponge clean. I find that this diffuser is so efficient in my 10 gallon tank that I have to leave an airstone(hooked to an airpump) on 24/7 to keep c02 levels at 30 ppm as measured with a c02 drop checker. Running the airstone on at night and not day time, drives the c02 rate to dangerous levels.

Left C

The Rio 600 and 800 RVT are excellent for providing a CO2 mist effect. The RVT conversion kit will fit Tamm's 200 to 800 powerhead. The following have the kit already added.
Tamm RIO 60O RVT: http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewIt...ct~TA3191.html
Tamm Rio 800 RVT: http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewIt...ct~TA3193.html

This RVT conversion kit will fit the Rio powerheads from 200 gph to 800 gph.

Here's a list of parts for these powereheads.
http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_Aquari..._taam_rio.html

I've used the 600 RIO RVT powerhead attached to an Eheim Spray Bar with an a pressurized CO2 exhaust. It worked well.

JHipkin

If you want to get really crazy punch holes in the impeller blades with a hot pin. This creates a DIY needle wheel pump. You can use this to convert an old powerhead into a CO2 mister.

Tex Gal

Just got my little pump and hooked it up. It's working fine. I have a small spray of very fine bubbles going into the tank. I think it's going to be better than the nano diffuser. There was a lot of back pressure on the nano diffuser. No pressure now. All is going out into the tank. This is for my plant grow out tank so more CO2 is better. I can't wait to get my drop checker - it's on it's way. I have no fish in there so it's ok.

Durden

I did this in my 72 bow and it works fantastic! Thanks for the plan.

-Tyler

Gotfish

I just picked one of these at Petco. I have some questions. I plan on putting the CO2 tube through the bottom of the filter where the strainer is, with a airstone attached inside the filter. Will I still have to remove the green flow lever? Will placing the CO2 tube at the bottom strainer instead of where the lever is work? Thanks.

gibmaker

Ok, I have been thinking about this for a while. I was staring at my tank and looking at my drop checker and thinking about different methods of diffusing co2, then it hit me. For all of you out there that are using misting as a form of introducing co2 into your tank and a drop checker to check it, how acurate is the reading from the drop checker? If you are using a misting system and little co2 bubbles are flying around everywhere, wouldn't or couldn't some of the co2 bubbles actually get trapped in your drop checker pop and then mix with the air void in the checker? wouldn't that give you a not so acurate reading from your drop checker? I would think that the checker would tell you that you have more co2 in the tank then what is actually in it. It would be interesting to do a test. Use the misting system on one tank, get the co2 to the proper level, then reach inside the tank and use something to cap off the end of the drop checker and transfer it into a tank that does not use a misting system but has roughly 30ppm of co2 in it. see if the drop checker changes color. If the co2 is getting trapped in a misting setting in the drop checker, then you would think that the level would be higher than what it actually is. Or I just have way to much time on my hands and worry about senseless crap. -Nate-

hoppycalif

The "mechanism" by which the drop checker works is a dynamic thing. Anything which upsets its equilibrium, such as a bubble of CO2 getting in the "horn" of it, will soon cause the "mechanism" to return the unit to equilibrium. If you were to put the drop checker right above where CO2 is being introduced it would give a too high reading all of the time, unless you had very good water circulation in the tank. That is more likely to be a problem than having a few microbubbles of CO2 get into it.

gibmaker

Ya, thats what I am getting at. If there is a lot circulation in the tank and little bubbles are flying around everywhere........................................ .................................................. .

hoppycalif

OK, assume a fair sized bubble of CO2 gets trapped in the "horn" of the drop checker, pops and makes the air gap be at an elevated concentration of CO2. That air in the gap will be constantly exchanging CO2 with the water in the tank and in the "bubble" of the drop checker, so the elevated concentration quickly drops back to where it was. The higher resulting concentration in the bubble will also be constantly exchanging CO2 with the air gap, dropping it back to where it was. So, in a reasonably short time the system will be back in equilibrium, back to where it was before the errant CO2 bubble arrived.

When you have a lot of CO2 mist the plants get more CO2 than what is dissolved in the water - they get both gaseous and dissolved CO2. So, the drop checker doesn't account for the gaseous part of the CO2. I don't see that as a problem, either.