New Sera CO2 Reactor

[TLE041]

Hi,

Has anyone used the newly released "Aktiv" in-line CO2 reactor? It looks like a standard Rex Grigg DIY reactor that features a twin rotor that "ensure strong blending of CO2 with the aquarium water, allowing to dissolve several hundred CO2 bubbles per minute."



More info:

http://www.sera.de/en/products/techn...e-reactor.html
http://reefbuilders.com/2010/07/30/s...ide-ozone-gas/

Being a Sera product, it's not widely available in North America but you can get it on eBay for around $35. If this actually works as advertised, it's a decent alternative for someone (like me) who doesn't want to go through the hassle of making one.

I'd appreciate your thoughts/opinions.

[MrMoneybags]

never used one...but i would think that its a waste of money...for the $35 you could make 2 RG reactors

and since it takes about 10mins or less to do...I dont think of it as much of a hassle either

RG reactors are very efficient to begin with...so not sure how much better it could be...but who knows..maybe it churns out club soda

[tuffgong]

$35 isn't bad for those who aren't into DIY if it's effective.

[TLE041]

Originally Posted by tuffgong

$35 isn't bad for those who aren't into DIY if it's effective.

I agree.

I'm not overly concerned about the price. It's the efficacy that I was wondering about. How does something like this compare to other in-line diffusers like the Aqua Medic 1000 (much more $$$) or this one.

[MrMoneybags]

1. efficient is efficient...RG are 100% (at the proper flow rate/diameter/length)
and you cant beat that!...unless your tank is HUMONGOUS (lets say 500+ gallons) Im 99.8% certain a RG reactor will work for you

i kno someone with a 400 gal custom tank...IMO its not practical and I would NEVER want one and he runs 2-3 RG reactors (cant remember how tho)

2. a RG will be more efficient than the waterplant one...and again...$25 is too high when eBay has them for $15ish (tho when I got mine months ago they were $4(shipped))

I use the inline diffuser to supply CO2 to my RG reactor

for the money...I would take the 30mins to learn how to build one...or take a picture to the hardware store and get some help

things youd need to know

filter tubing size (1/2" or 5/8" [hard to find] or 3/4")
thats it

[neumahrs]

I got one recently, so I'll post a review in the future once I have it running.

[Sharkfood]

I'd like to see that review. I have a reactor based off the RG style, and it works well enough, but if this thing can do the same as the RG while taking up less space, I'd give it a shot.

[neumahrs]

Still haven't hooked this thing up but here is a pic showing what you get.


And a better look of the inside

[random_alias]

neumahrs,

Thanks for those pics.



Here's the manufacturer's PDF: http://www.sera.de/fileadmin/gbi/080...009_11_INT.pdf


When being judged, this product will inevitably end up being compared to the commercial Reactor 1000 and the DIY reactor variations, such as the Barr reactor and the Rex reactor.

Even though most DIY CO2 reactors work just fine, there are some ideas floating around about design changes that seem to be theoretically sound. I think the work involved and cost of incorporating these design changes into DIY reactors has kept most of us from trying them. The attraction of DIY reactors has always been their simplicity and price.

Still, I find this reactor to be very interesting. In theory, it looks like this design addresses pretty much all the "room for improvement" concerns people have voiced about external CO2 reactors.

First, the pinwheel looks like it would chop up any CO2 pocket that may form in the top of the reactor. Second, the outflow pipe opening being so close to the bottom of the reactor, and the way it is designed, should make it more difficult for those tiny CO2 bubbles to be prematurely forced out of the reactor and into the aquarium. Third, the fact that the reactor can be opened may be useful for maintenance purposes. Fourth, the hose connectors are screw-down, hopefully making hose connections/disconnects easier. Fifth, it has an actual CO2 tubing connector.

Since I haven't used this reactor, all those observations are purely speculative at this point. My primary concern is what this thing might sound like during actual use.

Whether any of this holds up in practice will be the final test. I am about to order one.

[milesm]

the sera site says to use the larger model for big tanks and planted tanks. looking forward to see reviews by neumahrs and random.

[Tunze]

Mine should be here this week. I bought the 1000 from Ebay last Saturday.
This reactor really looks like it should perform very well.

[TLE041]

Received mine as well. I won't have a chance to try it out until a few weeks, though (tank is undergoing a dry start). Here are a few pictures:

[Tunze]

One thing I wasn't able to find was the size of the hose connections.
Can you tell me what size they are?

[Sharkfood]

I'm still anxious to see the reviews.

I'd like to know what the recommended flow rates are for these devices.

[random_alias]

Page 8 of the above pdf gives the hose size and the flow rates.