Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 4:03 pm Post subject: Woudnt Co2 diffusion be much better in an open bottom tank?
Hi Guys
I had a eureka moment today early morning & thought i'd share it with you guys here. Im a firm beleiver of DIY techniques. Love building stuff with own hands. I'm in the process of researching & creating injection moulded fewer piece glass "open bottom aquariums", where one section of the tank is defying gravity and the water column of it is higher than the base tank. The fish can swim from the base tank right upto the top.
This is a kind of tank im planning to build, but without the black tapes and with single L pieces on both the sides.
Basically the water column which is higher is high due to the lower atmospheric preassure in that water column due to the vacum we create in it. If any air fills in this column, either Oxygen or Co2 the water column shoud start going down and the water flow out from the base tank.
So my question is. (Food for thought)
What if we direct the micro Co2 bubbles from the diffuser rise into the higher water column, as these bubbles fill up the area the top water column will come down, but the Co2 is actually getting trapped in there with no escape other than thru the water downwards, so wouldnt that be better if the Co2 is locked there. Woudnt it be a better Co2 diffussion, maybe also with some surface agitation on the higher column surface (if its not enough).
Specially if we can make some emergent plants like (Amazonia swords etc) rise up above the base aquarium water level and grow to be big enough to emerge out of the higher lever area out into the pure Co2 which is trapped there, wont it do that extra good.
What i feel is that there wont be enough Co2 bubbles created & trapped above in a day to reduce the higher water column so drastically to leak out from base tank, I feel that it would be a gradual process that everyday we would give a little more suction manually using a regular air pipe inserted above the higher waterlevel fitted with check valves (without a diaphragm pump) and the column would rise again to be pushed back down slowly again. I expect a reduction of say 1.5 to 2 inches a day of trapped Co2 in a 1 sq ft square cube with say 1 bubble a second or so. What say?
Ps: To make it more powerfull & automated we can even put 2 holes. One at the top of the higher water lever which will serve as an input for a diaphragm filter and the 2nd one; the output right below the atmospheric water level near the diffuser which would again re-direct the water and air flow back to the higher level to give the needed surface agitation and recirculate the same Co2 to infinity till its completly dissolved in water. (just hoping fishes wont gasp for air due to higher Co2 levels)
What is your take on this guys? ill update this with post images & video once the tank is ready. But before i start i'd love to get to know all your viewpoints. Any and all arguments on this case are welcome.
Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 12:21 am Post subject: Re: Woudnt Co2 diffusion be much better in an open bottom ta
Small suggestion: If you are really thinking of putting plants like this guy did i don't think you really need to think for Co2. Few fishes and weekly small amount of water change should be enough.
Small suggestion: If you are really thinking of putting plants like this guy did i don't think you really need to think for Co2. Few fishes and weekly small amount of water change should be enough.
Eagerly waiting for your DIY Aquarium.
Actually i love to put a lot of plants and i absolutely love the idea of making it grow wild with Co2. Dont have the patience to watch it grow very slow.
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Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2012 9:14 am Post subject: Re: Woudnt Co2 diffusion be much better in an open bottom ta
It will be one odd tank, if there is a sudden dump of CO2, or a lot of pearling you will have all the water on the floor due to back pressure. A good quality diffuser/reactor/atomizer will be cheaper that building this contraption with valves and pumps. why over complicate simple time tested methods?
It will be one odd tank, if there is a sudden dump of CO2, or a lot of pearling you will have all the water on the floor due to back pressure. A good quality diffuser/reactor/atomizer will be cheaper that building this contraption with valves and pumps. why over complicate simple time tested methods?
Yes its an odd tank, but an excellent conversation piece as its kind of gravity defying. The logic need to be explained, not everyone would get the logic just by looking at it. Actually the Co2 part, i made it too complicated, but thats only if need be.
The simplest option is to just let Co2 excape into the inverted tank and let it automatically get trapped there. I think that would suffice instead of adding more stuff like agitation and digphram pump etc.
Do you think a lot of pearling can happen suddenly to give me a huge volume of gas? if in that case it would actually be orygen and Co2 which will get trapped there rite?
If i try this, i surely will keep a close watch on the water level.
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