Sera has a new CO2 reactor with a novel pinwheel design to break up the gas before it travels down the reaction body. CO2 and Ozone reactors are normally the type of device which is DIY’d or handmade into existence which is why it is so refreshing to see a different design for this often ignored segment of the aquarium market. The robust acrylic body is about two inches wide and ten inches long, near the top incoming water pushes the needle wheel to help break up the incoming gas into finer bubbles for quick and thorough dissolution. All of the connections of the Sera CO2 reactor are twist-off, the body, the intake and outflow and the gas inlet. Not sure when the Sera reactors will be hitting U.S. aquarium stores but when they land expect them to sell for $60 to $80.
Whether you want to dose carbon dioxide to your planted tank like the Sera CO2 reactor is intended, dissolve some CO2 before hitting the calcium reactor or dissolve some ozone before hitting the protein skimmer, the slim bottle design looks sleek and effective. We are currently using a hand made CO2 reactor on a Tonina Style plant tank that was cobbled from odd fittings and an old Aquarium Pharmaceuticals tap water purifier and we’d much rather see something this solid in it’s place. Although it is not explicitly marketed for reacting ozone in seawater, the resurgence of using ozone generators to reduce organics and clarify water might see some hypermiling reefers try to eek out extra efficiency in dissolving ozone before going into the protein skimmer. Likewise, if your carbon dioxide is very precious to you or you just loathe a low pH, you could dissolve CO2 into the incoming water of your calcium reactor on a separate loop before feeding the calcium pump, but a good calcium reactor design is already a pretty good CO2 reactor as well.
