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Pressurized CO2...Just thought I'd share.

346K views 413 replies 138 participants last post by  rajdude 
#1 · (Edited)
So, there have been a lot of threads (it seems) lately regarding pressurized CO2. Hopefully, this primer will help alleviate any fears that people have when starting to delve into CO2 as it can be quite intimidating at first. In addition, hopefully this primer will answer some of the most commonly asked questions regarding pressurized CO2.

As this thread will be discussing how to set up a pressurized CO2 system, advantages/disadvantages of using a pressurized setup versus a DIY (yeast) CO2 system will not be discussed in this primer. For more information, please take a look here:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/9-general-planted-tank-discussion/107303-newbie-setup.html#5

On to pressurized CO2!

First, when people refer to pressurized CO2, we often read that we will need a "regulator" or a "regulator build." What does this mean exactly? This term is thrown around quite loosely in the aquarium hobby, but a pressurized CO2 system consists of more than just a regulator.

Here are the essential components you will need:

1) A CO2 cylinder
CO2 cylinders come in various sizes. They are often used in paintball guns (usually sold as 20 oz cans). They also come in 2.5, 5, 10 and 20 lb sizes (larger sizes such as 50 lb tanks do exist, but they are quite large and bulky, and are not commonly sold outside of specialty applications).

CO2 tanks come with a fitting known as a CGA320 fitting, which is standard in North America. Europe and Asia use different industrial standards. Paintball tanks, however, do not come with this fitting, and come with a pin depression type valve. More on this will follow below.

Many people believe that getting a small, paintball CO2 tank is "cheaper", however, this is not usually the case. Regulators (see below) often come with CGA320 fittings (or can be adapted to such). However, as paintball tanks do not contain this CGA320 fitting, normal regulators cannot be used, and you must purchase either a special regulator with the required fitting, or look around for a paintball tank to CGA320 adapter (often, quite difficult to find). In addition, refill costs for CO2 tanks are generally not much different. The refill cost for (say) a 5 lb tank and 10 lb tank may only be a few dollars different. For example, I can get my 10 lb tank refilled for $17.50, while a 20 oz paintball tank may cost $5 to refill. This means that the cost per pound of gas is more for a smaller tank. In addition, the larger the CO2 tank, the longer you can go without refilling the tank, etc. It can be quite a hassle to drive out and refill the tank, depending on where you live. The general piece of advice is to get the largest tank that you can afford and/or is feasible for the space that you have.
 
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#68 ·
I am actually from Canada, not the US, however, the same standard applies to North America.

The particular website you linked to looks like it may work; it says that it is a "CGA320 to standard adapter". I assume by "standard" they refer to the Asian standard.
 
#73 ·
I am actually from Canada, not the US,
Sorry my mistake:)

Yeah I got an that it is an adapter, but there really isn't much information about it even in Japanese. Although I don't know why they would have it in Japan, it could be an adapter to use a Japanese regulator on a North American Tank. I guess that's where a friend comes in to email them to get more info.
 
#70 ·
Taking a look at the chemical resistance database, Buna N (the standard material for Brass metering valves from Swagelok, according to the above PDF) has excellent resistance against CO2 (both wet and dry).

http://www.coleparmer.ca/techinfo/chemcomp.asp
 
#74 ·
The adapter is to connect it to a 74 gram cartridge!! Why would you make an adapter for a full size regulator to a small canister, but not one for a full size can:/
Anyway they said that I would have to buy that adapter and another for a full size adapter. Do you think it would be an ok Idea to use two adapters for the regulator?
Or do you remember any leads or ways of searching for this adapter. I read somewhere on a Homebrew forum where an American stationed in Okinawa found an adapter, but he only gives directions there from his base, so they definitely exist.
 
#76 ·
The 74 gram cartridges are similar to the ones they sell for the ADA cartridges, so besides the threading being a lot smaller than the standard, the cartridge would be smaller than the regulator.

I tried signing up on the beer forum, but you have to pay. Plus it seems like a small store somewhere in Okinawa.

Guess I'll just have to get the two adapters since there should be no problem.

Thanks for replying:)
 
#82 ·
Really wish I would have found this guide about 2 months ago when I first dove into pressurized CO2 and ditched the 2 litre. I would have never bought the Red Sea paintball tank kit. I had convinced myself how much better it was due to size and that it would fit better in my setup, but after running to the paintball store every 2-2.5 weeks to refill the 20oz canister, I realize not only was the initial cost of the system ($200 + $40 for the tank) high, but the continued cost is worse.

Another one of those times I was impatient to get a project going and let the LFS talk me into something. Though I did discover that the paintball system regulator will work with 2.5lb+ cylinders, but it isn't the overall best quality regulator.
 
#85 ·
I believe the moderators said that they would not be stickying this, as it is forum policy to not sticky things, in general. It adds to clutter, etc.

I had contacted Kyle to see if it could be added to the Articles database, and he had given the go ahead, but I have not seen it added to the articles section yet. I just figured it was because he was busy, etc. :icon_neut
 
#91 ·
There was a long thread and discussion about the electronic type regulator that you linked to.

Personally, for the price it costs (given the experience of some people), going with a "manual" regulator was the choice I made.
 
#95 ·
Keeping in mind that I know nothing about mechanical things like this, how does one go from the needle valve to the air hose?
 
#96 ·
Depending on the needle valve you have, there are several options available.

For example, in my particular setup, I have a 1/8" male fitting on my metering valve. Thi screws in perfectly to my 1/8" female fitting on my JBJ bubble counter. On the other end of my bubble counter, I have a compression fitting that fits into the tubing as normal.

Some people like to skip the bubble counter, and attach either a compression fitting or a hose barb fitting directly to the needle valve. This method also works.
 
#97 ·
OMG your grammar critics must be gradeschool english teachers or something :) Thanks for this and all of your posts- lots of thought seem to be put into them and they're very helpful. Keep it up! :D I was actually thinking of not even getting pressurized Co2 because it was so confusing, but this clears it all up!! Öwnage!
 
#99 ·
Indeed, it is a tank stand.

It is just some pieces of wood, with a hole cut out so that the 10 lb cylinder does not tip over.

You can see the in that picture that the top panel is mounted onto the two legs via 3 screws (it looks like an upside down U).

Very crude and simple, but it works.
 
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