Thinking CO2

I spent:
$70 for a 5lb tank filled w/ co2
$25 for a regulator that came w/ a needle valve (from the SnS)
$1 for 10' air tubing

That's the bare minimum you'll need. Maintenance is easy and cheap, I refill my 5lb tank probably every 3-4 months and it costs $12 and takes about 30minutes out of my day.

Side effects are none, only danger to worry about is maybe transporting the tank just make sure you don't hit it so hard the valve breaks turning it into a missile in your vehicle/house.

The goal of co2 in the tank is to dissolve most of it in the water so breathing it isn't a concern.

Thanks
Been looking up CO2 all day (should be working, but I want to get my tank set...plus it's friday )
I've got more questions then when I started lol
30 gallons seem to be the tipping point from a Bio and Mechianical setup
Are theyre benefits from one or the other
Maybe there's a book, article, podcast or a wise man in the mountain who can snap his fingers and make me wise to the ways of CO2
Is there a nice starting kit?
Or should I macgyver one together to get the best and cheapest possible
One thing I couldn't find online, noise
Are these set ups loud?

http://www.plantedtank.net/articles/Pressurized-CO2/19/

http://www.rexgrigg.com/regset.html

http://www.theplantedtankfaq.com/CO2_FAQ.html

http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/CO2/

Those are probably the best resources you will find. I know they helped me a lot.. Its really basic setting it up once you get going with the process.

And remember, online auction sites are your friend. Especially for the regulator. For a co2 tank you are best off calling around to local breweries and weld shops.

The CO2 system won't make any noise at all. If you have really quiet filters, and really good hearing, you may be able to hear the bubbles in the counter. I did have one episode though where running CO2 into the intake of a large canister made a loud tapping noise. I suggest making a venturi and injecting into your canister tubing before the reactor, or the canister if you aren't using one. You can buy a venturi, but the price tag is ludicrous for what is essentially a plastic T fitting with one side being much smaller. This is the way I inject CO2 and it has served me very well.

Well I did a ton of reading on C02 systems, those links were great.
So where's a good place to get some of the equipment
I've got a line on a 5lb tank
But as for regulators, tubing, and all teh other stuff that can be used in a system, is there a nice goto site for all that
I check ebay, and couldn't find anything

If you have a lot of patience ans some luck, you can piece together a very good used system for around $100 not including the tank. If you are in a rush, then you may want to look into the azoo or milwaukee reg. I don't have personal experience with either of those but you can do a search on here and see what other people say about them. If you have some money to spend, there's a bunch of other options you can look at and get a top notch setup.

http://www.sumoregulator.com
http://www.greenleafaquarium.com

What's the difference between a reg. with a bubble counter inline, or buying each separate?
Is there benefits to one or the other?
And the solenoid is how the system could be shut off by a timer right?

C02

Dear Mr

Pls read the thread of Darkblade48.He is a master .He is in our forum member.

Concelor said:

After trying to get some solutions to my lighting and algae issues here
A lot of memebers have mention CO2 may be the solution (seems everyone here is a fan of the CO2)
I know nothing of it (other then that there are Two oxygens to one Carbon, and it's bad for humans) :smile:
Before I start looking at getting a system (30 gallon bow front tank here)
I'd like to learn about it
Does anyone know some good websites that give a nice in-depth overviews of CO2 (cost, benefits, side effects, maintenance,...)

Thanks

Click to expand...

Concelor said:

What's the difference between a reg. with a bubble counter inline, or buying each separate?
Is there benefits to one or the other?
And the solenoid is how the system could be shut off by a timer right?

Click to expand...

The solenoid just basically turns off the co2 on a timer. Clippard solenoid was the one recommended to me. You can get it from rex's website. As far as the regs go, just search 2 stage regulator. I found a good one for $57 shipped but a single stage can be found much cheaper. I'm on my phone or id link the co2 thread ive been going off of to build my sysyem. Ebay is great for regs, the cornelious ones are pretty cheap and widely used. aslo, there are some cons, so don't think that a co2 system is the solve all solution. I will link the thread later unless the member who linked threads linked that particular one.

I meant searching ebay, Sry I just said search, Lol.

here is the link:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/planted-tank-faq/107312-pressurized-co2-just-thought-id-share.html

That link is great
Exactly what I was looking for (I was searching for the wrong terms lol)
Thanks a million

Darkblade48's thread is awesome but here's another site with basics facts for a newby. I used it when Darkblade48's thread was not up yet.

http://www.wcf.com/co2iron/faq.html

use the search function and read any of the MILLION threads already started for this exact same question