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Re: [APD] Re: CO2 and water old and new



You can try that and see if the big bubble gets smaller by
restricting the water flow. I think you'll find the
opposite, up to a point. The max point for the reactor is
when the flow is so strong that it virtually "blows" 
bubbles out of the reactor -- actually that's a little past
max capacity for the reactor. YOu can increase the max
capapcity a bit by spreading out the energy of hte flow
with sponges or bioballs, etc.

But in general, the point isn't to have the same water in
contact with the gaseous CO2 as long as possible -- as the
water around the big bubble takes on more CO2, it's harder
to get more CO2 into that water. Rather, the point is to
have the CO2 in contact with water as long a possible
before the bubble reaches the water surface. And the more
water it comes in contact with that has less CO2, the
faster it will dissolve. . .

Until you reach the max capacity, the more water you can
expose the CO2 to, the faster it will dissolve but only if
the water is not loaded with CO2 to begin with.

But don't take my axe for it ;-), you can try it with a
reactor and a valve on a powerhead.

Scott H.

--- Ann Viverette <annv777 at houston_rr.com> wrote:

> Hi RJ,
> 
> I'll jump in again to say that I think that more power in
> a reactor is not a 
> good thing. Mixing is best done by holding the two things
> together and 
> making them rotate. Faster flow and crashing against
> resistance works, but 
> not nearly as well, and the effectiveness will decrease
> with greater flow, 
> not increase.
> 
> The Plant guild reactor uses only a Rio50, the bubbles
> gently roll around 
> until they are gone. I use, in my DIY copy of that
> design, a Rio90 and 
> depending on the sort of sponge or kitchen scrubbie I use
> on the end of the 
> cylinder, I may get bubbles collected in the scrubbie or
> sponge or blown out 
> the end of the tube (which is a bit shorter than it ought
> to be). I suspect 
> that the use of a powerhead in reactors came about
> because that was what 
> people had laying about, not because it was best suited
> to the job.
> 
> IMHO, a fishkeping novice with an engineering background,
> a slower flowing 
> pump with a longer tube than mine (at 5") could allow you
> to churn the 
> bubbles and use no sponge at all on the end, so visually,
> the unit would be 
> even less to contend with. Offset the water inlet, for
> maximum rolling, and 
> it ought to work pretty good. I'd do mine again, but it
> works OK now.
> 
> Did you ever address the thing I mentioned about the
> intake grid facing 
> downward allowing the airlock when gas collects?
> 
> AnnV
> 
> > Message: 11
> > Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 14:24:10 -0600
> > From: "RJ Skall" <rjskall2 at hotmail_com>
> > Subject: [APD] RE: Setbacks Injecting co2 - need help
> > To: aquatic-plants at actwin_com
> >
> > Bob Alston and S. Hieber, thanks for the replies.
> Questions: do you folks
> > also have this large gap of gas in the reactor body
> during normal 
> > operation?
> > Also, how far up from the bottom of the tank does your
> reactor sit for 
> > best
> > results?
> > What I still can't understand is that the rio powerhead
> I am using is even
> > the next model up (more gph) than the Vortex models
> like the ones you got
> > from floridadriftwood.com. The cylinder body dimensions
> and open cell foam
> > piece at the bottom are the same as well. I am running
> 1.5 to 2 
> > bubbles/sec.
> > Last night I checked the intake of the powerhead - it
> wasn't clogged. But
> > the pH doesn't seem to be decreasing, so between that
> and the BBA and the
> > non-pearling, I don't think the plants are benefitting.
> I still wonder 
> > what
> > I could be doing wrong. Thanks again.
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Aquatic-Plants mailing list
> Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
> http://www.actwin.com/mailman/listinfo/aquatic-plants
> 

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