[TacomaToker]

Setting up my first CO2 system. Will be on a 75 gal with an FX4. Will this be everything I need? Is this decent gear? thanks for any tips or advice!

1. 5 lb CO2 cylinder - available locally.
2. Dual stage regulator
3. Tubing
4. 2 check valves
5. Bubble counter/drop checker
6. Diffuser

 

[EmotionalFescue]

a couple of things jump out to me...

1. for a 75g tank, you're going to need a decent amount of co2 (assuming high light), and an in-tank diffuser is not going to be ideal. you might want to consider making a reactor instead.
2. you're also going to have a hard time measuring how much co2 you're putting in because you won't be able to count the bubbles in your bubble counter given the tank size. a flow meter would help immensely with this.
3. you'll need to be able to measure your co2, because the needle valve on that regulator is bound to not be very good. that means your infusion rate will drift. precision valves are expensive and there's a dizzying array of models and specs, so i'm not necessarily saying to start with a better valve, but with a not very good one, #2 above becomes very important.

 

[TacomaToker]

a couple of things jump out to me...

1. for a 75g tank, you're going to need a decent amount of co2 (assuming high light), and an in-tank diffuser is not going to be ideal. you might want to consider making a reactor instead.
2. you're also going to have a hard time measuring how much co2 you're putting in because you won't be able to count the bubbles in your bubble counter given the tank size. a flow meter would help immensely with this.
3. you'll need to be able to measure your co2, because the needle valve on that regulator is bound to not be very good. that means your infusion rate will drift. precision valves are expensive and there's a dizzying array of models and specs, so i'm not necessarily saying to start with a better valve, but with a not very good one, #2 above becomes very important.

Thanks for the info! Much appreciated. Having a tough time gathering all the info out there about co2 systems.

1) I'll be using the FX4, can I use an inline reactor on the filter outflow? If so, do you have any recommendations?

2) Do you have any recommendations for flow meters?

 

[EmotionalFescue]

Thanks for the info! Much appreciated. Having a tough time gathering all the info out there about co2 systems.

1) I'll be using the FX4, can I use an inline reactor on the filter outflow? If so, do you have any recommendations?

2) Do you have any recommendations for flow meters?

i'm using an FX4 with a reactor for a 68G tank, so pretty similar to what you're looking to do. i think there might be some you can buy off the shelf, but i've always made my own. there are a couple of different general designs that are popular. one being the Rex Griggs and the other being the Cerges. i've always used the cerges style, but lots of people prefer the griggs. the cerges uses a house water filter housing which you can pick up from home depot and can be assembled without any cementing of PVC. the griggs would require cutting and cementing of PVC pipe and fittings. so, depends on what's in your comfort zone. one thing to note - and this is a little in the weeds - the griggs design has a bypass, but the basic cerges style does not. if you go with the cerges, you'll want to incorporate a bypass. if all of that sounds like greek, don't worry - it will make more sense once you start researching.

e bay listing number 182673197211 would be a good option. you can get a new Dwyer meter off the shelf for the same price as that Brooks model. i don't recall the correct Dwyer model numbers, but i could track them down for you if you like. the key thing to note is that flow meters only cover a specific range of flow and most flow meter models' ranges are much much larger than what we need for co2.