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. Amano loves to sell carbon dioxide diffusers for every small nature aquarium or planted tank out there but is planted tanks are strongly focused on aesthetic, why don’t more companies make external CO2 reactors? Better yet, we’d rather see a canister filter maker design a model with a built-in CO2 reactor, that would be the bomb.

Sera has had their line of air pumps for some time now and 2 of the 3 models received a nice performance boost. The models getting more efficient are the 275 plus air, and the 550 R. The 275 plus air wattage has been reduced from 6 watts down to 4 watts and the 550 R has been reduced from 12 watts down to 8 watts. These new models also have been retrofited with a filter drawer allowing you to clean the intake area further increasing the efficiency of your pump. The price on the 550 R tops out at €35 ($48.69) and models below that including the 275 plus at €22 ($30). Expect to see these pumps arriving in Europe and the UK.