Fluval Ceramic CO2 Diffuser for Planted Aquariums, A7548

I have been keeping planted tanks for many years and was using the yeast system and an airstone. Just before I got this diffuser I was using the CO2 ladder for diffusing CO2 in my 40 gallon planted tank. I realized that the CO2 ladder was not enough to dissolve all the CO2 for my tank size because I wasn't seeing the plants pearling under the high light and it was wasting a lot of the CO2. I decided to try a ceramic diffuser but did not want to spend too much experimenting. So I bought this one which was one of the cheapest available. Do not relate the quality to the cheap price. This little diffuser works very well with my new DIY CO2 generator which is a Citric acid + Baking Soda system. It generates more than enough pressure for this diffuser to work. I am not sure if a DIY yeast system will work with this as the pressure may not be enough and if it does build enough pressure it will take time to build it up and then taper off in a few days which results in fluctuating CO2 levels in the water. I strongly suggest anyone using a yeast system to switch to this Citric acid system unless you are planning to upgrade to a pressurized CO2 cylinder which is even better. It is much more stable than a yeast system and the pressure is more consistent and much much higher. It is very important that you do not fluctuate CO2 levels in your tank or you will get algae issues and your plants will not be able to adjust themselves to the environment and thrive not to forget the stress on the fish. Initially you may see some big bubbles coming out around the edges and feel disappointed. Have patience, after a while (1 hour or so) everything clears up and it generates a very fine stream of tiny CO2 bubbles which almost dissolve completely as they travel up to the water surface which is around 15 inches in my case. I have placed the diffuser under a power head which further pushes the very tiny remaining bubbles around the tank for further dissolving and distributing the CO2 around. My plants are really thriving now and pearl (oxygen saturation from the leaves) under the strong light. I have had it in my tank for over 2 months now and it has never clogged up or even algae grow on it.

This diffuser is working really well with my compressed CO2 system running at about 30 PSI. I was worried at first since a lot of larger bubles were forming, which is the reason I got this to replace my last diffuser. But, after a couple days the large bubbles stopped forming and I am getting a fine, even mist of co2 bubbles that dissolve quickly. It may not be as pretty as a glass diffuser, but it works well and is cheaper, at least when I bought it. It's also nice not to be afraid of breaking it whenever I touch it.

I have been keeping planted tanks for a long time. I recently set up a DIY CO2 generator for my tank and had used this diffuser in the past in a similar setup. I ordered another for my latest planted tank. You do not need to have commercial tanks of CO2, a fancy regulator, or an expensive setup in order to have lush CO2-assisted growth. I use an old Gatorade bottle, some black airline tubing, and this diffuser. I wasn't going to get a bulbble counter but it was so cheap on Amazon that I went ahead and ordered Fluva's bubble counter as well. It provides another piece of equipment that prevents the tank from leaking back out the tubing onto the floor and allows you to see if your generator is still producing gas. For a DIY CO2 generator: 1. Gatorade or other thick plastic bottle. Many people recommend 2-Liters. I think these are too big. 2. Fleischmann's Active Yeast, or some other baker's yeast. Not the Fast Rise kind 3. Airline tubing. CO2 tubing is really expensive and since you are generating your own CO2 for pennies, don't worry too much about gas escaping. 4. Check valve. Very important. 5. Plastic inline connectors for tubing 6. Bubble Counter (or not) 7. Diffuser 8. Silicone (if needed) Drill hole in lid of platic bottle. Affix plastic inline connector INSIDE the bottle with one side pointing down into the bottle and the other pointing up out of the lid. (if necessary, you can use silicone to get an airtight seal) Attach a small length of airline tubing inside the bottle. This length should be short enough that it will not dip into the Yeast and sugar mixture in the bottle. Affix another piece of airline tubing to the connector poking out of the lid. Attach other end to the bubble counter. If you are not using a bubble counter, attach the other end to the check valve, then another piece from the check valve to the diffuser. If you ARE using a bubble counter, place the check valve between the diffuser and the counter. The diffuser should go in the tank in a location that will provide for the maximum transfer of CO2 gas with the water. In my tank, I have attached it directly underneath the intake for my Fluval 305 filter. The CO2 goes into the filter, slowing through the media for a longer time of gas exchange, then hits the impeller as it is pushed back into the tank. You do not want to put the diffuser near the surface or around an airstone. In fact, you don't want to use an airstone for oxygen in the tank during your photoperiod. Oxygen bubblers cause CO2 to not be in the tank long enough to have a good gas exchange. (I use an air pump at night to make sure that oxygen levels to not drop dangerously while the lights are off and photosynthesis has stopped for the day. I turn off the pump about an hour before the lights to come on to allow CO2 to build back up in the tank and be readily available to the plants when the lights come back on) If you do not wish to have your CO2 go through your filter, put it in an area as close to the bottom of the tank as possible, with as little water movement as possible. If you are not using a bubble counter, make sure you can easily see the diffuser to tell if CO2 is still coming out. In the bottle, mix warm water with sugar, swirl it around until the sugar dissolves, then add the baker's yeast. The amount of sugar and yeast that you use will determine how long the generator stays charged. I have had bottles last two weeks, and I have had bottles last two days. Basically, you want there to be enough sugar to feed the yeast as it reproduces. More sugar means longer CO2 production. Keep in mind that a whole packet of yeast will be waaaaaaaaaaaay too much and may cause your bottle to burst. After putting the lid with its attached line back on the bottle, walk away. It takes time for the yeast to produce enough gas to provide sufficient pressure. You will be tempted to open it. Don't. If after three hours there are still no bubbles coming through the diffuser, one of four things has happened: 1. You have a leak in your system (fruit flies and/or the smell of rising bread will tell you this) 2. You did not use enough yeast, your yeast was not active, or your water was too cold 3. You are impatient and still need to wait 4. You have water in your system and you will have to wait for internal pressure inside your bottle to overcome the water pressure from your tank (this is why I recommend the check valve) The diffuser really is the key to all of this. What it does is use pressure to force CO2 gas through a microporous stone disc into very small bubbles. The smaller the bubbles are, the longer it takes for them to reach the surface, and the more gas exchange can occur. A regular airstone really won't cut it.

So this diffuser is bare bones for sure but it does what it says it does and does it fine. If you have one of the small Fluval Co2 systems and need this specific part replaced than believe you me this is the item for you. I can't say whether or not replacing this exact part with something built with superior materials/methods, made by another brand, would or wouldn't work better on Fluval's systems specifically. But if you don't need something to up the production capabilities of your current system than by all means, buy this part and your system will diffuse like it did when you bought it originally. Given your regulator and hose's are all in good shape. Word of warning though, like any other system, when you turn it off, remove the ceramic from the tank or it will get all slimy and gross and will prematurely become too filthy to function leaving you in need of a replacement disk far to soon. Just a personal observation I have made over a long time in the hobby. Cheers!

Good quality, working well with DIY co2 instalation.

Ich betreibe diesen diesen Co2 Diffosor an einer selbstgebauten Co2 Anlage ( Chemisches Prinzip mit Natron und Citronensäure an ca. 2 Bar) in einem 180 Liter Becken. Ich habe vorher mit Diffusoren und Flippern verschiedener Hersteller (u.a. JBL und Dennerle) und Bauweisen experimentiert. Die Geräte waren durch die Bank für mich nicht zu gebrauchen und teilweise von nach wenigen Tagen defekt. Der Diffusor von Fluval ist mit Abstand der Beste! Warum? - Er löst das Co2 wirklich extrem fein in winzige Bläschen auf und ist damit sehr effektiv - Der Aufbau ist minimalistisch, daher gibt es wenig potentielle Bruchstellen - Das Gerät ist sehr klein und fällt im Aquarium kaum auf - Es ist absolut kein Pfeiffen zu hören wie bei den meisten Pipes - Kein hoher Reinigungsbedarf wie bei einem Flipper - Der Anschluss für den Schlauch ist direkt nach oben ausgerichtet - Stabile Verarbeitung (Glaspipes habe ich entweder beim Reinigen selbst zerbrochen oder das dünne Glas hat den Transport nicht überstanden) An Design und Verarbeitung können sich andere Hersteller ein Beispiel nehmen. Man könnte kritisieren das der Diffusor keinen integrierten Blasenzähler hat. Ich sehe dies eher als Vorteil an da das Gerät so seine oben beschrieben Eigenschaften hat. Lieber einen separaten Blasenzähler einsetzten als einen defektanfälligen Aufbau wie bei anderen Produkten in Kauf nehmen. Insgesamt ein simples, effektives und günstiges Gerät. Meine Emfehlung nach dem Test von mehreren Produkten (Top Seller bei Amazon).

I used this for a while but kept running out of CO2 very quickly. Basically I needed to pump more in because the bubbles were too large. I ended up buying a NEO diffuser and halved my CO2 usage for the same effect.

Al principio pedi el marca ST International que viene desde USA, pero da burbujas muy grandes, tome la opcion de ST por los malos comentarios de este Fluval pero decidí darle una oportunidad, al fin de cuentas no es caro y ya esta en México. Al instalarlo pense que si estaba tapado como muchos comentarios que han compartido lo señalan, pero leí otros que dicen necesitas darle tiempo, por lo que lo deje instalado, revise que no hubiera fugas y despues de 36 HORAS que elabore la mezcla casera comenzo a soltar las micro burbujas. Es Fluval no se puede esperar menos. EXCELENTE PRODUCTO.

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