Hey guys,

I got an in-line Co2 Atomizer a couple of weeks ago, and until today it was working great.

I noticed that my drop checker wasn’t changing colour.

I was able to track the problem to the fact the co2 doesn’t seem to be able to make it through the ceramic cylinder inside.

I used bleach to clean it, and then let it soak in a 50/50 water/prime solution. Then let it sit out overnight just to make sure all the bleach was gone.

The cylinder is now bright white, but still not letting the co2 through. Any idea what could be going on?

Anyone know where I could get a new cylinder?

First, let's make sure it is installed correctly. Sometimes a simple mistake is overlooked. Is the CO2 line from the regulator attached to the line-in port of the diffuser and all check valves are similarly pointing in the right direction? Make sure CO2 is being pushed through the line when the diffuser is removed (just to be sure it is the diffuser where the problem exists).

Memory tells me that ceramic diffusers must be soaked in water for a few hours after they have dried out.

Good diffusers usually need about 30psi. Are you pushing that with your regulator?

I put tried it with an in tank defuser, and it was working.

And the working pressure is 30.

I think the back pressure broke the seal on my bubble counter, which I subsequently fixed.

Is there any way to buy a new cylinder, or make sure it’s clean

You would have to contact the supplier or manufacturer of the diffuser to see if you can get a replacement disk, but I suspect that it would be just as cost effective to buy a new one.

The bleach solution should have cleaned it. However, H2O2 might clean in a different way. Make sure you soak it a few hours before installation.

I have found many of the atomizers very inconsistent. One day it would work the next it wouldn't. Some require even more pressure than 30. Which one is it? It shouldn't be that dirty after two weeks, I don't even clean my in-tank ones that often.

I soak it in a prime/water mixture to get the bleach out. I then let it air dry to make sure I didn’t miss anything.

It’s the first time I have had to clean it since April.

I got it from amazon, it is one: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07W2WCWM8?...p_mob_ap_share

Agreed.

@LuluCocoPopoRoro. This looks just like the one that CO2Art sells. Given the relatively low price I would just buy one from them as they have a US distributor with tech support. You could also send it back to Amazon as defective.

After a while it boils down to how much your time is worth to you :-)

Edit: One other possibility comes to mind. You could still have a leak in your bubble counter or the inlet to the diffuser. The in-tank diffuser requires much lower pressure and so does not as much put back-pressure on the counter. The inline diffuser requires a much higher pressure. The difference might be just enough to leak gas before it gets to the inline unit.

You could also try taking the inline unit out of the return and seeing if it bubbles under water submerged in the tank or a bucket.

And finally, that unit has an inline check valve. Perhaps it is defective/stuck? Testing in a bucket with and without the diffusion cylinder in place could tell you that.

I think there's like 3 atomizers on the market but are sold under 100 different names, LOL.

To address the OP question, sometimes you could just buy the ceramic disc or tube for a few dollars and not pay for another complete product. I have a few stainless steel diffusers that the top just screws off and the disc goes right in. The one the OP bought looks like it comes apart as well.

I tested the in-line defuser. It defiantly doesn’t have a check valve.

I was able to easily blow bubbles into the defuser when the cylinder was removed, but couldn’t when it was in.

I’m pretty sure the leak in the bubble counter was caused by the clicker cylinder.


Do you know where I can get the ceramic cylinder?

Assuming that CO2art is basically selling the same diffuser you can get a replacement here:

You should probably contact them to make sure it is compatible.

BTW. After reading this thread I am now thinking that I might get a second/backup diffuser so that I will not have to rush putting the freshly bleached one back into my system. I can rotate them.

Looks like its the same one as the Qanvee sold on [Ebay Link Removed] I can't put the link in, but search: QANVEE Inline CO2 Aquarium Atomizer Diffuser. There is a seller who has both the atomizer and cylinder sold separately. I know @Jeff5614 is using the Qanvee

That is pretty much the same. They even show the same setup chart as on the CO2art site. This eBay seller is in the US and also has ceramic replacements for about $10.

These are either knock-offs or else everyone is getting them from the same manufacturer. Quite a price difference among sellers!

They are all from the same manuf from China and just either branded or sold generically. You'll just pay more through the "aquarist household name" sellers. The US sellers as you noted are less, the ones selling directly from China are even less than that, but you have to wait for delivery.

You can pick up a replacement ceramic cylinder from most of the online planted tank sites such as GLA, Buceplant, GlassAqua, CO2Art, etc. and a lot of Chinese vendors on Ebay for anywhere from $10 - $15 as Asteroid mentioned above. I paid less than $15 for the whole diffuser a couple of years ago. I'm sure they're all made by the same manufacturer and rebranded.

Cleaning with H2O2 works well and that's only every few months.

I’m going to look into them.

How do you clean it?

I did it with bleach, the. Soaked it in prime.

It looks brand new, but still isn’t letting any co2 through.

Someone mentioned having to soak it for a day. I tried that, and it worked for about a second, then clogged again.