What is you preferred way of injecting CO2? Also don't forget to like the video, it helps more than you know! 🙏 👉🏻Become a channel member! bit.ly/3JWfyzg 👉🏻Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to my KZfaq channel: KZfaq.com/mjaquascaping 👉🏻Cool Aquascaping T-shirts: mosscotton.com/ Code: mjaqua10 👉🏻 Use Code ''amsterdam'' for 10% off CO2art products 👉🏻Destroy ALGAE with my FREE ebook 📖 bit.ly/3aBaAcy 👉🏻10% DISCOUNT on buceplanet.de with code: Amsterdam10

Thank you for making this in depth video with results and better explanation! It helps us a lot!!!

This channel provides easy-to-understand information and some experiments which I think are very interesting to know, greetings from Indonesia

i just got the inline co2 atomizer, first time using it and it seems ok so far, going to check the pH drop shortly. love the experiment it's very insightful and useful. I've used the reactor and the in tank type before, but the inline makes the tank look so much cleaner. great video!

Very informative video like always. I'm glad I switched to inline ones...the mist is a bit distracting but I feel happy the plants are getting enough Co2

Very very good explanation. Thanks very much. Subscribed.

Thank you! I am installing inline diffuser today on my new 75gal.

Very instructive. Thanks.

Hi, thank you for your videos they are great, I learn a lot thanks to you and you offer great content. Thank you also for the subtitles in French, I'm watching you from Switzerland ;) keep it up!

Thanks MJ for the thoughtful experiment and for having a great channel. I would like to say that I think the results are misleading even though you partially addressed the issue of regulator pressure. I believe that there is more to account for when you change between the low-pressure reactor and high-pressure in-line diffuser. Boyle's law describes the relationship between pressure and volume of a confined gas (bubbles are confined within the liquid in the bubble counter and stay intact from surface tension). Two bubbles of the same volume under different pressures will contain different quantities of gas. Think of pumping up a bicycle tire - once the tire fills to size, you can keep pumping air into it increasing the pressure, but the size/volume does not increase much. With the low back pressure of the reactor, the bubbles in the bubble counter contain some amount of gas. With the high back pressure of the in-line diffuser, the bubbles in the bubble counter are compressed and therefore contain more gas per bubble assuming they reach the same size before they break away and float up. I think that matching the bubble rate in the experiment was a fatal mistake. Flow rate is the important variable, whereas bubble rate can be used as the proxy for flow rate only if pressure, temperature, and bubble size stay constant. To sum it up, I think you were injecting more CO2 with the inline diffuser than the reactor, giving false results. The reactor when working correctly results in complete dissolution of the gas. The in-line diffuser releases bubbles into the display that will eventually reach the surface and off gas prematurely, meaning that it should always be less efficient than the reactor. There is a separate issue of whether the microbubbles in the display tank are advantageous over the reactor since they can attach directly to the plant surfaces. But since your experiment looked specifically at pH, I think the results are specifically wrong. You could either use a flow meter instead of a bubble counter, or you can measure the back pressure after the regulator for each setup and approximate the flow rate based on bubble count.

been watching your how to videos. and just want to say thankyou .

oh man the hard work you put on your videos

Really enjoyed this type of content! Very cool and informative.

Holy hell the tank at @2.00 is a work of art! I love that little sand path through the middle. Definitely be stealing that idea.

Keep them videos coming, never stop!

Never seen your channel, until this VERY SECOND. I HONESTLY have to say that the tank behind you is incredible...Subbed....

Personly I like inline diffusers, because the micro bubbles also attache to plant which give them the opportunity to get CO2 this way.

Love this experiment.

Amazing video as always

Your videos are some of the best on youtube

Thank you! I want to get an in line CO2 diffuser set up now

kudos to you very good explanation

This video is very educational. Thanks very much.

Thanks for taking time to do this experiment. I think a better way to normalize each systems performance would be to either tune each system so each reaches the same target and is stable, then compare the CO2 flow rates of each. The system that maintains the target with the lowest consumption is the most efficient. The alternative would be to use a fixed CO2 injection rate for each system and the system that results in the greatest pH decrease would be the most efficient system. Once you start adjusting the CO2 working pressure, you introduce gas density changes that have an effect on the total mass flow rate of CO2 injection. Matching bubble counter flow at different pressures won't yield the same mass flow rate of CO2.

Hey Mark, I subscribed and put notifications on, so that I could learn some more. For years I passively used CO2 into my aquarium. I’ve been looking for a great CO2 Reactor to use in my tank. I’m starting over again, because I moved. I sold all four tanks. I thinking an Acrylic tank this time. I would like to go Dutch Style, but I doubt it. I’m more into aquatic plants than fish and shrimps. I did very well in selling plants from my Aquariums. I also sold many kinds of fry’s and shrimps. CO2 Reactors are hard to find. Thank you for sharing.

Great experiment 👍🏻

great video man. but I wish you got some B roll f the tank with the inline and reactor so we could really get an idea of the mist you where talking about.

A quick way to judge your actual CO2 delivered with a low-priced CO2 gauge instead of a probe is from the 2Hour Aquarist. You pull out some water after your CO2 had been on long enough to reach maximum dissolution--say two hours after it turns on. You measure the pH, pour the water into a small jar and shake it vigorously for five minutes steadily. That should degas all the CO2 you put in artificially. Now you measure the pH again and look at the spread between that value and the previous onw.

Thanks for this video MJ. 🙏 Im using the same inline diffuser on my 120 tank. But im planning to use a reactor (ista brand) on a 150cm tank im working on currently 😊 wish me luck

Absolutely useful video, I may switch my co2 injection method based on your result too.

I have the c02 art inline and its one of the best products I've owned. I get really good diffusion for my tank step up. Awesome vid! Glad I didn't waste my money haha

To be honest you’re best aquascaper i have ever known.. 👏🏾

Good experiment!

Great video!

Really interesting!

Thanks so much! This was very informative! I've been researching how to get into CO2, and the more I learn, the more questions it raises. Great job!

I like your experiments. I've got a bunch of tanks, of the same size, and I'm going to test some different equipment. I'm thinking of testing filters, substrate, ferts, & lights, but, I'm afraid that's too many variables to be able to determine which one did what. Maybe just stick to one company's products per tank.

Thank You.

Big shallow finally looking real good, brother. WOW. Looking stunning, actually. Nice job...

Wow beautiful setup, i have tried your dry start method but no luck since 61 days.

Thanks for sharing this great insight. In my opinion there are benefits to have both 100% dissolved reactor CO2 as well as a small amount of suspended dispersed CO2 bubbles from an inline injection system. However for personal taste and the benefit of having extremely clear water in order to enjoy the viewing more. I would just go with a good quality reactor. That should support the plants adequately and provide a fantastic viewing experience. Thanks for sharing this inspirational and informative content. 😎👍👊🇦🇺

Combine an inline diffuser to a reactor. Only the tiniest of bubbles would be able to leave the reactor and those tiny bubbles would take a long time to break the water surface

I also use an inline diffuser and I combine it with a lily pipe that has a special shape that pushes the water down. Hoping it optimizes the co2 consumption and diffusion. The name of the pipe is the Orchid Outflow by VIV.

Great video. It would be interesting to see this experiment again with the inline diffuser placed on the filter inlet hose.

Thank you. This mean that I will continue with my inline diffuser....

You deserve 1mil + subs

I love your channel. That is all.

Great experiment. Bu you should repeat it with the same CO2 operating pressure, since you increased the pressure with the diffuser. The results you obtained are not directly comparable. If the amount of injected CO2 were the same, then the reactor would have achieved a higher CO2 concentration, since a reactor will achieve a higher CO2 dissolution rate than an inline diffuser.

Thanks for the test ;) But taking of very hard tap water, and seeing Amsterdam got arround 8 I need to smile ;) My old city I lived in we had 21, and munich now got arroudn 15 ;/

Great video! That’s a beautiful shelving unit. Where did you get it? I love that setup with your decorations and tanks. I would love to have something like that!

Bravo!

If you prefer an inline system; qanvee is really great. It's the same as the co2art, except a lot cheaper (aliexpress). Thank me later. Oh and a tip against leaking gas, use Vaseline on al the connections

It's a good video, and you’ve made some very good points. The fact you captured data is fantastic! I've used an inline diffuser for several years now, that runs in-line from my sump return pump. I currently run that same in-line diffuser you showed here; which I appreciate, as it can be easily disassembled for maintenance. It's easy to clean, and the seals can be replaced. Best of all, it's not visible in my aquarium :) It's good to see how well the in-line performed. I am a tad bit biased, given I've run that diffuser for some time now. And seeing how well it performed only reinforces my fondness of it. However, even with your data: I’d still rather run a reactor, if I could ever find one made out of cast-acrylic. If for no other reason than the durability and shelf-life cast-acrylic reactors have. They can also have a lower loss in head pressure, as an in-line can be very restrictive around the ceramic ring. The main issue is, finding a cast-acrylic CO2 reactor is exceedingly difficult! Because of that, I hope reactors become more prevalent in freshwater. Also, that tank is looking great. It's a pretty contrast in textures.

So I came up with a idea. I use a co2 Reactor on its own dedicated line, which has a in-line pump,. It has its own set of lilly pipes also. That way my Oase canister filters' flow is not reduced +Plus even more flow from the opposite side of my aquarium.

MJ, nice experiment. Have you ever looked at how pH responds when co2 is injected 24/7 without a controller or solenoid? That is how I've been running my tank for ~24 years. Local water is soft. I set a constant bubble rate ~1 bps. Ph drops to low 6s overnight and rises to nearly 7 towards the end of the light period. Pearling starts soon after the lights turn on and slows several hours before end of light period. Fish are especially active in the afternoon. They do not seem to mind nighttime lows. Having never used a controller or solenoid, I also wonder why you let pH rise overnight rather than maintaining the same level 24/7.

Hi MJ. Have you ever tried or reflected upon connecting the CO2 hose to an internal filter? I have one that I removed the filter part and it's just serving as a flow device directed at the Neo diffuser to spread the bubbles through my 100cm tank. (I use an external cannister for filtering). This internal filter has a little hole to connect an air pump to. Will the CO2 connect to this in an effective way or is there a risk to it? Thank you in advance. Always love your videos! Regards from Portugal.

I prefer reactor. I made one myself and happy with it.

Thanks for your video! A normal airpump with airstone doesn't help? I got a sponge filter running

04:31 this may be semantics but technically you don't have an 100% dissolve rate, you do have here an maximum saturation of co2 in water

Hi, please can you tell me the glass lily pipe name at 2:05 minutes of your last video? Congrats for your videos so beautiful

I just take the silicon tube from my diy co2 system and place it at the inlet of my pump in the aquarium sump, works amazingly

Awesome video. Looking to upgrade to a canister soon and an inline would be great to clean up the tank a bit. Where did you get 6.8 pH from, is it 30ppm from your pH before the co2 is on?

I've been allowing a difuse to pass through my cannister filter cheapest reactor going...although it's not recommended I've never had a problem with this method for 3 years

Have you tried putting your in-line diffuser on the intake of your canister filter? That's what I do, the canister itself works well enough as a reactor / diffuser combo. I don't run close the same bubble rate you do in your demonstrations - so it is fairly efficient. In fact I removed the ceramic part, its not required. I've been turning on my C02 3hrs prior to lights on to land a target of 30+ppm (KH/PH of 5/6.6 =~ 37ppm). I get plant pearling about 3hrs into the photo period. I don't use a PH controller, but thinking on that. I'm still adjusting so I may start backing off during the photo period with timer controls if the CO2 starts to climb too high. I use a smart power bar for all the items I need to control, its convenient and I can control the items from my phone or google home by shouting at it. :)

MJ you should do a passive co2 kit vs injected co2 experiment.

I prefer the reactor. It's more effective and it avoids CO2 mist.

I subscribed and put notifications on to see what you are doing. I’m still not sure if I will go with a Reactor or an inline defuser. What size aquarium is the one you are showcasing? Can you tell me in Gallons? Thank you for sharing.

Can you do an inline diffuser running into the canister filter (out of the tank), instead of the outbound of the filter (into the tank)

Hey. What program were you using to monitor the exact CO2 levels throughout that first day & moving forward to keep an eye on regularly? I hope to get a reply …. I look forward to ur response. Cheers from Down Under. Claire

Quick question, I have an ista face side co2 regulator and it doesn't have a dial on the front to adjust the pressure is that a common thing not to have one of those dials? Forgive my ignorance if it's a silly question, first time using co2 on a tank. Thanks

There is another way of injecting co2 (used to inject o2 in industrial aquaculture). An pressured chamber with gazeous co2 and water showered finely from the top, droplets of water going through the co2 and not the opposite. Quite nosy maybe but should be adapted for huge tanks! Do you know what system they use in the sumida aquarium?

Hey what kind of lights do you have and where can I get some

I noticed you never made a video on the passive CO2 method. Have you ever tried it?

Would you know the ppm of co2 in your water? For best growth. And what's a good tester

i only have in tanks diffusers and always struggle with their perfect placement :/ usually underneath the filters inlet disperses the bubbles everywhere

I have a tank that is 240L and I have trouble getting the co2 spread all the way around the aquarium. There is also a "carpet" of bubbles on the surface. I have ordered Aquatic Nature co2 Tornado (I have an internal filter). I hope it is the same principle as your reactor, but I will have to wait and see.

My display tank has a black vinyl background and tall background plants, which obscure the spray bar I use. The spray bar is obviously connected to an external filter (an Oase Biomaster 600), which in turn is connected to the very same C02 Art in-line diffuser you used here. With this set-up, you do get a very fine mist in the water, as you noted. No bubbles or "sprite water," but a visible mist. So that's true. But with this set-up, I get such excellent C02 dissolution and distribution that I can get even slow-growing plants like java fern and anubias to pearl, which indicates peak photosynthesis. Before I tried this set-up, I didn't even know it was possible to get anubias to pearl. So in my experience at least, an in-liner diffuser connected to a (hidden) spray bar produces strong, healthy, beautiful plants.

Do I have to have stronger filter than usual if using inline diffusor, and how much stronger?

I’m currently having some issues with my Co2 in my contest tank, what timing you’ve got with these vids brother 😅👌🏼

Is it possible to use inline diffuser before the external filter? In this case you could use the external filter like a reactor....

Great video! Could you explain me about the graph of Intaqo controller? How do you view these data in your PC? Thanks!

Would it work to have a c02 regulator and put the diffuser in the return section of my sump 🤷🏼‍♂️

not all reactors are created equal - try the gla co2 reactor

Great Video, thank you! I need your advice: I recently switched to an inline diffusor (JBL Taifun Inline) for the mentioned benefits of having very small bubbles. After 24hrs of soaking and 8 days of use (switch off at night), the bubbles are still relatively big (not a micro bubble mist). Also JBL claims the benefits being able to save up to 20% CO2. Does anyone experience the same? Any advice? Thank you! 🙂

Zo'n reactor vreet enorm veel vermogen van je filter weg. Mooie test.

Hello. Please tell us something. If you put CO2 on the intake of the filter is it good or bad, for the bacteria inside the filter

Nice 👍 how much gh in u r tank plz

What about passive CO2? I have been getting some into a plastic bottle in my aquarium. Too soon to even say if it makes a differentce, but it is confusing to me cause not even 24 hours and it is all gone from the bottle!

I think if you use 30psi in reactor. It should give more results than inline.

you shoulda inculded the diy bottle cap co2 kit XD

i'm have 3 tank and 2 Reactor of those 100% dissolve rate is really good but flow is slowdown

Really good experiment. Actually I have a CO2 diffuser in the tank. I tried different places to obtain an optimal distribution of CO2 and figured out the best place is next to inlet pipe. Most of bubbles are aspirated and after the drop checker the amount of CO2 is good. What do you think?

Really nice video!!! I’ve got some questions on the Scarlet Badis, what’s a good male to female ratio for a super heavily planted 60U, will there be issues if I get more males than females (it’s super hard to get females)? Can you mix the Scarlet Badis with the Black Tiger Darios? TY!

Can do experiment inline diffuser and intank which way uses less CO2?

you got me hooked up again...

Mark, you increased the pressure by 5 psi on the in-line system, thus I reckon you used 15% more CO2, I doubt you could accurately count the bubbles at the fast you rate you were releasing the CO2 at with your fine adjuster.

If I set up Inline Diffusser in canister filter's outflow pipe then will the canister filter's outflow will decrease??? And if it decrease the how much will it decrease???

Great video as always. One question as I have never used CO2 in my tanks but would like to try without putting too much money into it, are the BIO 'systems' such as Dennerle BIO CO2 good to start with?

long term what did the graph look like including over time off time

Let me ask this have you ever used inline uv and inline co2 defuser at the same time being they have to run on the same return line I was told it could be done as long as uv goes on tube first any thoughts on that