# Advice for Co2 please



## the big leyeetski (21 Jun 2020)

Hi, i got a 15g tank didnt wanna spend much but its gonna be a one off so i thought what the heck.

decided i need a solenoid valve included in the setup and just wondered what i can get for <£200

https://www.pro-shrimp.co.uk/co2-sy...96wF_vvK3s7nr4sccY4C-wfYtvM_qaK8aAp1_EALw_wcB

im looking at that but i wonder if i can hook up a co2 bottle like paintball or fire extinguisher to it at a later date, or if i have to keep getting the refills.

https://www.co2supermarket.co.uk/co2-system-adjustable-pressure-pro-p509.html

Also, perhaps this one, but im unsure on what adapter would be needed for co2 canisters, that why i like the JBL, it supplies to can in the package, but im willing to shop around for one aslong as i know i have to return parts as i cm strapped for cash quite bad.

any other reccomendation would be fine too, i dont need dual stage do i, im not sure what EOTD is but i dont like the sound of it.

im basically looking for stable set and forget auto turn on switch off, i dont mind checking daily but i dont want to have to set it daily.

many thanks


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## hypnogogia (21 Jun 2020)

You can convert disposable to refillable and then use FE etc.  You’ll need one of these:

https://www.jbl.de/en/freshwater-vi...ducer-from-disposable-to-refillable-cylinders


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## the big leyeetski (22 Jun 2020)

AWESOME. do you know if that will work with paintball or fire extinguishers or im guessing it only work with JBL refillables?


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## the big leyeetski (22 Jun 2020)

just seen some comment on some amazon about it and people are saying it will fit a 2kg fire extinguisher which is fantastic.

do you know if the JBL kit is any good?


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## hypnogogia (22 Jun 2020)

Refillable bottles and FE are a standard fit.  I’m using my jbl regulator on an FE at the moment.  The kit is good quality.


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## the big leyeetski (22 Jun 2020)

does look a good piece of kit, i went with the co2 supermarket one though. fingers crossed my setup and running goes smoothly 
might even get some baby tears 
I appreciate your input man, thanks for the help


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## AquaVet (28 Jun 2020)

I'm also looking to start with CO2 and have some doubts since never really have one of these and now looking for options:

OPTION 1: https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/2727796237...y7skGES2AGTpwwDLeZAFzYNXz8dX722IaAmbMEALw_wcB

OPTION 2: https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/2727001656...gupQChrQCn5Yuqlgrg3Y804wCpt_YJJIaArEAEALw_wcB but not sure if they'll send it from Poland to UK together with cylinder (supposed not sending pressurized gasses via mail)

OPTION 3: https://www.swelluk.com/jbl-u501-co2-set/

OPTION 4: https://www.thegoldfishbowl.co.uk/b...co2-kits/dennerle-reusable-primus-160-co2-kit

OPTION 5: https://www.co2art.co.uk/collection...uarium-co2-system-with-in-tank-flux_-diffuser 

Also was wondering if I go with option 5 and buy this https://www.boconline.co.uk/shop/en/uk/suregas-size-b-569-b if it would fit on it? 

I'm having Juwel Rio 180 with internal Juwel filter and upgraded pump to 1000l/h 

I'm getting towards option 5 but not sure if cylinder I've found would fit?

Also, how safe it is to have it in house (currently renting) so don't want to cause damage of even worse?


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## milesm (1 Jul 2020)

the big leyeetski said:


> im basically looking for stable set and forget auto turn on switch off, i dont mind checking daily but i dont want to have to set it daily.
> 
> many thanks



dialing in your co2 will require daily fiddling. once you find it, it can be run on its own. btw, get a pH pen/monitor, save your money and don't get a drop checker.


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## the big leyeetski (2 Jul 2020)

ive dialled in my bps at around 1.8 bps can push 3  bps with a yellow tint green. i have high flow with surface agitation

I used to work in a lab where pH was a big thing for zinc plating and my experience with pH pens is just inaccuracy, basically :

in the lab i had an expensive pH probe which was calibrated twice daily to pH 7 and pH 4 solution (recommended by MacDermid) and they were really the bees knees, but whenever i used the pH pen it always gave readings either too high or low, or fluctuating. it probably wasnt the most expensive best pen but im not about to splash a load for that purpose,if i worked in the lab still id be in my aquarium element haha. im fairly happy testing pH with liquid test kits, i used to do alot of titration and i feel like i can read the colors fairly well. had to calibrate it so often because the probe was constantly being exposed to all sorts of chemicals, that might have been too much for the pen, just an afterthought

so yeah, that experience put me off pens lol

when i get some fish i may fine tune even more, i currently used my stop watch on the phone and press 'lap' everytime i hear the bubble pop, and tune accordingly either one pop every .65s or .60s

im fairly confident im in the correct ball park because i have seen the range of colors kh4 drop checker provides, after having placed it in multiple places and depths.

thanks for the advice though bud


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## the big leyeetski (2 Jul 2020)

AquaVet said:


> I'm also looking to start with CO2 and have some doubts since never really have one of these and now looking for options:
> 
> OPTION 1: https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/2727796237...y7skGES2AGTpwwDLeZAFzYNXz8dX722IaAmbMEALw_wcB
> 
> ...




DOnt knock it over! lol and dont keep it horizontal at any operating time, needs to be vertical all the time, not even a tilt

Im gonna say C02 art theyre fast, quality and they have great advice and help available, 2kg fire extinguishers are cheap enough £17-30

For the extra bit C02 want you to pay you get the solenoid, warranties and fast help.

the others are great but im all about the solenoid lol~

Goodluck pal


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## Witcher (2 Jul 2020)

milesm said:


> get a pH pen/monitor, save your money and don't get a drop checker


I don't understand why not to use dropcheckers? They are cheap, quick and effective tools for rough indication of amount of CO2/acidity in the tank.


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## Siege (2 Jul 2020)

milesm said:


> dialing in your co2 will require daily fiddling. once you find it, it can be run on its own. btw, get a pH pen/monitor, save your money and don't get a drop checker.




Really..........?

Just buy a bloody drop checker.! 

It’s an instant view on what’s going on as you walk past your a tank and may well save your fishes lives or alert you to the fact that you run out of co2 yesterday! 😃

buy the best reg and kit you can afford. Make sure it and the bottle is  DIN477 fitting. Happy days!


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## Geoffrey Rea (2 Jul 2020)

Witcher said:


> I don't understand why not to use dropcheckers? They are cheap, quick and effective tools for rough indication of amount of CO2/acidity in the tank.






Siege said:


> Really..........?
> 
> Just buy a bloody drop checker.!
> 
> It’s an instant view on what’s going on as you walk past your a tank and may well save your fishes lives or alert you to the fact that you run out of co2 yesterday! 😃



Drop checkers are by far the most useful piece of kit you can own for understanding approximate Co2 levels around the tank at various locations. Couple this with watching your plants and fish it’s all there in front of you, you just have to look regularly. Misting also offers pockets of locational advantage regarding co2.

Yet to see the pH pen that’s been plunged down to the substrate level to get a reading all photoperiod long. Preempting the response that ‘pH will be equal throughout the water column’, you’ve measured a generalised proxy for the system, not available pH change at specific locations.


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## Conort2 (2 Jul 2020)

If I’m honest I’ve never used a ph pen, just use a drop checker. Use that as a basic guide and then Watch plant health and growth for the rest, Plus fish behaviour. I also ensure any changes I make to co2 level are gradual, a drastic increase can be a death sentence for livestock.

Cheers Conor


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## hypnogogia (2 Jul 2020)

the big leyeetski said:


> press 'lap' everytime i hear the bubble pop, and tune accordingly either one pop every .65s or .60s


I’m impressed with the speed of that finger.  Surely it would be easier and more accurate to average it over 10 seconds.


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## the big leyeetski (3 Jul 2020)

hypnogogia said:


> I’m impressed with the speed of that finger.  Surely it would be easier and more accurate to average it over 10 seconds.



i mean i would tap my finger every time i heard the bubble pop, look back through my lap times and make a rough average based on the times, over say 3-4 seconds, then quickly turn up or down and its definitely noticeable how much it roughly has changed. managed to get it dialled within the second day.

your method is fine, i just wanted to be able to see the change instantly and adjust it very slightly down or up, i just use the lap times as an indicator of how much ive changed it (saves me time on my knees bent over haha) , instead of having to do a quick calc. im only tapping every .33s to .7 seconds (depending on bubble rate) so its not that fast of a trigger finger lol. id imagine on 10bps id have cramp haha

i mean if you wanted an accurate BPS it would be more accurate but yeh its just real quick thing i do for minor adjustments.


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## Simon Cole (3 Jul 2020)

the big leyeetski said:


> id imagine on 10bps id have cramp



I cannot even achieve that on my squeezebox - carpel tunnel here we come.

I actually swapped from CO2 Art to The Barn and haven't looked back. They used to be about £55 with regulator if I remember correctly. There are lots of similar ones around for about £35 now. They have all really dropped in price the last few years.


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## the big leyeetski (3 Jul 2020)

Simon Cole said:


> I cannot even achieve that on my squeezebox - carpel tunnel here we come.



Haha the piano is making short work of my fingers, i find a good dose of caffeine increases my taps per second - Carpel tunnelers unite haha.

Interesting, what do you like about The barn?


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## Simon Cole (3 Jul 2020)

They use finger tightening and have a very good seal. My mum completely disassembled one and put it back together (luckily I told her to undo the tape on the fire extinguisher so she let go when it exploded gas out everywhere). They fit quite well with a needle valve, riser, and multiple bubble counter. They don't have a central valve (mind doesn't) so you use two needle vales - it's far more sensitive and smooth. UK plug. Great value. I still have a CO2 Art running upstairs, but I think I prefer it's ergonomics somehow. Cost is the biggest factor. Cheap to replace if ever it goes.

You know some days, especially outside, my fingers just don't tap well. It's a bugger with triplets in hornpipes. I get awkward doublets, especially when playing Miss Thompson's hornpipe, which is actually written in doublets but sounds better with the triplets instead. My meds only balance out every few weeks.


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## Siege (3 Jul 2020)

You are the 1st person I’ve ‘met’ whose regulator from The Barn has lasted more than a month! 👍😂


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## Simon Cole (3 Jul 2020)

It's made of metal buddy, not plastic. It will probably last for the next 100 years without corroding, and in 1000 years time somebody will dig it up with a metal detector and archive it. They cost about a quid to produce in raw materials wherever they are made. Most people really like them. One guy had a leaking seal and could have used PTFE tape to get the seal sorted or possibly had a poor tank. But the reviews overall have been great. https://www.ebay.co.uk/urw/The-Barn...d-Aquarium-UK-Plug/product-reviews/1188153682  Mine is going for three years now.


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## the big leyeetski (6 Jul 2020)

Simon Cole said:


> You know some days, especially outside, my fingers just don't tap well. It's a bugger with triplets in hornpipes. I get awkward doublets, especially when playing Miss Thompson's hornpipe, which is actually written in doublets but sounds better with the triplets instead. My meds only balance out every few weeks.



Good to know man, im sure ill get a second tank soon and cost will most likely be an issue

haha! ITS ALL ABOUT THOSE MEDS! perhaps EI dosing the meds would make Miss Thompson's Hornpipe sing those triplets like i do on a friday night after beans


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