Miller's Journal

[Mmiller2001]

Looking for a anubius id. One of my first plant purchases and have no clue which one it is. Pulled it out of my QT tank.

I'm also looking for an Anubia recommendation for about a max height of 4 to 5 inches. The one in the pictures is about 16 inches.

[gjcarew]

That looks like a regular Anubias barteri. Anubias nana would be around the size you're looking for.

[Mmiller2001]

On 4/13/2023 at 1:30 PM, gjcarew said:

That looks like a regular Anubias barteri. Anubias nana would be around the size you're looking for.

Beautiful, thank you.

[DaveO]

Here is my anubus coffeefolia. It is a total height of 4" from rhizome to top of leaf.

[Mmiller2001]

On 4/13/2023 at 2:46 PM, DaveO said:

Here is my anubus coffeefolia. It is a total height of 4" from rhizome to top of leaf.

That's a nice one. What's in the background? 

[DaveO]

On 4/13/2023 at 4:27 PM, Mmiller2001 said:

That's a nice one. What's in the background? 

That is a recently transplanted Needle Leaf Java fern. It's kind of looking rough right now, but should bounce back. I literally had to rip it off some wood to move it.

[nabokovfan87]

On 4/13/2023 at 12:05 PM, Mmiller2001 said:

I'm also looking for an Anubia recommendation for about a max height of 4 to 5 inches. The one in the pictures is about 16 inches.

Nangi is pretty special. I also really like normal Anubias Nana. If I had to have just one it would be Nana.

[Mmiller2001]

On 4/13/2023 at 4:16 PM, DaveO said:

That is a recently transplanted Needle Leaf Java fern. It's kind of looking rough right now, but should bounce back. I literally had to rip it off some wood to move it.

Stunning regardless. My Java Fern adventure isn't going well...at all.

On 4/13/2023 at 4:37 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

Nangi is pretty special. I also really like normal Anubias Nana. If I had to have just one it would be Nana.

I agree on the Nana too. Easy to find also.

[anewbie]

On 4/13/2023 at 1:54 PM, Mmiller2001 said:

Well, the horizontal reactor is a beast. Works perfectly. I will need to be careful. I'm hitting a 1.05 pH and still could push more. I'm thinking going higher is not necessary with my plant choices so far.

I'd watch your fishes very carefully; whenever i approach 1.0 they start gasping.

[anewbie]

On 4/13/2023 at 2:05 PM, Mmiller2001 said:

Looking for a anubius id. One of my first plant purchases and have no clue which one it is. Pulled it out of my QT tank.

I'm also looking for an Anubia recommendation for about a max height of 4 to 5 inches. The one in the pictures is about 16 inches.

The two i like are pinto (or if i can't find pinto then golden) nana (really quite lovely) and afzelii. There is also a gold coin (not to be confused with golden nana) which i don't love but it some folks love it.

[Mmiller2001]

Here's a good explanation of EI dosing.

https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/ei-dosing-using-dry-salts.1211/

[Mmiller2001]

Random thought of the day, why didn't I get diatoms with this start up? Weird.

[DaveO]

I'm guessing super good filtration in that tank. Cleaner sand? Both?

[Mmiller2001]

On 4/15/2023 at 5:05 PM, DaveO said:

I'm guessing super good filtration in that tank. Cleaner sand? Both?

No clue honestly. Ace Hardware pool filter sand.

[anewbie]

On 4/15/2023 at 3:07 PM, Mmiller2001 said:

Random thought of the day, why didn't I get diatoms with this start up? Weird.

My understanding is diatoms feed on silicon and you are using ro water; so you have control over the silicon level.

[nabokovfan87]

I only, typically get diatoms I should say, when I have things out of balance. Either too many nutrients too fast, plants not feeding due to CO2 issues, or simply too much light in a certain spot.

I would think your setup avoids a lot of those issues. You had mentioned the improved CO2 reactor design. Was it revised due to noise?

If you were to do a smaller version do you think it makes more sense to just use an in line diffuser and a spraybar or is there something very specific about this setup that has overwhelming advantages?

[Mmiller2001]

On 4/15/2023 at 10:57 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

I only, typically get diatoms I should say, when I have things out of balance. Either too many nutrients too fast, plants not feeding due to CO2 issues, or simply too much light in a certain spot.

I would think your setup avoids a lot of those issues. You had mentioned the improved CO2 reactor design. Was it revised due to noise?

If you were to do a smaller version do you think it makes more sense to just use an in line diffuser and a spraybar or is there something very specific about this setup that has overwhelming advantages?

I went a smaller diameter so I could fit a longer length in the back chamber. This increased the surface area of the CO2 pocket for more passive diffusion. I think adding the bypass slowed the flow down inside the reactor so the noise is now a non issue. 

I personally wouldn't go back to another method. I consider this superior to all others out of pure simplicity and 100% dissolution. It's very efficient and my CO2 flow rate is lower than I had to push on my 75. I'm quoting here, but I also believe this is the future of injecting large volumes of water. It's not easy to get large tanks up towards 30ppm and this method is the solution.

On smaller tanks, I would definitely use Yugangs CO2 spray bar design. It's also very simple and very effective. I can pm the links if you would like to read them.

[nabokovfan87]

On 4/15/2023 at 10:13 PM, Mmiller2001 said:

On smaller tanks, I would definitely use Yugangs CO2 spray bar design. It's also very simple and very effective. I can pm the links if you would like to read them.

Yes please, I was about to DM you a list of questions on the CO2 diffusion chat we had going on.  I am seeing nothing on the drop checker and I do believe circulation is "acceptable".   Still dialing things in on the new tank.

[anewbie]

I'm a bit confused why your design is more efficient than a normal reactor; the one i made is 2 feet high; other than perhaps if you have a long aquarium you can increase the length beyond 2 feet - maybe as long as 8 feet. However the negative is that you need a place to put it whether it is behind or in the aquairum. Your particular aquarium has an attached filter with a divider that provides a good location for the long bar; but suppose you had a more traditional aquarium without the dvider (btw the divider has a negative because it takes in tank area away from fishes and plants); and for example a more traditional sump below the aquarium - now where are you going to place the bar - my guess is at the back of the aquarium but now it is more of an eye sore....

or am i missing something ?

[Mmiller2001]

On 4/16/2023 at 9:28 AM, anewbie said:

your design

Full credit goes to Yugang over on a different forum. I've just been testing it.

According to his calculations, it provides more surface area. Also, most canister filter and diffusers clog up and the reduced head pressure further reduces injection. One must keep up on canister maintenance to maintain consistent flow through the system. A CO2 spray bar requires no such cleaning and is a passive system working off the current in the aquarium. The horizontal reactor, ideally is on a dedicated pump, and flow will be constant over a much longer period as no filter is clogging while mechanical filtration is doing it's thing. You also have the inevitable CO2 gap the Cerges tyle reactor causes. This is nothing more than a gentle stream flowing under a pocket of CO2. 

As far as placement, you could simply have it under the tank, hanging off the back. Anywhere really. There's no difference in planning a placement when a reactor is being used. It's just an issue of vertical versus horizontal. You also have the added benefit of safety. These style reactors can be calculated and designed in a way that the possibility of gassing the fish is impossible. An adjustable hole can be drilled or a slop in the system for purging excess CO2. It's quite a ingenious concept, but so simple when you think about it.

Edited April 16, 2023 by Mmiller2001

[anewbie]

On 4/16/2023 at 12:18 PM, Mmiller2001 said:

Full credit goes to Yugang over on a different forum. I've just been testing it.

According to his calculations, it provides more surface area. Also, most reactors and diffusers clog up and the reduced head pressure further reduces injection. One must keep up on canister maintenance to maintain consistent flow through the system. A CO2 spray bar requires no such cleaning and is a passive system working off the current in the aquarium. The horizontal reactor, ideally is on a dedicated pump, and flow will be constant over a much longer period as no filter is clogging while mechanical filtration is doing it's thing. You also have the inevitable CO2 gap the Cerges tyle reactor causes. This is nothing more than a gentle stream flowing under a pocket of CO2. 

As far as placement, you could simply have it under the tank, hanging off the back. Anywhere really. There's no difference in planning a placement when a reactor is being used. It's just an issue of vertical versus horizontal. You also have the added benefit of safety. These style reactors can be calculated and designed in a way that the possibility of gassing the fish is impossible. An adjustable hole can be drilled or a slop in the system for purging excess CO2. It's quite a ingenious concept, but so simple when you think about it.

A few comments; a reactor (made from filter jar) should be no more likely to clog than the spray bar reactor; it really makes no difference if the reactor is vertical or horizontal (I think) if the length is the same; it might be that by having it horizontal the co2 spread across a greater area to diffuse and that might be the difference. Also the spray bar (co2 or otherwise) is no difference in that it has a pump and is not passive (with the filter jar I have i also have a dedicated pump). Another difference might be how the co2 enters the aquarium (though it is not clear to me why one would be better than the other); i have mine set to enter via the returns which are lower in the water column than your spray bar but there are gaps between each point of entry - which are evenly spread across the back of the aquarium - with the spray bar the return is more evenly spread across the back but is also likely higher (hit the water at a higher level - not sure if that is better or worse - naively i would think this is worse as the co2 would be higher in the water column and escape faster by passing lower plants. 

-

At no point did i mention filter so i think this is something you added to the discussion - i merely the design of your aquarium's filter system gave you a convenient place to put the long tube - for others they would have to place it under the stand or behind the aquarium - for me behind the aquarium would be a bit of an eye store (I'm setting up a 10 footer). 

[Mmiller2001]

When I say co2 spray bar, I'm not referring to an actual spray bar. It's the name given by Yugang. 

Would you like the link to the thread?

I edited my other statement. I see the typo. Most people attach reactors to the return of a canister filter. That's what I was referring too. 

Edited April 16, 2023 by Mmiller2001

[gjcarew]

Seeing this design, I'm wondering why reactors were ever designed vertically in the first place...

[Mmiller2001]

On 4/16/2023 at 7:07 PM, gjcarew said:

Seeing this design, I'm wondering why reactors were ever designed vertically in the first place...

Right, the whole concept is so simple. Why didn't people come up with sooner? It's really nothing more than a cut coke bottle filled with co2 inside the tank, but optimized to the max. 

I'm still shacking my head at how well it works. And still in disbelief.

[anewbie]

On 4/16/2023 at 11:58 PM, Mmiller2001 said:

Right, the whole concept is so simple. Why didn't people come up with sooner? It's really nothing more than a cut coke bottle filled with co2 inside the tank, but optimized to the max. 

I'm still shacking my head at how well it works. And still in disbelief.

Isn't it a bit trickier than that; you have to ensure that the co2 doesn't leave the horizontal bar before it dissolves - I have to go back to the uk thread to see how he made it but basically my understanding is a 1 inch diameter pvc tube that is a few feet long - you inject co2 in one end and you hope by the time the water flows out the other it has dissolved - the in and out holes should be closer to the bottom of the tube's diameter in hope that the co2 rises to the top of the tube while it dissolves. The picture he has shows air on the top side of the tube with the water on the bottom but in reality there is nothing that prevents the tube from filling up completely with water and the co2 being forced lower. Did i miss something ?

-

With the water filter reactor the water is drawn from the bottom and the co2 goes to the top and slowly dissolve so the only way it can enter the bottom is via diffusion. Also with the water filter approach you can visually see what is happening if you use a clear one (i suppose the long horizontal tubing could also be clear so you could ensure the co2 is not escaping out the end prior to dissolving. Now the horizontal has the advantage that there is more area for the water to come in contact with the co2 so more can dissolve into the water faster (in my case the water filter diameter is around 4 inches and we can see this would be significantly less than 4 feet a horizontal solution could provide on a moderate size aquarium). However - and this is more a question - i'm not sure the horizontal would be more efficient if we consider effiiciency the amount of co2 injected into the system to reach a certain saturation level - that is while you can dissolve more co2 in the horizontal design it is not clear to myself naively that given a certain amount of co2 released from the canister into the reactor it can dissolve more of the gas - with the vertical design i presume the xtra co2 just sits at the top of the reactor until it eventually dissolves but is not lost from the system.

 

Edited April 17, 2023 by anewbie