co2 regulator question - disposable to paintball

laqu · 02-13-2013, 05:56 PM

are there any co2 regulators out there that can be upgraded from disposable to paintball (then to full size .. hmm) ..

i'm thinking this whole DIY is not working, to hard to regulate. but i only have a 6 gallon so disposable should be fine BUT wouldn't mind one that can be upgraded if the time ever comes i want to go paintball (or bigger)

how about those over on gla?

sarahspins · 02-13-2013, 06:04 PM

For best "upgradability" you would want to just get a regulator meant for big tanks and get a paintball adapter if you wanted to use smaller paintball tanks. I have paintball regulators (from Aquatek) and use paintball tanks - my reasoning is that it's much much easier to get paintball tanks refilled for me (I drive by the place that does them a lot, so it's easy to just stop in, rather than making a special trip) than it would be to drive the hour+ all the way across town to get a larger tank refilled, and CO2 for a larger tank isn't cheaper. I pay $4 each to get my 24oz tanks refilled and to get a bigger tank filled is $3/lb plus the extra driving... so I feel like I'm actually saving money with my paintball tanks

Plus paintball tanks are cheap (less than $20) so I actually have a couple of spares - no worries about running out and not being able to get it refilled ASAP.

I can't honestly recommend any of the disposable systems - the little CO2 tanks just don't last long, even in small aquariums.

laqu · 02-13-2013, 08:25 PM

i can't see me ever going larger then paint ball but would rather start with disposable, as even paintball refills are 35+ minutes away.

Darkblade48 · 02-14-2013, 12:46 AM

I would just start with the paintball system in your case.

As mentioned, the small disposable cartridges do not last very long.

I do not know of any regulator/adapter that can take disposable cartridges, paintball cylinders and regular CO2 cylinders with CGA320 stems.

blink · 02-14-2013, 06:11 AM

I would just go straight to paintball, the disposable systems are costly to run and none of the types I've seen are very well made.

For about $140 you should be able to get a paintball system up and running with at least 1 spare tank, if you shop kijiji or craigslist for used tanks you could have 2-3 spares. With a couple spares at least that annoying trip to fill paintball tanks could be quarterly trip rather than a monthly one.

Kai808 · 02-14-2013, 09:53 AM

http://www.adana-usa.com/index.php?m...roducts_id=447

This one will do all three but you need the paintball adaptor for it. One good thing about this regulator is you can use disposables just in case the main tank runs out of CO2 and you can't get a fast refill.

But have you seen the custom regulators built by the members here???

B-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l and functional! You should get one.

02-13-2013, 05:56 PM	#1
laqu Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (3/100%) Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: NJ Posts: 483	co2 regulator question - disposable to paintball are there any co2 regulators out there that can be upgraded from disposable to paintball (then to full size .. hmm) .. i'm thinking this whole DIY is not working, to hard to regulate. but i only have a 6 gallon so disposable should be fine BUT wouldn't mind one that can be upgraded if the time ever comes i want to go paintball (or bigger) how about those over on gla? __________________ 1 6 gallon 4 2 gallon 8" cubes Here they are http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/al...p?albumid=9625 6 gallon journal http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/sh...208&highlight= you can see more photos here the 4 8" cubes are on flicker... will get to their journal at some point (they are fun as they change often) http://www.flickr.com/photos/laq/

02-13-2013, 08:25 PM	#3
laqu Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (3/100%) Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: NJ Posts: 483	i can't see me ever going larger then paint ball but would rather start with disposable, as even paintball refills are 35+ minutes away. __________________ 1 6 gallon 4 2 gallon 8" cubes Here they are http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/al...p?albumid=9625 6 gallon journal http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/sh...208&highlight= you can see more photos here the 4 8" cubes are on flicker... will get to their journal at some point (they are fun as they change often) http://www.flickr.com/photos/laq/

02-14-2013, 12:46 AM	#4
Darkblade48 Moderator (View User Tanks) PTrader: (3/100%) Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Toronto Posts: 7,044	I would just start with the paintball system in your case. As mentioned, the small disposable cartridges do not last very long. I do not know of any regulator/adapter that can take disposable cartridges, paintball cylinders and regular CO2 cylinders with CGA320 stems. __________________ Anthony A Primer to Pressurized CO2 and A Primer to Planted Tanks Eheim Pimp #362 - Eheim 2213 x2, Eheim 2028, Ehein 2217, Eheim surface skimmer and Eheim autofeeder. Victor Pimp #33 - HPT272-125-350-4M

02-14-2013, 09:53 AM	#6
Kai808 Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (1/100%) Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Hawaii Posts: 351	http://www.adana-usa.com/index.php?m...roducts_id=447 This one will do all three but you need the paintball adaptor for it. One good thing about this regulator is you can use disposables just in case the main tank runs out of CO2 and you can't get a fast refill. But have you seen the custom regulators built by the members here??? B-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l and functional! You should get one. __________________ 2 Islands 12G long Journal 12G Rimless Club

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02-13-2013, 06:04 PM	#2
sarahspins Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (2/100%) Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: TX Posts: 304	For best "upgradability" you would want to just get a regulator meant for big tanks and get a paintball adapter if you wanted to use smaller paintball tanks. I have paintball regulators (from Aquatek) and use paintball tanks - my reasoning is that it's much much easier to get paintball tanks refilled for me (I drive by the place that does them a lot, so it's easy to just stop in, rather than making a special trip) than it would be to drive the hour+ all the way across town to get a larger tank refilled, and CO2 for a larger tank isn't cheaper. I pay $4 each to get my 24oz tanks refilled and to get a bigger tank filled is $3/lb plus the extra driving... so I feel like I'm actually saving money with my paintball tanks Plus paintball tanks are cheap (less than $20) so I actually have a couple of spares - no worries about running out and not being able to get it refilled ASAP. I can't honestly recommend any of the disposable systems - the little CO2 tanks just don't last long, even in small aquariums.

02-14-2013, 06:11 AM	#5
blink Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Edmonton, Alberta Posts: 488	I would just go straight to paintball, the disposable systems are costly to run and none of the types I've seen are very well made. For about $140 you should be able to get a paintball system up and running with at least 1 spare tank, if you shop kijiji or craigslist for used tanks you could have 2-3 spares. With a couple spares at least that annoying trip to fill paintball tanks could be quarterly trip rather than a monthly one.