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DIY Inline Co2 Reactor
I posted this once before on the old SCAPE forum, and thought it was lost until I realized I had a backup over on PlantedTank. There are a lot of nice retail options for inline Co2 reactors now, but at the time there wasn't a lot of selection. So here it is, once again, for anyone who wants to take matters into their own hands and DIY their own reactor.
My requirement was that it had to look reasonably good, the body had to be clear, and it needed to be efficient enough to work on a 30+ gallon tank.
Here are some how-to pictures along with a parts list.
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Supplies
A: 1/2" threaded barb - elbow or straight. (Lowes) Note that 90-degree elbow will restrict your flow a small amount because of the extra friction from the angle. If that is a concern for you, use straight fittings.
B: 2" slip to 1/2" threaded bushing (Lowes)
C: 3/16" hard air line (Aquatic Warehouse - San Diego)
D: 2" outside diameter clear acrylic tube. (Ridout Plastics - San Diego)
Not pictured: #40 acrylic glue (Ridout Plastics), teflon tape for the threads on the hose barbs (Lowes), and a 3/16" drill bit.
Also not pictured: I used some (I think) aluminum metal strips that I found at lowes, to make a clamp to hold it in place against the side of the stand. Just bend it using pliers and drill a hole through the metal for a screw to fit.
Directions
Drill a 3/16" hole about 2" from the top of the reactor, and then you can push your 3/16" hard air tube through. Leave enough tube sticking out so that you can attach your Co2 line. Secure the tube with #40 acrylic glue.
Apply #40 acrylic glue to the inside of the PVC slip-on ends and to the outside of the acrylic tube. Make sure to rough them a bit with sandpaper before you do this, for better adhesion. Give it a generous coat so that when you slip the PVC parts on, you can see the glue form a complete seal around the edges. You don't want any leaks!
Wrap some teflon tape around the threads of the nylon hose barbs and screw them onto each end nice and tight. Two or three times around the threads is enough.
Now, hook up to your canister filter and watch it go. What I like about this setup is that the Co2 is dissolved before it gets into the water column of the tank, so it's there but you never even see it. I used this for 2 years on a 30-gallon tank and it worked great.
[ATTACH=JSON]{"data-align":"none","data-size":"full","data-attachmentid":146}[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=JSON]{"data-align":"none","data-size":"full","data-attachmentid":147}[/ATTACH]
My requirement was that it had to look reasonably good, the body had to be clear, and it needed to be efficient enough to work on a 30+ gallon tank.
Here are some how-to pictures along with a parts list.
[ATTACH=JSON]{"alt":"Click image for larger version Name:\tdiy-co2-01.jpg Views:\t0 Size:\t93.2 KB ID:\t145","data-align":"none","data-attachmentid":"145","data-size":"full","title":"diy-co2-01.jpg"}[/ATTACH]
Supplies
A: 1/2" threaded barb - elbow or straight. (Lowes) Note that 90-degree elbow will restrict your flow a small amount because of the extra friction from the angle. If that is a concern for you, use straight fittings.
B: 2" slip to 1/2" threaded bushing (Lowes)
C: 3/16" hard air line (Aquatic Warehouse - San Diego)
D: 2" outside diameter clear acrylic tube. (Ridout Plastics - San Diego)
Not pictured: #40 acrylic glue (Ridout Plastics), teflon tape for the threads on the hose barbs (Lowes), and a 3/16" drill bit.
Also not pictured: I used some (I think) aluminum metal strips that I found at lowes, to make a clamp to hold it in place against the side of the stand. Just bend it using pliers and drill a hole through the metal for a screw to fit.
Directions
Drill a 3/16" hole about 2" from the top of the reactor, and then you can push your 3/16" hard air tube through. Leave enough tube sticking out so that you can attach your Co2 line. Secure the tube with #40 acrylic glue.
Apply #40 acrylic glue to the inside of the PVC slip-on ends and to the outside of the acrylic tube. Make sure to rough them a bit with sandpaper before you do this, for better adhesion. Give it a generous coat so that when you slip the PVC parts on, you can see the glue form a complete seal around the edges. You don't want any leaks!
Wrap some teflon tape around the threads of the nylon hose barbs and screw them onto each end nice and tight. Two or three times around the threads is enough.
Now, hook up to your canister filter and watch it go. What I like about this setup is that the Co2 is dissolved before it gets into the water column of the tank, so it's there but you never even see it. I used this for 2 years on a 30-gallon tank and it worked great.
[ATTACH=JSON]{"data-align":"none","data-size":"full","data-attachmentid":146}[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=JSON]{"data-align":"none","data-size":"full","data-attachmentid":147}[/ATTACH]
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