# quick question, what would be my best option for a diffuser for pressurized CO2?



## Canuckgame (Mar 2, 2013)

hey all

quick question! i am buying a "Ideal" co2 regulator setup from Greenleafaquariums.com and i was wondering if i should buy a new diffuser from them as well, i have a small glass ceramic diffuser i bought on ebay for my DIY system will that be ok? or should i upgrade since im upgrading to pressurized?

im buying a new tank so i will have a 55-75 gallon aquarium if that is helpful information at all.


should i fork out the money at GLA to buy one of theirs? or is there a better option on say ebay? or a sponsor?


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## Mykiss (Apr 22, 2010)

There are many different types of diffusers out there. The main question is if you want it hidden or shown in the tank? Then from there it will help you decide on which ones you can get. If you want it hidden, then you can always get a reactor which can be setup behind your tank. There are many to choose from and there's a huge price range e.g. Atomizer for $25, or an Aquamedic co2 reactor 1000 $140. If you want it shown in the tank, then there are a bunch of glass ones available as well as ceramic types. I think ultimately you want something that diffuses CO2 well and look nice.

As for where to fork out the money to? I'd say a BCA sponsor ;-)

We have some CO2 stuff here:
CANADIAN AQUATICS


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## effox (Apr 21, 2010)

I'm a fan of the co2 atomizer personally. It goes inline with your external canister's outflow and is compact. You don't see it, and won't notice misting, so you're always left wondering if it's even working, until you measure the co2 levels and see the plants growth.

The reactors are more effective in my opinion.


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## shift (Dec 21, 2012)

Would one for on a fx5 filter hose?


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## Mykiss (Apr 22, 2010)

I'm not sure what the size of an FX5 hose is but the large atomizer will fit a hose that's 16mm inner diameter and 22mm outer.


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## Canuckgame (Mar 2, 2013)

i dont have a canister unfortunatly i just have a hang on back filter at the moment. thats kinda why im looking for a good in tank diffuser, i have spent over 350 dollars so far on my co2 setup, i just want this to be over and done with hahahaha it seems a diffuser is the last thing i need.


could someone maybe link me to one that would work GOOD for a 55-75 gallon tank? one day i will build a reactor, just cant right now, my girlfriend is going to chop my balls off if i spend anymore money haha


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## effox (Apr 21, 2010)

Go with a glass\ceramic diffuser for the time being if you're going to upgrade any how. They're the cheaper option and are still fairly efficient.

I'm not sure how the added pressure will effect your current diffuser. DIY co2 produces a rather low pressure, I've actually never had a ceramic diffuser that would actually work on a DIY system. If you hook up a pressured system to it, it might just be pumping it threw too quickly to diffuse into the water column effectively.

Only one way to find out though.


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## Tommy72a (Jan 6, 2013)

I gave this guy a try and I like it so far. Very inexpensive and 100 percent solubility or very close to it. You do have to clean it every few months. Only negative part is that it generates little bit of sound and you require some room.
Amazon.com: Gulfstream Tropical AGU00528 Ista Max Mix Co2 Reactor for Aquarium, Medium: Pet Supplies


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## Captured Moments (Apr 22, 2010)

If you have a hang on back filter type, wouldn't that greatly defeat the purpose of injecting Co2 into your tank? If you are upgrading to a 50-75 gal tank, the ceramic diffuser is not going to be a good choice because it is not very efficient If you don't have a canister filter, then you need to look into a reactor with some kind of pump like a powerhead. You can even build one yourself using a small powerhead and a pop bottle that will sit inside your tank but it is not really "pretty" unless you don't care or you manage to hide it behind something.


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## Canuckgame (Mar 2, 2013)

just to clarify, why does it defeat the purpose? because i dont have enough water movement with a hang on back filter?


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## effox (Apr 21, 2010)

Surface agitation from the waterfall effect of a HOB will release co2 from the water column. How much I'm not sure, but it would play a role on how much co2 you'd need to put into the tank.

And Captured Moments is probably right about the tank size and diffuser issue. I'm getting threads mixed up and didn't realize it was for a 75 gallon. An in-tank reactor is unsightly, but it would be your best bet as he mentioned, at least with your current set up. I've got one in my 10g that I just built for my DIY co2. It's essentially just a powerhead blowing water into a cylinder\canister with a co2 output into the cylinder.


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## Captured Moments (Apr 22, 2010)

It's just that with that type of filter, you end up with more surface agitation due to the return of the water from the filter back into the tank. Compare that to the return of a canister filter which is normally kept below the water surface. I read from various sources that increased water surface turbulence increase the degassing of the Co2 present in the water back into the atmosphere. Just as you try to inject Co2 into the water, you want to make the Co2 available to your plants without unnecessarily loosing some of it due to the degassing. You can compensate by injecting more Co2 to maintain the same level of Co2 that would have been more easily attained in a less wasteful way if there were less agitation. Every setup is different so it doesn't mean you shouldn't do it.


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## shift (Dec 21, 2012)

Don't you want surface aggravation to re airate the water?


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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

shift said:


> Don't you want surface aggravation to re airate the water?


You sure do. This is a grey area. How much top water agitation is too much? From what Ive read it splashing that causes co2 loss not so much water movement. Ive never found a good answer to top water movement when injecting co2. I run a HOB filter on my co2 injected tank. I actually let the intake of the HOB suck up half the Co2 bubbles from my diffuser. A friend told me to try this and I found it made a difference in my Co2 levels and I have less bubbles in the tank. This method contradicts the whole top water movement but I keep my tank full all the time so the HOB isn't creating too much top water splashing IMO. My tank is a 25g. Its all about what works for you. Try putting the diffuser in a few different spots and check how the drop checker reacts.


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## Canuckgame (Mar 2, 2013)

ok, well it looks like with some research from what you guys have told me, it looks like i will be investing in a Fluval FX5... hahaha the startup costs are just insane for this new project, hopefully i reap the rewards for all this! $400+ on a co2 system 200-400$ for FX5 250.00 for ADA substrate(not sure if im going this route yet...)


YIKES!!! and i havent even bought the aquarium yet hahaha im just in the planning stages so far, and im waiting for the right 75 gallon to come on the market for sale..


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## Captured Moments (Apr 22, 2010)

Fluval FX5 for a 75 gal tank? Isn't that too powerful for a tank that size? I am thinking a Rena XP 3 or something like that. As I said earlier, you may get away with the current HOB filter you have (unless it's too small for a 75 gal tank). You can just increase the bubble rate to compensate...You should use a drop checker and that will you the Co2 level. Then you can see and go from there. You can spend a lot of money fast on equipment and stuff but you can also save a lot of money by figuring out what you needs exactly and how you envision your tank to look like, what style of planted tank you want, whether you want to go high tec or low tech, what sort of light will I use, etc..
Light is important and you already got the Co2 aspect covered. Ferts are important too but it's the cheapest of the 3.


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## Tommy72a (Jan 6, 2013)

Ahhsss..... just to let you know, I cleaned Max Mix CO2 Reactor thing today and put it all back together only to discover a slow leak. I fought with it for a hour and came a new conculsion. I'm changing my opinion to 'Do no recommend'. I'm shopping for a new in-line reactor now. Any recommendations??



Tommy72a said:


> I gave this guy a try and I like it so far. Very inexpensive and 100 percent solubility or very close to it. You do have to clean it every few months. Only negative part is that it generates little bit of sound and you require some room.
> Amazon.com: Gulfstream Tropical AGU00528 Ista Max Mix Co2 Reactor for Aquarium, Medium: Pet Supplies


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## Mykiss (Apr 22, 2010)

Canuckgame, have you purchased your CO2 system yet? I can get it for a lot cheaper than $400. And that's a filled, hydro tested tank, with the regulator and the works.

Tommy72a, I have the Atomizer in-line reactor if you're looking for one. Just check the canadianaquatics.com web site


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## crimper (Oct 20, 2010)

Tommy72a said:


> Ahhsss..... just to let you know, I cleaned Max Mix CO2 Reactor thing today and put it all back together only to discover a slow leak. I fought with it for a hour and came a new conculsion. I'm changing my opinion to 'Do no recommend'. I'm shopping for a new in-line reactor now. Any recommendations??


Tommy, I personally recommend Up Aqua atomizer. I got mine from MyKiss. That little thing is very inexpensive but works great. You need a bubble counter so you can easily gauge the amount of CO2 that goes in to your system.

Cheers!


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## effox (Apr 21, 2010)

I used the Up Atomizer as well and while I did, I thought it was great.


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## Tommy72a (Jan 6, 2013)

Dang it! If only saw Mykiss post today before I ordered one from eBay. Thanks all, I got Up-
Atomizer on its way.


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