# Opinion on Red Sea CO2 Reactor 500?



## cdsgo1974 (Sep 25, 2011)

Has anyone used the Red sea CO2 Reactor 500 and is it effective in diffusing CO2 into the water? Did it make a big difference in plant growth?

Thanks!


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

Hi Chris :

Happy New Year.

If you have one, use it. I work fine beside you do have to maintain the pump like a power head. Not sure if I would pay $40 - $50 for it though.


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## cdsgo1974 (Sep 25, 2011)

gklaw said:


> Hi Chris :
> 
> Happy New Year.
> 
> If you have one, use it. I work fine beside you do have to maintain the pump like a power head. Not sure if I would pay $40 - $50 for it though.


Hello Gordon,
Happy New Year to you too!

I haven't bought one yet. I'm doing more research as I don't want to spend $50 unnecessarily if I don't have to. I've been doing some research and I've seen some DIY reactors with the use of a submersible water pump, some form of a tube and a sponge to close of the bottom part of the tube where the CO2 enriched H20 is supposed to be discharged back to the tank. This may be a cheaper solution but not sure about it's effectiveness though.

Have you personally used the Red Sea CO2 Reactor before?


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

Have one hanging in my tank but not running 

Check out the following thread: http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/freshwater-equipment-classifieds-27/lf-co2-atomizer-19666/


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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

Cdsgo1974,

I have used this little Co2 system in the past.Didnt mind it one bit,only thing i didnt like about was the cost of the unit and the refills.Sooner or later you will resort to making your own batch to fill the unit.I grew mostly low light plants and had them flourish with this running(25G setup).Theres a switch on the pump/diffusing unit you can adjust to your liking,and they are good for aquariums up to 40G.The bottle is air tight and built well,airline tubing is strong and black in colour and gives you enough to set it up,and theres a hanging bracket for all of it.Theres other components for sale that you can add to this as well,but price goes up.This is their bare bones unit.I think RedSea products come from Israel,and come highly recommended.


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## cdsgo1974 (Sep 25, 2011)

gklaw said:


> Have one hanging in my tank but not running
> 
> Check out the following thread: http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/freshwater-equipment-classifieds-27/lf-co2-atomizer-19666/


Hey Gordon,
That's fine.

Yes, I was just reading that thread. I Googled the Rex Grigg reactor. It does not look too complicated. I might just make one... I will have to buy a powerhead though.

Thanks!


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## cdsgo1974 (Sep 25, 2011)

Luke78 said:


> Cdsgo1974,
> 
> I have used this little Co2 system in the past.Didnt mind it one bit,only thing i didnt like about was the cost of the unit and the refills.Sooner or later you will resort to making your own batch to fill the unit.I grew mostly low light plants and had them flourish with this running(25G setup).Theres a switch on the pump/diffusing unit you can adjust to your liking,and they are good for aquariums up to 40G.The bottle is air tight and built well,airline tubing is strong and black in colour and gives you enough to set it up,and theres a hanging bracket for all of it.Theres other components for sale that you can add to this as well,but price goes up.This is their bare bones unit.I think RedSea products come from Israel,and come highly recommended.


Hello Luke78,
Thanks for the informative response. I already have a pressurized CO2 system. I just want to improve the CO2 diffusion rate so my plants can thrive but not at the expense of wasting CO2 as a result of ineffective diffusion. I'm still on the fence between buying a plug and play equipment like the Red Sea CO2 Reactor (which sells at around $40) and creating my own reactor (Rex Grigg reactor -- How To Build A CO2 Reactor | Build a Regulator | Test Kit). Resorting to the DIY, I still need to spend around $30 for the powerhead anyway.

Thanks again for your insight.

cheers,
Chris


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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

Chris,

Iam sorry i didnt read the post clearly and made an error with some of the equipment i listed.Apologize for this

Luke


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## cdsgo1974 (Sep 25, 2011)

Luke78 said:


> Chris,
> 
> Iam sorry i didnt read the post clearly and made an error with some of the equipment i listed.Apologize for this
> 
> Luke


Hello Luke,
No worries.

Chris


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

You can try a wood air stone and see if you like it. The bubbles are actaully quite find.

You can also use the canister filter to drive an Atomizer or the Re x Grigg.


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## cdsgo1974 (Sep 25, 2011)

Thanks to everyone who responded to my questions!! I bought a used CO2 reactor and Red Sea submersible water pump from Robert Luongo (forum member, not the NHL player ). Looks like it's doing a great job diffusing the CO2. I guess time will tell.

Closing this thread.


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## cdsgo1974 (Sep 25, 2011)

To the mods,
Please close this thread.

Thanks!


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