Why are bubbles in CaRx bad?

[tkeracer619]

Post pics of the reactor.

Are you pulling or pushing effluent through the reactor?

CO2 should dissolve on the first pass as it easily dissolves into water. Something to consider is CO2 gas you get isn't pure, for every 200 bubbles of co2 there is 1 bubble of air in non beverage grade CO2 and for beverage grade it is 1 bubble of air per 1000 bubbles of co2. This can add up over time since the air doesn't dissolve as easily and if there isn't a way for the gas to escape you will have a slow buildup of air in the system. Under normal circumstances this isn't enough to cause an issue but if you have poor quality gas it certainly can.

I always recommend pulling effluent from the lid as it will purge any buildup. CO2 is very cheap so trapping it to try and dissolve it IMO is a waste and simply used as a marketing tactic. It creates far more headaches than problems it solves.

More often than not people with gas buildup have a poorly tuned reactor, incorrect media choice, leaky fittings, all of the above, or eat the wrong kind of food.

Post some pics, it may help determine what is going on.

[Joshsmit56001]

I’m pulling effluent and I am not sure what grade the Co2 is as I am using the Co2 from a cylinder I purchased used. I do have a new cylinder I purchased filled at praxair. I will try and get some pics taken today.


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[Joshsmit56001]

Currently using a 2.5# tank



Tank pressure seems low but is that due to the tank size?



Blurry bubbles at the top



Blue line on bottom left comes from the tank. Blue line at top goes to Masterflex pump and then out to tank. Red line is Co2. Bottom right is hard to see but it is the mag 2 pump attached to the pvc fittings.




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[ca1ore]

Bubbles or gas buildup? It may actually be the latter - not CO2 at all (which as noted, dissolves really easily into salt water). I run my CaRx as up-flow and the MF pump pulls from the lid. eliminates any gas buildup.

[Joshsmit56001]

Problem I see with lifereef reactor is that the pump pulls from the bottom and exits the top, pushing the buildup of Co2 to the edge of the reactor where it is not pulled out the effluent tube easily.


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[tkeracer619]

I don't think that bubble build up is any cause for concern.

[Ssteve]

That is similar to what I experienced with mine a couple times. Pretty sure its air that was trapped in the media. I wouldn't be concerned with it at all. I do think you should check your regulator and co2 as I am pretty sure bottle pressure should be higher than that, I believe mine is around 750psi and it was filed several months ago.

[Joshsmit56001]

I am just using up the remaining Co2 from this tank. I have a full tank on hand when this is empty.


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[d2mini]

I've been having a lot of problems with c02 collecting in my GEO.

I was trying to use my GHL doser to either pull or push the water through (like a masterflex). The GHL would run for like 8 or 9 minutes at a time and then rest for a minute. Repeat 150x per day. You'd think that 1 min wouldn't matter. But it seemed that not having that effluent being push through was causing too much to build up in the reactor. After a day or so, the pump would start making a lot of noise as that co2 was being pulled through it. I'd have to turn off the circ pump and shake the reactor to release all the bubbles from within the media, so they'd rise to the top and eventually get pushed out with the effluent. Repeat a couple times and then turn the circ pump back on.

After fighting with this for weeks I finally went back to just using a standard sicce feed pump and keeping a steady stream of effluent with C02 controlled by the ph with my controller.

[tkeracer619]

We need to get you a masterflex

[Joshsmit56001]

I have one for sale!!


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[outy]

Originally Posted by d2mini

I've been having a lot of problems with c02 collecting in my GEO.

.

I get a bubble two on top of my geo because it doesn't sit level. No big deal.

I switched to an Iwaki md15 for recirc and there was never a bubble compared to the stock ehiem. But this pump was so strong it would cloud up after every restart when doing water changes, it would also try lifting all the media up. Just to strong.


now I have a jebao dcp pump and at 6.8W its also perfect again. being an adjustable pump is perfect here for the right amount of flow with different media changed like the fine grained media I'm currently using.

[outy]

Originally Posted by tkeracer619

We need to get you a masterflex

Its more a recirc pump issue then the effluent pump.

my mj1200 is a decade old and still working perfect with no slop in the motor

[outy]

Originally Posted by d2mini

I'd have to turn off the circ pump and shake the reactor to release all the bubbles from within the media, so they'd rise to the top and eventually get pushed out with the effluent. .

Sounds like a weak recirc pump.

If you had a 6/24 my Iwaki md15 would be a good choice, its to much for a 6/18 with fine grain media.

[Joshsmit56001]

I thought about my mag 2 for the blue line they have on these pumps now. Not sure how much difference it would make


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[d2mini]

Originally Posted by outy

Sounds like a weak recirc pump.



If you had a 6/24 my Iwaki md15 would be a good choice, its to much for a 6/18 with fine grain media.

It’s the pump that came with it.
What would a weak recirc pump have to do with co2 building up in the reactor?

[d2mini]

Originally Posted by tkeracer619

We need to get you a masterflex

Haha yeah I just don’t have the room for it this time. It’s currently being used as my ato pump inside my outdoor water change station.

[outy]

Originally Posted by d2mini

It’s the pump that came with it.
What would a weak recirc pump have to do with co2 building up in the reactor?

so you had he sicce? over he years they have changed a few times, ehiem, panworld and now sicce

The recirc pump is what keeps the water flowing through the media, a weak pump will do exactly what you are describing.

C02 dissolves in the water, and the pump shreds up the bubbles into finer bubbles to help them dissolve. But not if the pump is so weak it never sucks them up they get stuck.

Its not an effluent pump issue as you only have a small trickle running out anyway, in comparison to how many bubbles enter per minute.

[d2mini]

Originally Posted by outy

so you had he sicce? over he years they have changed a few times, ehiem, panworld and now sicce

The recirc pump is what keeps the water flowing through the media, a weak pump will do exactly what you are describing.

C02 dissolves in the water, and the pump shreds up the bubbles into finer bubbles to help them dissolve. But not if the pump is so weak it never sucks them up they get stuck.

Its not an effluent pump issue as you only have a small trickle running out anyway, in comparison to how many bubbles enter per minute.

The recirc pump is a Syncra 1.5 and this reactor is the smaller 612. Single chamber.
It's been running for days now as described above with the original feed pump and steady effluent flow. I just tried shaking it and no trapped bubbles.

The trapped bubbles only started when I tried using the doser as the feed pump.

[outy]

Originally Posted by d2mini

I just tried shaking it and no trapped bubbles.

.

Sounds ok then. No need to change anything. I just started experimenting because I had to rebuild my impeller on the ehiem, and it was a hair low on circulation with fine media.

[LittleBigReef]

Originally Posted by tkeracer619

I don't think that bubble build up is any cause for concern.

Lol!!! I just bought one last week, thanks to a fellow reefer pointing me out to ur thread


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[tkeracer619]

Originally Posted by LittleBigReef

Lol!!! I just bought one last week, thanks to a fellow reefer pointing me out to ur thread


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Cool, enjoy it!