Chuck's Planted Aquarium Pages
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DIY CO2 ReactorThis page shows how to construct a simple but very efficient reactor to dissolve CO2 into water.
 The operation of this CO2 reactor is pretty simple. Bubbles of CO2 rise up thru a downward current of water. The bubbles get churned around in the current, and dissolve into the water. Water flow is provided by a small powerhead/pump. I used a Rio 600. I originally tried a smaller pump (a Rio 180), but it's flow was too low and the reactor didn't work. Water from the powerhead is pumped thru a hose, into the "reactor" which is just a modified Gravel-Vac tube. At the bottom of the tube, I inserted a 2 inch tall piece of sponge. This allows the water to flow out of the tube, but prevents the CO2 bubbles from getting pushed out of the tube. I placed 5 or 6 bio-balls in the tube. The CO2 line from the CO2 regulator enters from the top of the reactor. With the pump running, water flows into the gravel-vac tube. CO2 bubbles enter at the bottom, and rise up. They get caught in the current, and get churned around. They quickly dissolve and disappear. The bio-balls provide extra turbulance, and slow the rising bubbles, helping increase the rate at which the CO2 dissolves. CO2 enriched water is forced out the bottom of the tube. Before using this reactor setup, I was bubbling the CO2 directly into the intake of my main water pump. Using that method, I had to run about 5 bubbles per second, and the CO2 level was about 15ppm. Using this new reactor, I'm running at 2-3 bubbles per second, and the CO2 level is 20ppm. The increased efficiency is obvious.
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