# How long will 5kg FE last....



## stevet (1 Feb 2008)

...at a rate of 2bps? Does anyone have a rough idea if they use a 5kg FE?

I was hoping to get a year out of it but this may be optimistic?


----------



## JamesC (1 Feb 2008)

Because bubbles can vary in size quite considerably it's impossible to say. On my 200 litre tank I run about 2 bubbles per second for about 11 hours per day and my 6.35kg pub bottle lasts 6 months.

James


----------



## ty_phan (28 Feb 2008)

*Need a FE system*

Hi James, and hi everyone

JameC, where did you buy your pub FE? 

I've thought about using FE few months ago but i was very scared and perhaps the main reason is i have no idea what components come with it, and how & where the refilled bottle can be refilled. Another reason is i don't know how difficult it is to setup FE to with my 230l planted tank. Can you enlighten some ideas and what the right component i need to buy...

Your help will be very appreciated.

Thanks

Ty Phan


----------



## JamesC (28 Feb 2008)

I got my CO2 cylinder from Maison Maurice in Bexleyheath - http://www.maisonmaurice.co.uk 
There's a good thread in the tutorials section all about using fire extinguishers - http://ukaps.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=266

James


----------



## ty_phan (28 Feb 2008)

Hi James

Thanks for  the links. I will look forward to setup a new FE system.

You bought the pub/club bottle from Maison Maurice, did you go there and see the bottle yourself and tell them what you wanted with the bottle? Did you ask Maison Maurice for a specific CO2 bottle for plant growing? I can drive to visit them as i live about 15 niles from them. 

Maison Maurice website does not sell the bottle, does it? And apart from the bottle you bought from them, do they sell regulator, valves...where did you buy other components e.g: regulator, disfusser, bubble counter, night turn off valve etc...

Cheers

Ty


----------



## JamesC (28 Feb 2008)

Maison Maurice are less than five minutes from me which is why I chose them, but they aren't the cheapest. They operate a funny system where you have to buy the bottle plus put a deposit down as well. If you no longer need the bottle you can hand it back but you only get the deposit back. Didn't worry me too much. Think the initial layout came to about Â£80 for everything including the full bottle, but then it's just Â£15 + vat for a 6.35kg refill.

As I said there are cheaper places but they are so convenient for me as on a saturday I take the empty bottle up there, exchange it for a full one and drive back home. All in takes about 15 minutes.

They are extremely fussy about refilling bottles and will not touch another bottle if it didn't come from them.

Not sure about regulators, but if they did sell them it'd only be pub ones. I just use a standard JBL aquarium reg on mine.

James


----------



## ty_phan (28 Feb 2008)

I live in South East London, Hackney. I've been looking for a loal shop which sells the bottle and the bottle can be refilled at the local shop. 
Very strange that i could not find one in yell.co.uk. Oh there is one, BOC, near blackwall turnel. I ran and spoke to the telephonist, and he said the cost is far too much just for a bottle. First you have to open an account with them, 
then pay a monthly fee about Â£6, and cost of a bottle, refill costs about Â£10-Â£12 for a 2kg bottle. Do you think is it worth it? Or shall i buy a FE on ebay, then get it refilled from the local fire station?


----------



## beeky (6 Mar 2008)

I seem to remember seeing here that many fire stations send away fire extinguishers to a contracted supplier, they don't do it themselves. Worth asking though.


----------



## Bingy_bong (9 Mar 2008)

I recently bought a 5kg F E off ebay. Â£30 + Â£10 post. 
I still have the old co2 bottle which i used to get refilled at Â£15 a go and its only a1.5kg bottle so to me this seems the easier way to go. I have also enquired and i can also get the F E refilled cheaper too. The 5kg bottle is fairly big though, id make sure it will fit in your cabinet before you decide to buy one. With the regulator screwed on, theres about  a two inch gap inside my 300l cabinet, but it does fit.


----------

