Hagen CO2 Ladder Question....what's up with the whack....???

[2la]

It's not a snug fit. What I'd like to do is take the coupler and cut or sand off one side of the collar in the middle. That should allow me to insert the coupler into the end of the bracket that holds the regular tubing in place (though go figure I can't remember what I did with the bracket... :roll: ). The opening of the coupler is even smaller than the opening of the mini tubing.

[Gomer]

how about you use a little silicone to plug up MOST of the tubing hole

[Rex Grigg]

I have seen adapters for mini tubing to normal tubing. I'm pretty sure that most LFS should carry this item.

[AJ_Wave]

Mine is starting to work. Been in the tank for about 5 days now. Only problem I am having is the bubble is getting "caught" about half way up the ladder. Next bubble gets "caught" on that one... this goes on for about 4-5 bubbles before the larger bubble moves up the ladder and finally straight up to the surface.

I have noticed my bubbles are getting smaller but I don't think mine it working quite as is should. I'm using the Hagen CO2 canister with it, not a DIY soda bottle.

[Wasserpest]

That bubbles getting caught thing went away after about a day for me. Maybe take a brush and clean that area, could be that there is something that doesn't allow the biofilm to grow.

The problem with just reducing the diameter of the airline is that you build up pressure, and then you get a bunch of bubbles, then a while nothing, then again a bunch of bubbles etc. Would be better to use mini tubing all the way, to reduce the effective volume in the tubing.

The mini tubing that is sold here comes in expensive little packages, with adapters included! But you can buy the adapters seperately, too.

[2la]

Originally Posted by Wasserpest

The problem with just reducing the diameter of the airline is that you build up pressure, and then you get a bunch of bubbles, then a while nothing, then again a bunch of bubbles etc. Would be better to use mini tubing all the way, to reduce the effective volume in the tubing.

What you describe never actually happens. The opening is not so small that there's any pressure build-up. The needle valve takes care of that on a pressurized system, and a DIY reactor should have no problems pushing gas through at a steady rate. Same story as if you put a wooden airstone at the end of the line. A staccadic bubble stream results when you insert a line into the intake of a filter, where there's a tug-of-war between the filter inlet's negative pressure, gravity associated with the upward orientation of the tubing, and water tension.

[hubbahubbahehe]

i too, was thinking of using silicone to make the hole smaller, that would produce smaller bubbles..

[Wasserpest]

Originally Posted by 2la

What you describe never actually happens. The opening is not so small that there's any pressure build-up.

Thank you for setting me straight. I am glad I am the only person that has experienced this, and thought it would be worth sharing.
:roll:

[hubbahubbahehe]

wasserpest i've experienced it before while using an airstone...

[2la]

Okay, so it's never happened in my experience. I thought you were just bringing up a concern and speculating--I think by the sight of your rolling eyes that you might have taken my explanation the wrong way, as I certainly wasn't trying to invalidate any actual experiences, yours or otherwise, Wasserpest. Of course, that begs the question of why it happens to you and not to me. Here's proof that it works for me:



My apologies for any misunderstanding.

2la

[anonapersona]

Is it that when you buy the ladder only, you don't get that little tubing insert that lets the tubing hook into the ladder, with the reduced outlet that it has?

[2la]

No, it still comes with the tubing insert, which I earlier referred to as the "bracket" (can't find it anymore). The caliber of that insert is still large enough to accomodate the miniature tubing loosely (i.e., room to spare).

[anonapersona]

Does the rigid tubing reallly make smaller bubbles? I thought I tried that along the way, just putting rigid tubing inside of the regular airline, when I was trying to stop the double-bubble problem. It didn't help then, but the mini airline connector you are talking about may be smaller still.

[2la]

I'm not sure which "rigid" tubing you're referring to, but yes, reducing the caliber of the tube does diminish the bubble size. You may also notice that I've cut the mini tubing off at an angle.