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Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V5 #380 -- Vortex Vexing



Bodin Family said:
 
> Jerry -  I have experienced a very similar problem with
> the DIY CO2 reactor
> I built (See http://home1.gte.net/bodin1/CO2.htm) that is
> somewhat based on
> several of the DIY designs on the web. Check to see if
> there is a huge
> hurricane/vortex of CO2 in the chamber, as this may be
> your problem...
> 
> Many of the Pictures of these DIY designs I see in
> operation display this
> massive "vortex" of CO2 flowing/hurricaning within the
> chamber. Based on my
> experience I think this is not optimal operation.
> Whenever I have a huge
> vortex of CO2 in the chamber the pH goes from 6.6/6.8 to
> 7.4 in less than a
> day, telling me that the CO2 is not dissolving into the
> water column as it
> should.
> 
> IME CO2 dissolves more efficiently when a vortex is not
> present (when lots
> of small bubbles are gracefully spinning around in the
> chamber). Not sure
> why, but this is what/how my set-up operates. Whenever I
> have the vortex -
> no/very little CO2 dissolves.
> 
> I used to think that too much water going through the
> chamber would cause
> the vortex (as I state on the web-page), later I realized
> that it was when
> the input of my powerhead became clogged with a dead leaf
> (or something
> else) that the flow of water through the chamber would
> slow down and then
> CO2 vortex would start to accumulate, and the pH would
> then rise.
> 
> anyway, I hope that this was able to help you...

If the bubbles go in and do not go out, then the CO2 has to
be dissolved in the water -- A correlary to Fudd's law:
what goes in must come out.  It is possible for the CO2 to
form into very tiny bubbles that get carried away with the
water flow before all the CO2 is dissolved -- once the
bubbles are out of the bell or mixer or reactor, they can
float to the surface and escape to the atmosphere.

A well set up reactor lets no bubbles escape.

Scott H.

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