Help Oddball 3 gallon aquarium co2

[kyrob2000]

Hi all, new member here.
I have a whacky tank that I’ve been struggling to dial in. The tank dimensions are 48”x4”x4” LWH. Approximately 3 gallons. For filtration I have a Landen pura 50 mini canister filter with the in/out flows on opposite sides of the tank also have an inline pump to increase flow. I’m currently using a standard in tank diffuser positioned directly below the outflow, but as you can imagine being 4 foot long and 4 inches deep a good portion of the co2 is direct to the surface. I’ve looked heavily into alternate co2 options with no real luck. The hose size is 6mm which leaves me with no inline diffuser options. I have a yugang horizontal reactor from aqua rocks on my 120g and another on the way for a 20G. The only potential solution I’ve been able to come up with for my whacky tank is possibly a small diy horizontal reactor. Is it possible to make one for such a small volume tank? Any ideas on possible materials I could use? Thanks for your time!

Pic included is old, mini fountain filter was removed and plants moved around some.

 

[Minorhero]

What a very weird tank! I've never seen one like that, was it custom/diy?

It's frankly dead simple to make a co2 reactor including a horizontal if that is your preference. All you need is a barb to fit whatever tubing you are using, a connector, a PVC pipe, and a connector and barb for the other end. At the beginning you drill a 3/16" hole and shove your co2 tubing into the hole. It will be a tight enough fit you will need to pull a pointy end through with pliers. You can definitely put it together with parts from your local big box hardware store. Alternatively you can do the exact same thing but turn it vertical for a rex griggs style reactor. That will make it smaller since a vertical reactor is more efficient. There are videos online for how to build one if you haven't worked with PVC before. If you prefer you could also use an off the shelf reactor and just use bits of tubing and adapters to size it down till you get to something appropriate for what you are using. Soooo a lot of options.

 

[hamfist]

What an interesting tank ! I think a custom made horizontal CO2 reactor would certainly be a good solution to the CO2 issue you describe.

 

[*Ci*]

Hey, we were discussing this kind of tank recently!
Ultra Narrow Bookshelf Tank
Tell us more about your tank - was it custom made? What lights are you using? Plant list? Closeups of the ‘scape?

 

[JayP]

Hey, we were discussing this kind of tank recently!
Ultra Narrow Bookshelf Tank
Tell us more about your tank - was it custom made? What lights are you using? Plant list? Closeups of the ‘scape?

Ha! I was just about to post the link to that same discussion. I was actually wondering if the photos of the tank that were shared from Reddit are this poster's tank but apparently not since the lights are different and that tank had been going a long time.

 

[JayP]

Also, there's the spraybar type reactor discussed HERE. I think @*Ci* built a nice spraybar reactor.

 

[kyrob2000]

Hey, we were discussing this kind of tank recently!
Ultra Narrow Bookshelf Tank
Tell us more about your tank - was it custom made? What lights are you using? Plant list? Closeups of the ‘scape?

thanks for the link! I’ll check it out. Tank was sold as a glass flower planter on Amazon. Initially I tried a 48” hygger bar light that mounted to the back, but it sat right above the tank so maintenance was a bear. now I currently have 3 lominie lights. Still not sure I’m a fan, I may go back to a long rectangle style light with risers. For plants I have blyxa japonica, dwarf fair grass, hydrocotle, Fissidens fontanus, some random small anubias and a buce or two. Also have a small asparagus fern too. I just setup an 18 gallon epiphyte bowl so I think I’m going to remove the Anubis and buce from the 3 gallon and put it in the bowl. I’ll post more pics of the tank/scape when I get home tonight!

Hey, we were discussing this kind of tank recently!
Ultra Narrow Bookshelf Tank
Tell us more about your tank - was it custom made? What lights are you using? Plant list? Closeups of the ‘scape?

 

[kyrob2000]

Ha! I was just about to post the link to that same discussion. I was actually wondering if the photos of the tank that were shared from Reddit are this poster's tank but apparently not since the lights are different and that tank had been going a long time.

The tank in that thread is where I got the inspiration to get mine! I saw it on reddit and knew immediately that I wanted one. Out of 12 different setups from 1.7G up to 180G this little 3g has by far been the most difficult to find a good balance. One of these days I’ll get it figured out.

 

[Kwyet]

Very cool!