New Fluval CO2 Kit

[Bettatail]

Originally Posted by Jimmyblues

I purchased one of these from Drs. Fosters & Smith about a month ago for $36 on sale. They usually sell it for about $47, which is well below the $69.95 price of many online pet stores. And I have heard of some people paying as much as $100 for the Fluval C02 88 System.

I use the CO2 88 system on a 20 gallon long tank which has dwarf hairgrass, an Amazon Sword plant and a Dwarf Sword plant. I have been running the CO2 88 at 1 bubble every 3 seconds for about 12 hours a day, shutting it off at night.

Plant growth at this rate is hardly spectacular, however, very consistent, with the DH slowly carpeting and the Amazon and Dwarf Swords growing new leaves with a vibrant green color.

The CO2 88 is still more than half full after a month's use, so at this rate I would imagine it should last about two months. The CO 88 refills are very expensive when purchasing one at a time - about $21, so you are better off buying the three pack which runs about $12 per canister.

Thus far, the Fluval CO2 88 has performed flawlessly. The regulator is solidly built and the control knob has a sturdy feel to it. When compared to the Aqua Design Amano CO2 system at $249, which the Fluval, Pierce and GLA systems are inexpensive knockoffs of, the Fluval is a bargain - especially at the $36 price this author purchased mine for.

However, based on the claims of some other fishkeepers, there may be some quality control issues with the early Fluval units that have been sorted out by now.

As for Fluval's claim that these regulators should last for two years, there are many far more expensive regulators that have failed prior to two years.

Someone else on this forum had mentioned considering the purchase of a Milwaukee regulator. I recently purchased a 957 which I am using with a 5lb CO2 canister; both bought from Aquariumplants.com. This is a nice CO2 rig for about $200 - shipping is free for items over $175 at Aquariumplants.com.

Several owners of the MK 957 have spoken about the needle valve getting
clogged, however being able to repair it by drilling out the hole with a 1/16TH drill bit. Others have stated that the low pressure gauge failed within a short time of purchasing the 957. According to Milwaukee, the low pressure gauge is redundant since the bubble counter which is also included on the 957 is more accurate in calibrating this regulator.

Why Milwaukee does not remove the low pressure dial and charge less for the 957 makes little sense, since they could probably sell a lot more of them. Aquariumplants.com has stated that the 957 also has problems with the solenoid failing, and that when it does, it fails with the valve closed, making the entire unit useless. When I spoke to one of the people at Aquariumplants.com, he suggested purchasing their own regulator because it has a three year warranty, as opposed to the 957's 6 month warranty.

However, their regulator costs about $230, nearly three times the price of the 957.

On the positive side, many 957 owners have stated that the unit remains good value for the money, in spite of the above issues.



Jimmyblues

Quoted.

[Naekuh]

once again... the fluval system is like a video game console.

they dont make money off the original eq, they make money off the super insanely expensive refills you need to buy.

and no u cant use one for a BB gun either, the threading is not compatible.

[OVT]

Originally Posted by Jimmyblues

The CO2 88 is still more than half full after a month's use, so at this rate I would imagine it should last about two months.
Jimmyblues

Then my question is: how come I only get ~7 days out of one Fluval 88 cartridge set at the lowest level running 24/7 on a 12g tank? I did a check leak on the regulator and hoses and they are not leaking.

[Jimmyblues]

Originally Posted by OVT

Then my question is: how come I only get ~7 days out of one Fluval 88 cartridge set at the lowest level running 24/7 on a 12g tank? I did a check leak on the regulator and hoses and they are not leaking.

It depends on how many bps you are running. 1 bubble every "3" seconds
may net you two months before you have to change the cartridge.

5 bps and you will probably have to replace the cartridge in a week or two.

[Jimmyblues]

Originally Posted by Jimmyblues

It depends on how many bps you are running. 1 bubble every "3" seconds
may net you two months before you have to change the cartridge.

5 bps and you will probably have to replace the cartridge in a week or two.

And turning the CO2 off at night makes a big difference since you effectively double the life of the cartridge, which is why many fishkeepers turn their pressurized CO2 off at night.

Of course if you can spring for a 5 or 10 lb canister and a better regulator you can get a year or more out of a tank of CO2. It's more expensive initially, but a lot cheaper in the long run than buying the 88g canisters every few months at 12 bucks a pop.

[OVT]

Originally Posted by OVT

...set at the lowest level...

In my case, 'lowest level' is the very next after 'no co2', which roughly translates into 6 bpM.

Originally Posted by Jimmyblues

And turning the CO2 off at night makes a big difference since you effectively double the life of the cartridge

Agree, but you have used Fluval 88 co2, you probably understand why mine is 24/7.

Originally Posted by Jimmyblues

Of course if you can spring for a 5 or 10 lb canister and a better regulator you can get a year or more out of a tank of CO2. It's more expensive initially, but a lot cheaper in the long run than buying the 88g canisters every few months at 12 bucks a pop.

100% agree. I have 5 10#s in use atm, but one looks sort of ridiculous on the breakfast counter in the middle of a room. My wife does not like how it fits into the overall decor

Originally Posted by OVT

I only get ~7 days out of one Fluval 88 cartridge

--^

[galabar]

Paintball CO2 (with regulator) is a nice compromise from the aesthetic point of view. If you balance things just right, you can have a very nice looking piece of equipment sitting next to your small tank.

[Mark Oliver]

Silly question. If the bubble counter and co2 tank is on the floor bellow the tank is there a chance that when off overnight the water can back up and drain the tank?

[galabar]

Originally Posted by Mark Oliver

Silly question. If the bubble counter and co2 tank is on the floor bellow the tank is there a chance that when off overnight the water can back up and drain the tank?

Yes. You need to install a check valve, similar to what you would use on an air pump. You should also make sure that you keep the PSI below 70 in the system so that the CO2 line does not fail and connections do not fly apart.

[Mark Oliver]

Great thanks.

[Naekuh]

i want to take a empty 88g bottle... cut the thread part, and see if my friend can weld me a 1/4 ntp screw on the other side so i can screw it onto my paintball ASA valve.

:P

I wish fluval would sell us an adapter to use on a paintball tank.
I probably wouldnt even mind paying up to the price of the regulator itself for that stupid adapter, because smaller paintball tanks looks nicer on a table, especially high bling ones used more for display reasons then outside paintball fights.

We just need to stop buying this product and let fluval know we got smarter and we know what they are doing.
Maybe this way they will give us a adapter.

@ Jim.
Do you know how small of a tank 1bps would be used on?
A VERY SMALL TANK.

To keep my HC mat from spreading like weed, i need about 1.5-2bps on a 10gal.
That translates to 2 weeks on 1 bottle... not efficient at all...

Once again.. anyone looking to buy the setup, DONT.
Not unless u have a lot of disposable money, or u have a money tree in the back yard.

[picotank]

Originally Posted by Naekuh

i want to take a empty 88g bottle... cut the thread part, and see if my friend can weld me a 1/4 ntp screw on the other side so i can screw it onto my paintball ASA valve.

:P

I wish fluval would sell us an adapter to use on a paintball tank.
I probably wouldnt even mind paying up to the price of the regulator itself for that stupid adapter, because smaller paintball tanks looks nicer on a table, especially high bling ones used more for display reasons then outside paintball fights.

We just need to stop buying this product and let fluval know we got smarter and we know what they are doing.
Maybe this way they will give us a adapter.

@ Jim.
Do you know how small of a tank 1bps would be used on?
A VERY SMALL TANK.

To keep my HC mat from spreading like weed, i need about 1.5-2bps on a 10gal.
That translates to 2 weeks on 1 bottle... not efficient at all...

Once again.. anyone looking to buy the setup, DONT.
Not unless u have a lot of disposable money, or u have a money tree in the back yard.

Not sure if this has been brought up but why can't you tap into a used up 88 gram bottle (on the side or bottom where it may be thicker) and install a fitting to contect to your paintball tank? Not sure how thick the 88 gr bottle is but I bet it's thick enough to tap and thread... Just a thought in my head.

[galabar]

Originally Posted by picotank

Not sure if this has been brought up but why can't you tap into a used up 88 gram bottle (on the side or bottom where it may be thicker) and install a fitting to contect to your paintball tank? Not sure how thick the 88 gr bottle is but I bet it's thick enough to tap and thread... Just a thought in my head.

Just a note -- those disposable cartridges are not made to the same standard as refillable cylinders. From my research on another thread, it looks like the construction is more brittle. Reusing them might not be a good idea.

Just sayin'. I can post links, but I definitely don't want to start another fight.

p.s. I'm working on a solution that is cheaper, better, and better looking than the Fluval. I'll keep everyone updated.

[DerekFF]

Originally Posted by Mark Oliver

Silly question. If the bubble counter and co2 tank is on the floor bellow the tank is there a chance that when off overnight the water can back up and drain the tank?

Drain the tank? Where is all that water going to go? Into the CO2 tank? Fill the drop checker? It may siphon and fill the airline (doubtful) but there's no where for the water to go

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

[picotank]

Originally Posted by galabar

Just a note -- those disposable cartridges are not made to the same standard as refillable cylinders. From my research on another thread, it looks like the construction is more brittle. Reusing them might not be a good idea.

Just sayin'. I can post links, but I definitely don't want to start another fight.

p.s. I'm working on a solution that is cheaper, better, and better looking than the Fluval. I'll keep everyone updated.

I'm in the air guns biz and we refill crosman 88 gram carts all the time.
There is a adapter made to refill them made by Bryan And Associates so they can be refilled and why not... if they can hold pressure once they can hold it again and again and ........................
No big deal.. just sayin.>