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My DIY External Reactor Bubbling (and driving me nuts)

1541 Views 11 Replies 8 Participants Last post by  empire300, 
Booger
I have a DIY external CO2 reactor as pictured. It's filled with bio-balls and hooked up to my Eheim 2128. The needle valve is set to about 2 bubbles/second. Right now, I have it sitting at about a 30-40 degree angle. I've seen others with it mounted vertically, but I'm not sure how that would help me. No matter how I shake it, I can't get rid of the bubbles being injected into the tank. This has gotta stop.

I'm planning on switching to an internal reactor, but if anyone has any ideas on how I can get mine to stop puking bubbles, it would certainly save me a lot of time and money. I'm all ears...


ETA: This is the design of my reactor. 100% dissolution my arse.
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Rex Grigg
I build the same type of reactor. But I don't have anything in mine.

How long and what diameter is your reactor?

Also I make my reactors so the CO2 is injected directly into the water column. I get 100% dissolution with my reactors.
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distrbd
Is the co2 injected at the bottom near the outlet of the reactor? if so ,that could be the reason why you get bubbles coming out .the co2 should enter 2" away from the inlet near the top.
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Badcopnofishtank
a diagram depicting flow and injection point would be most helpful.
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Booger
Ok here is a diagram. The reactor is made from 2" PVC and is 14" in length. There is ~30" of 5/8" tubing between the barb on the reactor and the eheim spray bar. Go figure.
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D
from how it appears in the picture, it seems like your reactor is angled upward allowing the co2 to easily rise and escape. you should angle the reactor so the the output end is lower than the input end, where the co2 is injected.
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nellis
From the picture, it looks as if your reactor is angled 30-40 degrees from horizontal, not vertical. The gas probably enters and immediately rises to the top where it floats along the top wall of the reactor. I think you may have your orientation wrong. The flow should aim downward, than do a 180 as it leaves the ractor and flow back upward toward the tank. It seems to me that with the way you have your reactor oriented, there's no flow for the gas to fight, and therefore no dissolution.
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A
Looks that way to me too. Mount the reactor vertical with the water flowing in at the top and exiting at the bottom. Inject the CO2 at the top. I took the bioballs out of mine and haven't noticed any difference so you may not need them.

David
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Booger
Yeah you guys are right. I have it oriented incorrectly. Unfortunately, I have to redo my tubing to accommodate the correct positioning and there isn't an LFS in town that stocks the Eheim 16/22mm tubing. I know 5/8" tubing from Home Depot is close (and what I use on the outlet of the reactor to my spraybar since I can use worm clamps), but I don't want to chance a leak with the cheesy plastic clamps on the top of my Eheim 2128.

Another question - this tank sits on a dresser with the equipment off to the side. Hence, I don't have an easy place to mount the reactor. Any ideas on how I can make this unit free standing?
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A
You could probably make a little stand to mount it to out of wood or even PVC. Zipties are your friends.

David
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distrbd
Booger said:
Yeah you guys are right. I have it oriented incorrectly. Unfortunately, I have to redo my tubing to accommodate the correct positioning and there isn't an LFS in town that stocks the Eheim 16/22mm tubing. I know 5/8" tubing from Home Depot is close (and what I use on the outlet of the reactor to my spraybar since I can use worm clamps), but I don't want to chance a leak with the cheesy plastic clamps on the top of my Eheim 2128.

Another question - this tank sits on a dresser with the equipment off to the side. Hence, I don't have an easy place to mount the reactor. Any ideas on how I can make this unit free standing?
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You could use a water pump and insert the co2 tubing in to the inlet of it.it will brake the co2 to a mist blowing it around the tank ,this also solves the lack of space for the reactor .
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E
16/22 mm ehiem hose?

16/22 mm ehiem hose?

there is only one place i use that proprietary stuff ... the ehiem intake and output of the ehiem itself ... everything from my cutouts (on offs for ehiem cleaning) is home depot 5/8 ... easyer to come by and cheaper!

Building my reactor as we speak :) the epoxy is drying right now!!
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