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Re: CO2 regulators and slowing flow in Fluval MSF
> Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2000 20:43:01 EDT
> From: Dgrim62 at cs_com
>
> I guess that several factors come into play re:
> the safety margin you would have if your regulator kept pumping gas
> into the tank:
We run the "bubble rate" into the reactor relatively high - it's somewhat tuned
so the on/off cycle of the controller is about equal (for no particular reason).
It would be safer to have the bubble rate "just fast enough" to balance the CO2
loss to the atmoshpere. But then the controller would stay on almost all the
time and the system is no longer "automated". And a very slow bubble rate is
also *much* more sensitive to external conditions - the house gets a little
warmer and the flow rate slows down too much.
> If your tank is well covered or not. Mine is open, so I guess
> some exess CO2 could escape if there was too much.
Ours is open also. The reactor couldn't care less.
> Surface turbulence. Both
> my canisters create surface turbulence, so this may off gas as well.
We try to keep some surface movement but no turbulence.
> Method
> of injection. I inject into the intake hose of my Eheim 2217. Works well, but
> maybe not as efficient as your Dupla reactor. I like it because it is one
> less thing to look at in the tank (unless you use a sump).
Definitely not as efficient. We keep ours in the sump.
> I consider the chance of things like a CO2 dump or probe failure one of the
> inherent risks of keeping the types of tanks we do. The same thing as the
> continuous risk of a tank splitting a seam (glass, at least). Comes with the
> territory.
Agreed. It's the same as driving a fancy car - nicer when it's running but more
stuff to break.
George Booth in Ft. Collins, Colorado (booth at frii_com)
http://www.frii.com/~booth/AquaticConcepts