Review on Gulfstream Tropical AGU00529 Ista Max Mix CO2 Reactor (Large) for Aquarium – Enhanced SEO by Miranda Smith

I bought this after seeing several reviews on YouTube. The complaints and defects were known to me before the purchase. I chose to buy this rather than build from plumbing for two reasons; it looks better and costs less than hardware at the big store. Here is my opinion on the product. The reactor vessel looks quite thin and fragile. I've handled it with care, but it doesn't appear to be as fragile as it seems. My only complaint about the quality is the flash molding on the output tube. I scraped the flash off and connected it with a piece of flexible 1/2" clear tubing. The tubing needs to be clamped so I used a stainless steel worm drive clamp. Length of tubing when tightening the clamp. Holding on to the reactor vessel would most likely result in disaster despite significant clamping tension this fitting leaked very slowly. Patience was rewarded and two days later I used barbed 1/2 x 5/8 HDPE adapters to connect the 1/2 fittings on the reactor to the 5/8 ID hose that came with my Sun-Sun 703b canister filter. They are lightweight. , inexpensive and easy to close with some hose clamps. I'm happy with the work of the reactor. It's not silent, but the faint rattle of the Impellers is not objectionable After removing the air by briefly inverting the reactor I had no problems operating the reactor Tor is on a planted 45 gallon mounted aquarium. When I used the glass diffuser at one bubble per second on the flow monitor, the CO2 tester never showed a change from blue (no CO2 increase). At the same flow rate and with the reactor, the tester is now clearly green. After the residual air in the reactor has been blown out, the waste water is absolutely bubble-free. Results; If it wasn't for the mold and slow leak I would give this reactor five stars. I shall not re-manufacture a manufactured product until it is fit for its intended use. It was still worth at least four stars because it was cheap, easy to install, and did its job well. If I need a reactor for another tank, I'll buy another one.