▷ CO2 diffuser in the aquarium | All information and details

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The most important nutrients for plants include nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and carbon dioxide. If you want to optimize plant growth, you should artificially add CO2 to the water. The aquarium plants need this carbon dioxide for photosynthesis.

Photosynthesis produces glucose, which promotes cell formation. The plants grow faster and more luxuriantly. The best way to add carbon dioxide to the water is to use a CO2 system.

The CO2 diffuser

The diffuser is an important one Additional device of the CO2 system. A CO2 diffuser increases the efficiency of the system by atomizing and distributing the CO2 in the water. This will allow the gas to be released more easily.

In cold water the CO2 dissolves better than in warm water. Therefore the water should not be too warm. Oxygen, which the fish need to breathe, is also better distributed in cold water.

The CO2 diffuser presses the CO2 with pressure through a ceramic membrane. The membrane is usually white, but there are now many different versions on the market. In principle, however, all models work in the same way.

There are different CO2 diffusers for each aquarium size. For this reason you should read the instructions carefully. A 54 liter aquarium requires a different diffuser than a 700 liter aquarium.

Which CO2 diffuser fits the CO2 system?

When choosing the right diffuser, you should consider two important criteria. You should know if you have one CO2 system with compressed gas or a CO2 system with organic CO2 want to buy.

The size of the aquarium also plays an important role. You can also choose between glass, plastic or stainless steel diffusers. The quality of the ceramic membrane is also a relevant purchase criterion.

1st criterion: CO2 system with gas bottle or organic CO2?

Depending on the system, you need a different CO2 diffuser. CO2 systems with compressed gas in bottles and bio-CO2 systems are available on the market. CO2 systems with gas cylinders have an essential higher pressure as bio-CO2 systems.

However, bio-CO2 systems build up far less pressure. Most diffusers are designed for CO2 systems with gas cylinders. They only work optimally at a constantly high pressure.

If you own a bio-CO2 system, you should find out whether the diffuser also works at low pressure. In addition, it makes sense to ensure that the diffuser works quietly.

Overall, there is a larger selection of diffusers for compressed gas systems. Larger glass and stainless steel diffusers or inline atomizers usually work very well with a gas bottle.

2nd criterion: size of the aquarium

Another important criterion when choosing the diffuser is the size of the aquarium. The bigger that volume of the pool is, the the diffuser should be bigger be. Especially that one diameter of the ceramic membrane is particularly relevant.

In a large pool, the system works with a higher pressure. A small diffuser is sufficient for small tanks. Even small pools can be operated with a bio-CO2 system.

A small diffuser is characterized by very fine atomization. For larger pools 400 liters does it make sense two diffusers to install. It is best to place them in different corners. This division means that the CO2 is better distributed in the tank.

3rd criterion: The material of the diffuser

There are diffusers made of very different materials. The most popular materials include Glass, plastic and stainless steel. All materials have different advantages.

Glass diffuser:

Stainless steel diffuser:

Acrylic diffuser:

Plastic diffuser:

diffusers off Glass look special noblediffusers off plastic are right cheap and diffusers off stainless steel are special robust. The hoses are also available in glass or stainless steel.

Depending on which material you are already using on the filter in the aquarium, you can adjust the diffuser. This gives you a very coherent overall picture. The membrane is very fine-pored and can be quickly replaced with glass and stainless steel.

A solid, high-quality diffuser makes cleaning work and replacing the membrane much easier. Also diffusers off acrylic glass and plastic are quite popular. Although they look less high-quality, they are easy on the wallet.

Despite the lower price, they often have good membranes that atomize the CO2 well. At a pressure of 2 bar, they already do a decent job. The bubble formation is really fine and therefore very efficient.

A lot of CO2 is dissolved in the water. Above all Acrylic glass models can also visually convincing. One advantage of plastic is that you can choose from different colors. The most popular colors for diffusers include black, green and blue.

Sometimes they work colored models quite attractive, despite the fact that they are only made of plastic.

4th criterion: Quality of the ceramic membrane

The membrane of the diffuser plays a role decisive role at the efficiency the plant. It strongly influences the CO2 solubility in the pool water. One can say that it is better if the membrane is particularly fine-pored.

The more fine-pored the ceramic membrane is the finer and are more numerous the blisters. The carbon dioxide then dissolves even better and faster in the water. The pressure of the CO2 system also influences the formation of bubbles.

je higher the pressure is, the more CO2 will be solved. However, since high pressure always involves a certain risk, the CO2 system should be designed for the high pressure and have a pressure reducer, a suitable hose and a non-return valve that can withstand the pressure.

It is therefore best to ensure that you purchase a coherent set. Diffusers made of acrylic glass, glass, plastic or stainless steel usually have very fine-pored membranes that optimally dissolve the CO2 in the water.

Up in-line atomizer

For owners of really stylish pools, too inline diffusers to be interesting. They are very discreet, since most of the technology can be hidden in the base cabinet. This makes the pool look special minimalist. Anyone who is enthusiastic about this reduced look should play with the idea of ​​getting an inline diffuser.

With these diffusers you only see them microfine CO2 bubbles, which are pumped from the filter outlet into the aquarium. This makes this variant very sophisticated and modern.

All inline diffusers are available with different sized hoses. They have little effect on flow performance. The inline diffusers work a lot low noise and are still more efficient than the other diffusers.

For that they need one higher pressure than the other diffusers. To need at least a print of 1.8 bars. If the pressure is low, you won’t enjoy them.