Description
The Colombo CO2 reactor set makes pure CO2 from a chemical reaction. Just follow the instructions to put the unit together. Then add the two part refill pack. Within a short period of time, you are making your own CO2 safely at home.
Should I add CO2 to my planted tank?
Yes! CO2 will help you plants to grow and flourish. The best planted tanks do use pressurised CO2 units that inject gas into the water to allow the plants to grow with strength and healthily. If you have a tank with only a few hardy plants, you might want to try liquid carbon CO2 instead. However, most planted aquarium experts agree that CO2 as gas is much better for living plants. CO2 units are more controllable and much easier to dose. With liquid CO2, you do need to remember to add it daily and at around the same time of each day. Using a reactor such as this one, you can just set it up and leave it to run until the bottle needs refilling. This is much easier!
How is the CO2 released into my fish tank?
After the chemical reaction has taken place in the cylinder, you are able to slowly and constantly release the CO2 gas through the pressure regulator.
The gas flow is precisely managed by turning the adjustment knob. Use the bubble counter to see how many bubbles per second are being released into the aquarium. This means that you can add the amount of CO2 that is right for your aquarium.
The CO2 is then released into the tank through a diffuser which is supplied with the unit.
This system also comes with a solenoid valve. We think that this is fantastic, because plants utilise CO2 during light hours to produce oxygen and during dark hours they actually do the opposite. For this reason, we recommend turning the CO2 off at night. Because this system has a solenoid valve you can plug it into a timer to coincide with the hours that your aquarium lights are on. Ideally, have the CO2 come on around 30 minutes before your lights come on and turn it off around an hour before the lights go off.
How many CO2 bubbles per second should I add to my planted tank?
It is worth noting that every tank is different. For this reason, the only way to know how much CO2 to add for sure, is by testing. You can test the levels in your fish tank with a constant CO2 indicator.
However, as a rough guide, if your tank has basic lighting and fairly hardy plants, you probably want to aim for around one bubble per second. Whereas,a very well planted tank with strong lighting, will want more like three to four bubbles per second.
Colombo CO2 Reactor Set is supplied with:
- Bottle holder
- Pressure regulator
- Solenoid valve
- Bubble counter
- Non-return valve
- Outflow
- Accessories and spare parts
Easy to use
Follow the instructions to put the kit together. Then simply add the 2 components (from the refill pack) into the stainless steel bottle. After that you need 300 ml of water to add to the mix. Close the bottle with the pressure regulator supplied. The chemical reaction starts to happen fairly quicky, you can expect it to produce approximately 105 grams of CO2 gas in 30 minutes. It will continue to release gas for quite a while (depending on how many bubbles per second you add to the tank).
No more changing pressure bottles!
Simply use the two part refill instead of exchanging pressure bottles.
Important note about Colombo CO2 Reactor Set
The Colombo CO2 Reactor Refill does not come included with this set. If you wish to start making CO2 when you receive this kit, please don’t forget to add the refill pack onto your order.
