# does co2 circulate in tank well?



## jblasto (Jan 4, 2013)

I have a tall tank (3 feet deep). Was wondering if the Co2 gets to the bottom of the tank efficiently once it's injected or is it more concentrated at the top? I have no powerheads but the water comes in from a pump out of a sump and is pushed into the tank (almost like a power head). If my tank was a normal height I wouldn't even wonder if this could be a problem but I was wondering if there were any CO2 guys out there that had a feeling for this.


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## jblasto (Jan 4, 2013)

To further elaborate... I guess its the reactors job to dissolve the co2 so in theory if the reactor is efficient than anywhere there is water there would be a good co2 level. Yay or nay to this theory of mine.


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## Fuzz (Jan 27, 2012)

I feel that it will do a good enough job for what us high tech-ers need it for. I'm sure you have a drop checker...if not, BUY ONE! Anyways, I'd put the drop checker down low, so you'll be reading the lower levels of the tank. 

Surface agitation is pretty much the main reason why CO2 leaves the tank unused. if you have an air pump or a trickle filter or anything else that makes the surface really wavy, then you're wasting your CO2. You can run that kinda stuff when the lights/CO2 are off to prevent surface scum


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## grogan (Jan 23, 2011)

jblasto said:


> To further elaborate... I guess its the reactors job to dissolve the co2 so in theory if the reactor is efficient than anywhere there is water there would be a good co2 level. Yay or nay to this theory of mine.



Yay Sir on this theory. If your reactor is doing its job, your CO2 should be fully saturated into the water column. In the past when using a glass diffuser, I would add a power head above to blast the bubbles back into the tank for further saturation. I used this method for a year and then purchased a drop checker, and found that my CO2 levels were consistant across the aquarium regardless. 

I have used inline diffusers and glass diffusers and found that I prefer glass diffusers. I simply like the look of clean glasswork and being able to see exactly how much CO2 I am adding. 



Fuzz said:


> I feel that it will do a good enough job for what us high tech-ers need it for. I'm sure you have a drop checker...if not, BUY ONE! Anyways, I'd put the drop checker down low, so you'll be reading the lower levels of the tank.
> 
> Surface agitation is pretty much the main reason why CO2 leaves the tank unused. if you have an air pump or a trickle filter or anything else that makes the surface really wavy, then you're wasting your CO2. You can run that kinda stuff when the lights/CO2 are off to prevent surface scum


Spot on bud.  I could not have given better advise myself. I personally raise my canister filter return at night to add extra oxygen. The best method is to use an air stone hooked up to a timer and run the air pump when the lights are off.


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## grogan (Jan 23, 2011)

I hate the look of air stones and extra tubing in my aquariums, which is why I dont apply this method.


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