# Paintball canister co2 setup



## Deano3 (18 Feb 2012)

Hi all i am still researching a co2 setup for my fluval ebi i know lots of ppl done fire extinguisher setups but i have seen these set ups http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/diy/1 ... s-127.html using paintball canister setups has anyone done this type of setup i am interested beacue it is smaller and looks better on a nano aquarium as fire extinguisher is too large it seems like i could buy all parts but were would i get re-filled 

any help would be great as i am very keen to start my setup on my nano
thanks Dean


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## sussex_cichlids (18 Feb 2012)

Hi Deno

paintball set is just using a small standard 500g bottle there would be no difference apart from some paintball bottles have different thread sizes to the standard regulator thread but there are adapters but benefits of this you would be able to refill you own bottle at home if you get a 2/6kg in you shed and get a refill kit and charge your own bottles real easy and not expensive then just get the 2/6kg exchange when you need to


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## Deano3 (18 Feb 2012)

is there anywere i could go to get filled as no room for a few bottles, i also think it looks better than the fire extinguisher as its a lot smaller and i could hide it behing the tank, so has anyone done this if so any pics of ur own set up ? is this just as easy as f/e setup ? i am keen to start buying bits

thanks for help sussex cichilds
Dean


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## sussex_cichlids (18 Feb 2012)

For paint ball refills you can get these done at you local paintball venue for small fee 

for F.E setup your need the basics there are other methods to diffuse the CO2 but this will be sufficient  

F.E or CO2 Bottle
Regulator with needle valve (these have a standard thread size)
CO2 Solenoid (so you can have it on a 24hr timer)
24hr 7day Programmable Timer 
CO2 Pipe (CANNOT USE AIR LINE ITS NOT SUTABLE)
Bubble Counter 
One Way Valve
Diffuser (there loads to chose from i prefer to use a rhinox 5000 glass diffuser)

Co2 Checker 
4DKH Water
And CO2 Checker Solution

For refills of F.E your find a local F.E servicing & refill agent or ask your local fire chief or for CO2 Bottle try local free house pubs as they wont use BOC most chain pubs like green king and Harvey's all usually use BOC  and you can also search this thread viewtopic.php?f=37&t=4258 there may be a local supply already been listed


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## Deano3 (19 Feb 2012)

thanks a lot for that its very helpful think i will go the the co2 paintball bottle as smaller than an f/e and will look smarter i will purchase tomorro, will i also need the converter i seen on the site i listed ? from top of bottle to the regulator ?

what does anyone think about this reg http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CO2-Simple-Re ... 3f083299d6

also do u think 12oz canister or 20oz and any idea how long should last ? and were do i get filled near sunderland area or newcastle ? can BOC fill them

thanks Dean


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## sussex_cichlids (20 Feb 2012)

Hi Dean

What size is your tank do you have the pH, gH and kH readings a 6kg bottle last me about 6months on a 180ltrs @ about 2/3 BPS

BOC cannot not fill them i'm afraid BOC will not fill any bottles but there own you also you have to have an account with them and you need to a minimum demand of 25kg a month 

If you using a paint ball bottle the only place to get these filled would be local paint ball center or gun smith

Also a downside is your need to find some way to prevent the paintball bottle falling over the bottle must remain upright to prevent liquid CO2 flowing down the line

F.E and Co2 bottle have flat bottom unless you can get a paint ball bottle with flat bottom you may have a problem here you can buy bottle stands but that an extra cost. Also the regulator will sit on top of the bottle and not to the side like on F .E or CO2 bottle  

Id only consider using a Bottle that small on a Nano tank up to 100 ltrs tank for anything over 100 ltrs i would use a 500g/2kg bottle

If you can afford An F.E or co2 bottle you be better in the long run easy to get filled last longer and will stand upright on its own also regulator will be on the side

I got my first 2kg CO2 bottle from ebay for £25 about 5 years ago and it was filled must remember tho buying your own CO2 bottle it must be inspected and pressures tested every 5 years and certificated before some fillers will fill you own bottle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_cylind ... er_testing

May be different with F.E and Paint ball bottle that's why

I use a pub gas supplier he delivered me two of his 6kg bottle a while ago when one runs out swap them over give him a call he changes it next day for me i don't have to worry about paying for bottle testing & certification anymore.


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## Alastair (20 Feb 2012)

Hi dean, 
If your going down the paintball bottle route you'll need to purchase a thread converter for the regulator as the threads are smaller

Matt uses them on his rio 180 tank with great success here viewtopic.php?f=35&t=15405&start=0 and on page 2 is where he starts about his co2 set up with pics further on.

I can understand Sussex chichlids point in that a fe would last you far longer and save repeated trips to get filled up and it is a good point. 
However If you choose to go the paintball route, it may be worth having a spare nearby for when the one in use runs out. 

Good luck mate 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Deano3 (20 Feb 2012)

the only reason i am thinking paintball because my tank when set up is only a 30l nano fluval ebi and f/e setup would look huge beside it, as smallest co2 f/e is 2kg i could get a 12oz bottle thats a lot smaller and like you say i could get 2 then keep one spare,thanks for the link to matts page i could contact him about the converter, anyone know about any local paintball shops near newcastle sunderland area ?

thanks dean


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## clint24 (20 Feb 2012)

Hi to all. I used to be a professional paintballer and I would say be careful which co2 paintball bottle you use, as some have a syphon inside them. This was to draw the co2 liquid(all co2 bottles have a liquid layer at the bottom) from the bottom and this increased pressure from the bottle to the gun around about 40-50psi.So please be careful.


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## sussex_cichlids (20 Feb 2012)

Hi Clint

Great bit of advice and thanks not having any experience with paintball your comments has been very useful i have herd that some F.E have a  tube to the bottom too but Ive never used a F.E so could not be 100% sure on that but sure ive seen post about people opening there F.E up and removing the pipe not advised if you don't have experience with compressed gas and gas bottles !! (Please Dont Try This)


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## Deano3 (20 Feb 2012)

does the tube stop u fitting a reg or cause problems in anyway  or is it the pressure thats the problem ? is there anyway to know if it will have that in ?

thanks Dean


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## m_attt (20 Feb 2012)

It was me who used the paintball tanks, i used them from work and have used both ones with and without tubes, with no real noticable difference.

heres the thread viewtopic.php?f=37&t=18590&start=0 on converters, also the tmc v2 is available with a cga320 thread which wont need an adaptor.

Edit: the syphon was to stop liquid co2 going into the gun when the bottle was on its side, as you dont want the liquid co2 entering the gun. if you did have problems just lay the bottle on the side.


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## Deano3 (22 Feb 2012)

what is the  best regulator to get i have been told that up aqua reg of eBy from china. or luna pet from Germany are meant to be good, cannot find anything on the net any links and are these the best regulators ?

thnaks Dean


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## Deano3 (24 Feb 2012)

any hep with good regulator would be great as i want to start buying the bits and bobs now ?  thanks Dean

wat does anyone think about this heard these are good ones http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aquarium-Dual ... 4841c8c1cb


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## ian_m (2 Mar 2012)

What about using a SodaStream CO2 cylinder and adaptor.

Cylinder costs £20 from Argos and £10 to refill, so should be quite handy for most of UK.

Can get an adaptor (+all the other bits) from http://www.co2supermarket.co.uk/. Adapter is not cheap, but if you want small this could be a way to go.


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## Deano3 (2 Mar 2012)

wow thats great ideamight think about that its defently easier, u know anyone with this setup and what size are the cylinders ?

thanks Dean


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## ian_m (2 Mar 2012)

Deano3 said:
			
		

> wow thats great ideamight think about that its defently easier, u know anyone with this setup and what size are the cylinders ?


We need to know weight of gas in the bottle.

Wikipedia states 1.977Kg/m3 and bottle is 60l.

60litres  = 0.06m3

Therefore weight in bottle = 1.977 * 0.06 = 118gr.

Not very much, but may be fine for small aquarium.

Also found this might make it cheaper.
http://www.co2refill.eu/refill-your-co2-tank-for-sodastream


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## m_attt (2 Mar 2012)

ian_m said:
			
		

> http://www.co2refill.eu/refill-your-co2-tank-for-sodastream



that adaptor is american thread 

soda stream looks a pricey way of doing it, the adapter (bottle to reg) is 3x the price of one that fits a paintball tank, and cant be used with a FE if you upgrade in the future.


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## Deano3 (3 Mar 2012)

the only plus is that it is small and compact, just struggling to find out were to purchase paintball bits and were to get filled etc, the soda stream seems to be everywere, also matt if i get co2 would u buy 2 lights 11w ? or would you just keep one ? just want a beautiful nano tank,and this is my first try at co2 i have listed the plants i want here http://ukaps.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=20365
was debating co2 but think i want it now lol also need help deciding on a reg

thanks again matt greatly appreciated
Dean


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