# New Co2 System



## Westyggx (12 Sep 2010)

Hi All,

New to aquascaping, so just here to learn  i purchased the below link off ebay recently, and wanted to know if there is anything else that needs to go with it?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... K:MEWNX:IT

Cheers


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## RudeDogg1 (12 Sep 2010)

git u won that one ebay was being poo and made me sign in even tho i was already and missed out lol. Thats a disposable canister so Id sudgest buying a refillable one for when that one runs out. Apart from that i think its the full set


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## Westyggx (12 Sep 2010)

Haha no way were you wanting to get the same thing. Do you think it was a good deal? wasnt sure myself but wanted a nice system for my first Co2, now you mentioned its disposabol im not sure if it was worth the money but what the heck! would i need to buy a diffuser for it?


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## mdhardy01 (12 Sep 2010)

You got a fair bargain
The regs and solenoid would cost about that much
You would need to get an adapter to convert the regs from disposable to refillable aqua essentials sell them
I wouldn't bother with the spiral diffuser but get an inline diffuser like the up aqua from eBay 
Then get yourself a fe to put the regs on a d your away


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## Westyggx (12 Sep 2010)

Ta mate, but what i have from that ebay listing is fine to start with isnt it? i mean i knew nothing about co2 a week ago, and i still dont know much now. Apologies mate but what is a fe? and have you a link to the up aqua?

Ta


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## mdhardy01 (12 Sep 2010)

Fe= fire extinguisher c02 one
If you search eBay for co2 diffuser you should find the up aqua sorry I don't have a link
What you've got is really all you need depending on how big your tank is
Read through the threads on flow ( how much/direction) 
Adding ferts pre mixed or dry powder EI 
The spiral diffusers don't work that well and look ugly in the tank but would be ok until your more confident on what to get
It's all a learning curve and it's just a case of finding what works for you and if you run into any problems members here are very knowledgeable and helpful
Have fun
Matt


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## Westyggx (12 Sep 2010)

Ah, shouldnt have a problem finding one of those i actually work for the fire service, i did enquire about getting an oxygen cylinder so i will see how that goes.

Cheers for the info Matt, i know what you mean about the diffuser it looks minging. Ill probably purchase one of these as it looks better.


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## mdhardy01 (12 Sep 2010)

Don't forget you need to get the adapter for the regulator before it will fit on the fe
And most members will think that you a Lucky bugger getting fe's easily (especially if you can get them re-filled for nothing)
Also those diffusers are good but you need to place it either under the filter outlet or under a power head to spread the co2 around the tank 
Matt


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## mdhardy01 (12 Sep 2010)

i did enquire about getting an oxygen cylinder so i will see how that goes.

Don't think this would work as the attachments for the regs are different to co2 ones
Matt


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## Westyggx (12 Sep 2010)

ok cheers for the heads up, im hoping i can get it all for nothing but im not sure yet. Yeh im planning to put it directly under my outlet.

Cheers again.


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## Westyggx (12 Sep 2010)

*Re:*



			
				mdhardy01 said:
			
		

> i did enquire about getting an oxygen cylinder so i will see how that goes.
> 
> Don't think this would work as the attachments for the regs are different to co2 ones
> Matt



Oh, the FE is probably easier to get hold of anyway so will probably go down this root once the disposabol bottle runs. How long do these typically last?


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## mdhardy01 (12 Sep 2010)

Again that all depends on the size of your tank?
I used to use the jbl 500grm bottles on my 500 ltr 5 foot tank when I first got it and only got about 2 weeks out of it
Now got a 5kg fe and that lasts about 4-5 months and cost the same as the 500 grm to refill but I am getting another one as I have 2 filters so will have co2 on each filter 
I've got both the up aqua diffuser an an aqua medic 1000 reactor
Matt


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## Westyggx (12 Sep 2010)

120 Litre i have mate, sorry for all the questions but when i get the co2 system tommorow what setting would you recommend for this size of my tank? is this the up aqua diffuser you are refering too?

http://shop.ebay.co.uk/?_from=R40&_...kw=up+aqua+diffuser&_sacat=See-All-Categories


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## mdhardy01 (12 Sep 2010)

That's the one
Can't really answer your question as it's all really trial and error
But in your purchase you've got a co2 level indicator you need to get this set up and get it to a nice lime green
If you use the bubble counter that you get as well you want to be looking at about 3-4 bubbles a second to start with
Matt


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## Westyggx (13 Sep 2010)

Thanks Matt.


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## Westyggx (13 Sep 2010)

Matt,

After getting my system today the manual says to aim for 10 bubbles a minute in the bubble counter, yet you say 3-4 a second why is the book saying 10?

Also, the item didint actually come with a level indicator so im having to buy one seperate.

Cheers


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## mdhardy01 (13 Sep 2010)

File the manual under trash
Jbl also sell the ph controllers to switch co2 on and off at a set ph all these do is induce unstable co2 levels which then induces algae
10 bubbles a minute is not alot of gas for 120 ltr tank that amount might be ok for a small nano tank but nowhere near enough for a bigger one
When I looked at the eBay listing I'm sure it came with a co2 level indicator also known as a dropchecker
I'll have another look and let you know


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## mdhardy01 (13 Sep 2010)

Just looked and you have got one
Called co2 test set
Small plastic vessel that you put a few drops of tank water in and a couple of drops of regent?
If not they are pretty cheap to get the only thing I would suggest though is that instead of using tank water as the instructions suggest you get some 4dkh water and some bromo blue all available at aqua essentials 
This will give you a much more accurate reading
Matt


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## Westyggx (13 Sep 2010)

Cheers mate, i have now got a timer set up for the solenoid to work from 9am till 5 am, is this enough time for co2 disperstion?

with regards to the co2 level indicator, it did not come with the listing. I did email the seller but he is clueless all it came with was a syringe and some ph stickers, so my guess is he missed it out of the packaging by mistake.

Cheers


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## mdhardy01 (14 Sep 2010)

You want the gas coming on about 2 hours before your lights and going off about 1 hour before your lights go off
As for dispersion that all depends on how much flow you have
You should be trying for about 10x so on your 120ltr that would be 1200x flow
If you give me a breakdown on your tank set up and equipment I might be able to answer better
Matt


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## Westyggx (14 Sep 2010)

Thanks Matt, i dont know what you mean by how much flow i have but i have the following.

120 Ltr tank, JBL Proflora U500, Aqua One Aquis CF700 External Power Filter.

Mike


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## mdhardy01 (14 Sep 2010)

ok the filter you have is rated at 700ltrs an hour that is its maximum flow rate
once you add media this will drop by at least a third to aprox 450ltrs hour 
in a high tech planted tank(co2 injected) you want to be looking at 10x flow so that means in a 120ltr tank you want to be moving 1200 ltrs of water an hour with the filter you have you will be getting less than 3x turnover an hour
you dont necessarily need another filter this will depend on how well stocked your tank is/will be
but you will need to add more flow 
have a read of this viewtopic.php?f=38&t=1167
and read around the forum to see what other people do
as i said i have a 500ltr 5 foot tank
i have 2 eheim filters rated at 1250 ltrs an hour 3 hydor koralia flow pumps at 1600ltrs an hour and one at 2800 ltrs an hour but this is a big deep tank
matt


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## Westyggx (14 Sep 2010)

Ah ok i understand now, i did wonder what they power heads were for! going back to the bubble per seconds, am i counting the bubbles via the bubble counter? if so, the buble counter doesnt release bubbles at a fast enough speed to have more than 1 a second? or am i being dumb


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## mdhardy01 (15 Sep 2010)

On the regulator there should be a small knob ( needle valve) turn this
Slowly until the bubble rate speeds up


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## Westyggx (15 Sep 2010)

Thanks Matt all sorted.


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## mdhardy01 (15 Sep 2010)

No probs
Anything else let me know
Matt


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## Westyggx (16 Sep 2010)

Matt, this morning i noticed a hissing sound coming from the bubble counter. On closer inspection little bit of water was around the connection on the bubble counter to the co2 tank. Is this a bad thing that water was in the tip of this pipe? if so why is it there?


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## Tom (16 Sep 2010)

As long as the water can't enter the regulator, it should be OK. Do you have any non-return valves?

Tom


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## Westyggx (16 Sep 2010)

Tom,

I have a non return valve but it is on the pipe going into the tank if that makes sense, there isnt anything from the tubing from the bubble counter to the cylinder.


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## Westyggx (16 Sep 2010)

Actually, what i am looking at is not a non return valve, luckily i have one coming in the post today so it should be ok until then.

Should it be set up like this. Cylinder > Check Valve > Bubble Counter > Diffuser?


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## Westyggx (18 Sep 2010)

Can someone please assist, my diffuser has water in the bottom of it i dont think this is normal? i then find my bubble counter is full of water! i can only hope my check valve was set up correct and no water got through!

which direction should this check valve be to stop the water?

[IMG=http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/4564/img0299n.th.jpg][/IMG]

Uploaded with ImageShack.us


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## Dolly Sprint 16v (18 Sep 2010)

Westyggx said:
			
		

> Can someone please assist, my diffuser has water in the bottom of it i dont think this is normal? i then find my bubble counter is full of water! i can only hope my check valve was set up correct and no water got through!
> 
> which direction should this check valve be to stop the water?
> 
> ...




Hi 

Dont worry about the water in the diffuser that normal as for your bubble counter / stop value (have you got them in this order) because the water in the bubble counter is higher than the glass tube within the bubble counter it will always flow back into the stop valve when theie is no gas flowing, after a period of time of the gas flowing it will force the water from the stop valve back into the bubble counter. Looking at your picy it looks correct providing the gas is flowing upwards from where your hand is - the tapered part of the stop valve needs to be at the bottom - co2 bottle / pipe and connect the pipe to the stop valve tapered end first, then another piece of pipe which is connected the bubble counter.

Hope this helps

Paul.


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## Westyggx (26 Sep 2010)

Thanks for the tip, works a treat now and my new drop checker is showing green/yellow at the moment


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## Westyggx (28 Sep 2010)

Guys,

Would you say this is yellow?

I am having a bit of trouble with this i cant seem to get the right balance, i come back from work and my fish are gasping.

http://img835.imageshack.us/i/imagetnfu.jpg/


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## Dolly Sprint 16v (28 Sep 2010)

Hi 
That looks clear - the best way to tell the colour is to remove the DC and place infront of a white piece of paper.

Regards
Paul.


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## Westyggx (28 Sep 2010)

What do you mean by clear mate, clear as in see through or clear as in it's ok all clear and the colour is fine. Cheers


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## Dolly Sprint 16v (29 Sep 2010)

Westyggx said:
			
		

> What do you mean by clear mate, clear as in see through or clear as in it's ok all clear and the colour is fine. Cheers



Clear as you can see through it - there is a tinge of yellow there, - I can see through it a see some leafs of a plant and the gravel.

Regards
Paul


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## mdhardy01 (29 Sep 2010)

Think you might need to add another drop or two of bromo to get a better colour reading 
Matt


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