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Re: CO2 diffuser




>
>Date: Thu, 4 Nov 1999 04:23:34 -0500
>From: "Bob" <luna at cshore_com>
>Subject: Re: CO2 diffuser
>
>Sherlock Wong wrote:
>>Has anybody used the new glass CO2 diffuser that Pet Warehouse
>>is selling? It looks just like Amano Pollen glass.
>>Thanks
>>Sherlock

snip

>So far the Coralife wooden diffuser (I
>believe it is lime wood) wins hands down! It has been putting out extremely
>fine bubbles for 4 weeks now with no apparent change in bubble size. Other
>brands of wood airstones may work as well, but that is what the LFS sells
>near me.

snip

The "lime wood" you are refering to is, I'm pretty sure, known more commonly
in America as basswood, Tilia americana. It is favoured by carvers for it's
light weight and the fine textured grain that allows it to hold fine details
when carved. This fine pore structure also produces the fine bubbles we
prefer for the diffusion of CO2 in our aquariiums.

I make my own diffusers from pieces of basswood 3/4" thick by about 3-4"
wide. If you saw 3/4" slices from the board, you can easily get a dozen
diffusers from a foot long piece of wood. The exposed end-grain should be
visible along the length of two edges when you are done... this is where
your fine bubbles will come from. I bore an 11/64 into the 3/4" square end,
making sure to stop drilling short of the oppossite end, and insert a
plastic air line splice half way into the block, sealed with a couple drops
of cyanoacrylate glue (Crazy Glue). I suppose you could also use silicone.
Let the glue dry and your'e all set.

At about $2.50 a board foot, a piece of basswood 3/4" x 3" x 12" would cost
about 83 cents, you can probably get a scrap free if you know a woodworker
or carver. And if one diffuser plugs up, you won't feel too bad about
tossing it and using a fresh one.

Ron Barter
Perth, Ontario