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Mine takes an age to start passing CO2 into the tank - I've got the needle valve almost fully open and today I added few hours extra to the CO2 start time to see if this helps. Bubbles are MUCH smaller, which I presume is why the pressure needs to be so high...

It has finally started to bubble in the tank! I'm guessing the bubble counter was leaking enough, small as it may have been, to prevent the pressure getting high enough for the atomiser to pass any CO2. I'm amazed how fine the bubbles are, I 'mist' them at first - need to go source a decent...

Am I being impatient with mine? Setup the new Up atomiser on Monday evening, I left all the regulator settings as they were on the previous Boyu inline setup. Never thought much of it until last night when there were no CO2 bubbles/mist to be seen. Reg is showing 50psi on the cylinder, just...

I have this regulator which also has a solenoid built in which is great, stick it on a timer switch so C02 is on an hour or two before the lights: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CO2-regulator ... 3a5e701777 I have this CO2 drop checker kit: http://www.aquariumplantfood.co.uk/tool ... t-jet.html...

You don't need that much :) Dual-gauge regulator from eBay ~£45 2kg CO2 fire extinguisher from eBay ~£25 Inline atomiser (assuming you're using an external filter?) from eBay ~£20 or in-tank one for £10 or so 4dkh drop checker (~£20 or so from eBay/UK shops including 4dkh water and bromo blue...

Some bubbles do join together in the pipework, more so I find now I'm using a spray bar with ridges etc. where all the pipework joins together. My lily pipe was a much smoother connection so I got less larger bubbles.

I've got a Boyu at present, but I don't find the bubbles overly small - managed to find an UP one via eBay for £16 delivered (12/16mm) which is on the way now so I'll soon know if I have a preference! I have to admit to never cleaning the Boyu one as the piping is zip-tied to the ends. The UP...

Has anyone tried these two and has an opinion on which is 'better'?

Not sure if the pub ones are good for aquariums? I have this one: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Up-Aqua-CO2-r ... 3a699390ce Can't fault it at all.

I've got a plain UP inline atomiser, no issues and it's been running for well over a year, same size tank, though distribution is better with a spray bar vs. the lily pipes I had before.

Re: my drop checker just exploded :( Drop checker? Bubble counter maybe?

Now you mention it...to do with higher concentrations around the bubbles whilst they are close to plants? Can't recall now :)

Reactor generally dissolves all CO2 into the water with no bubbles, more efficient. Atomiser puts out small bubbles which dissolve as they move in the water column, but they are less efficient.

Yeah, that I get :)

Which is why, along with ditching test kits years ago, I haven't ran a drop checker in ages...

I suspect the PH is better, pretty much what you get when using an inline diffuser.

I've just fitted the original inlet and outlet to my TetraTec EX600 to try and improve flow - when turning the CO2 on, the bubbles only end up coming out of the first 2/3 of the spray bar holes - the last section doesn't put any out worth mentioning. Is this expected? I was looking to extend...

Can you not turn the pressure up then turn the bubble rate down or is this done by the same dial?

Can you not leave the regulator open a little bit more then? Or perhaps open the solenoid earlier to give things time to build up? From off, I think my diffuser takes 15 minutes or so to begin to bubble as all the pressure in the lines has gone overnight.

Does the ADA stuff still whiten once in the water?

I've got 3/4 bottle of 4dkh and 3/4 bottle of bromo blue in the cupboard if you're interested? A couple of years old but I've no need for it now. Drop me a PM and I'll check it is still there.

My Boyu is inside the cabinet so is dark most of the time and as yet, still looks as white as it did when it went in ages and ages ago.

I've got a 2KG FE, TetraTec external and all the other gubbins in the cabinet of my 60cm Juwel, so I'd hope a much larger tank would be nice and easy: Hmm, OK, no FE in that picture, but there is one there now in the back-left corner. Fits perfectly :)

eBay regulator, £35 delivered, 2KG CO2 canister, £25 delivered, job done for much cheaper than D&D and you have the choice of any sized FE. The small 500g bottle on the D&D kit won't last long on 250litres :)

The fish - turn CO2 up until they start to gasp, then knock it down a notch until they are happy again :)

Air stone will drive off the CO2 so not good due to the increased surface agitation. Some use one at night when the CO2 is usually off.

I wonder if it is more to do with the CO2 that must build up (for tanks using CO2 injection) in the area between the water surface and the cover, which I can only assume must in part make its way back into the water in the same way that oxygen does?

I assume the 'other' one is the Boyu? Can't fault mine though I think these 'Up' atomisers offer smaller bubbles, not sure if they remove bubbles completely though?

It may be worth asking these places if they can 'sell on' out of date FE's - I asked the company who supplies my work about CO2 FE's and they offered to bring me in any OOD FE's that they are not legally allowed to use anymore. I think there's a regulation where they must always be 10yrs old or...

Quite often, bubble counters/diffusers etc. take a good while to hit the right pressure when first turned on each day - for me, this means the CO2 through the diffuser into the tank can only start to show 30mins+ after CO2 is switched on via the timer switch/solenoid. Obviously, if I crank the...

How does the mist from these compare the the cheaper Boyu inline diffusers?

It will all depend how your flow is in the tank - use of an extra pump (or two!) such as a Koralia may be beneficial to ensure the CO2 and other nutrients reach all areas of the tank.

Depends how big the bubble is! Different bubble counter brands give different sized bubbles :)

What size tank is it on? Even at silly bubble rates, my 2kg cannister lasts me about 4-5 months+ on 2 foot tank, may well last much less on a larger tank.

Beacon Fire in Penrith will exchange FE's and may refill your own depending on model. A 2kg exhange is ~£12.50+VAT at the time of writing. http://www.beaconfire.co.uk

Yep, fine with the right reg, mine was used with the D&D regulator.

Getting sufficient flow is about ensuring that all areas of the aquarium get an equal flow of nutrients (CO2 included). This can often reduce or negate algae build up in the slower moving areas which often filter flow doesn't get to.

Putting the CO2 bubbles into the filter works for some but not others. My TetraTec EX600 just got full of CO2 and became very noisy, in the end I stuck a £5 eBay Boyu inline diffuser onto the tank inlet pipe from the filter and this works much better. Nice layout by the way, like it :)

It will take a while to build up the pressure again, mine does with an inline Boyu, probably 15-30 mins without actually timing it.

2KG at loads of bpm lasts me (54litre) at least 6 months.

Inline diffuser should be much better than using an airstone - can't comment on inline vs any other method.

Can't recall where mine was from years back, however make sure you buy a suitable one as those designed as airstones give bubbles which are way too big and you'll end up wasting masses of CO2.

You'll never get fine mist CO2 with melted holes in the tubing...find a ceramic airstone if you must, these should withstand CO2 and give small bubbles, but the inline diffusers will likely be more efficient.

If you have an external filter then the Boyu inline diffusers for £5 via eBay are superb.

Yep, it's full of liquid CO2 - on its side will pump the liquid CO2 out instead of the gas...not good!

I have the one pauld linked to above and it's fine, been using it for about a year now.

Yes Yes Ages - a 2kg in my 15UKGallon lasts at least 6 months.

£10 a cylinder if you get the welding gas bottles from Machine Mart which is all D&D do anyhow. Reg and solenoid from eBay is about £35-£40 then a 2kg fire extinguisher for £15-£20, job done. I had the D&D kit and it was OK, however I didn't rate the seal on the regulator as mine perished...

Got to a local motor factors and buy a CO2 welding bottle - cost me under £10 for a 600g bottle which fitted my old D&D kit fine. I assume there is an adaptor which would let you run one for a larger regulator too.

I get loads of tiny bubbles anyhow with the Boyu diffuser, this works in the same way, a large 'stone' which the CO2 has to pass through under pressure to then hit the water flow and be taken into the tank. I doubt there's actually much difference beyond a slightly better build quality and...

Is the UP diffuser passive/non-powered then? Not particularly expensive and if it reduces the amount of CO2 needed due to efficiency it would save money long term.

I use one to save CO2, though I wonder if the electric cost to run the solenoid is more than the cost of the CO2 I save :)

Airstone is not worth having - during the day the excess surface agitation will allow the added CO2 to vent off very quickly, so you're wasting your time adding any CO2 when the airstone is on. Even at night I'd not worry, many here run CO2 24/7. In my opinion you can overdose on DIY C02, but...

Drop checker isn't exactly expensive though - think I paid a few quid for mine via eBay and the 4DKh water from AquaEssentials last ages. Add in some bromo blue and you're probably looking at £20 all in? I used one for ages but gave up in the end for the reasons above. I'm about to re-scape...

Providing the average bubble rate is the same I doubt it would matter...it could just be a slighty mucky bubble counter.

The Boyu diffuser from eBay is cracking, however it does leave loads of fine bubbles going in to the tank. Still, my plants are pearling better than ever before and for £5 it's excellent! Note that it does have small internal diameter so using it on the larger filter pipes might reduce flow...

Personally I didn't see any impact on flow on my 13mm piping - the diffuser is completely straight through, but perhaps on a 16mm pipe it might offer some reduction on diameter so might impact the flow.

It can go inline outside or inside the tank. Mine is outside, connected into the tube then returns water to the tank from the filter.

HK seem to take a good fortnight to get stuff to the UK from the few things I've ordered so far.

Took a bit of playing to get this right, but (without any drop checker, I love this no measuring concept) with a small amount of surface agitation, and 8bpm (from a D-D bubble counter), I am getting a lovely fine mist around nearly all the tank and plants are pearling like never before. Without...

Due to the really awkward location of the washer (which is also shaped!) getting a correctly sized replacement is almost impossible. For the money I really wouldn't buy one again, the same if not better can be done for about £50 less...and with a 2KG FE your money would go even further in the...

The 1000 should work with DIY, mine did...

After using one for about 18 months, the seal gave up on the regulator to the cannister...perhaps me over-tightening but unsure. The bottles can be bought from Machine Mart for under £10 rather than the £17-£25 ones online to save some money, but to be truthful, I have just replaced it all...

I don't have it anymore, but I never found a problem adjusting it. I don't think any of the 'cheaper' needle valves are the most accurate to adjust finely, even my newer eBay one from Malaysia is really awkward to adjust at lower bpm levels.

My lily pipe does push the bubbles a good way into and down the tank height, one thing I really like about this diffuser is how it hardly affects the filter flow rate, even with the replacement glass outlet pipe connected up again, the flow rate out of the inlet lily is pretty much the same as...

Ahh...this isn't a euro-plug though, but I assume it doesn't actually matter which wire goes on live/neutral anyhow?

Should have asked first then, cheaper for a plug than an adaptor! Are the wires from the regulator colour coded?

Is it still 'good' to have CO2 mist around the aquarium or has it slightly moved towards 100% diffusion with no bubbles?

Be good to get some other feedback - think there's only now three of us on here who have said they have one. For the price it is very solidly put together - the only drawback being you can't open it up to clean it 'IF' it gets dirty. Mine is inside the cabinet so will get little light -...

Well that was easy...popped to Maplin on the way home for a plug adapter (is it safe to just cut off the foreign plug and wire it into a UK one?), got home, bolted it to the FE, popped outside, cracked the FE handle, no funny noises and the gauges both showed the expected figures. Checked for...

Okies, well it seems to work well enough - my guess is it would also work well with DIY CO2 as it needs little pressure to push CO2 bubbles into the filter tubing. I get a steady mist of tiny bubbles into the aquarium even at a massively low 1bpm. I admit to having no drop checker on the tank...

Sounds simple enough then! Pretty impressed with the quality for the price, and it also fits re-fillable cannisters too - they supply an allen key to remove the 22mm/FE fitment which reveals the smaller fitting for refills. Be good to get some CO2 pumping through the veins of the aquarium again :)

I have just received my new dual-gauge regulator from eBay: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0319528256 It is very well made to my eyes, but I can only see a needle valve and not the extra knob for controlling the pressure from the FE? The green bit on the picture looks initially...

Ceramic is porous - water can get into the diffuser through the ceramic in the same way that the CO2 can get out into the tank. I found my diffuser needed cleaning weekly and this was always a good time to shake the water out of it before putting back in the tank. You'll never keep it free of...

If the euro plug has no earth wire in it, then there's no benefit having an earth on the 3-pin plug as it will not be connected to anything.

Old thread raise, but after buying some '3rd party' cheaper non-refillable cannisters from a well known online shop which we all know and love, it was nothing more than the exact same cannister sold by Machine Mart, obvious from the fact that there was a new 'aquarium' info sticker placed over...

Or how about this one for £15 delivered? http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Aquarium-Single-P ... 240%3A1318

If anyone wants any measurements let me know.

Unless anyone says why it won't work, I'm going to try one of these: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Co2-regulator-for ... .m14.l1262 It's the cannister connection only and is for an extinguisher at £25 delivered. If it fits my existing solenoid and needle valve then I'll sort an extinguisher out. It...

No, but the pipe attachments are big enough for all sizes :)

Stick with CO2 on 2 hours before lights come on, but personally I'd leave it on until lights out. There's perhaps enough time in that last hour for CO2 levels to drop quickly enough to cause problems. What you need is stable CO2 through the entire lighting period and with it going off 1hr...

Mine turned up today and it is a 'Boyu' diffuser as it's labelled so on the box. For the money it seems rather good to be truthful - if anyone has followed my other threads then sods law means I can't try this at the moment, but it is nothing more than a ceramic diffuser cylinder inside a...

Cheers - having a look through some threads here, I think if money permits I might jump for one of the new regs and a fire extinguisher from one of the UKAPS members.

Cheers - does the Lunapet one accept fire extinguishers or the 600gm disposable bottles?

So can I use any of my existing D-D parts or do I really need a whole new regulator etc? Can I use the D-D solenoid with any other kit or just D-D?

What is the difference between the two they sell? http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Co2-regulator-for ... .m14.l1262 And: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CO2-Solenoid-Live ... .m14.l1262 I have a solenoid on the D-D regulator, so could I use this with the cheaper one (first link)? I also have the low pressure...

Cheers, I've used them for things in the past :)

As in AquaticMagic on eBay or a different shop? Any links?

I think that when the cannister starts to tighten too much against the original seal it will start to pull the washer surface around when the cannister is turned - this will damage the washer surface and over time shred it a bit ending up with a knackered washer.

I've sent an e-mail to the company in the link, the washer is a slight conical shape but this might just be from compression within the regulator connection. I think I've probably been over-tightening the cannister into the regulator which over time has damaged the seal.

Should be able to though it'll be tomorrow before I get a chance.

Nope, using spare filter tubing doesn't work...

Hi all, After posting a while back about the seal inside my D-D regulator splitting, then using (as suggested by someone here) some rubber o-rings to seal it again, it's turning out to be very unreliable. I went to change the bottle today and I just could not get the seal to hold, so basically...

They can go inside too, just depends on the design and usually cost :)

That's an internal one for inside the tank, though it would work with an external filter without a problem.

It is an internal one, I got a similar one from AE last year.

My thoughts? Try it and see :)

What size/type? I've been buying the refills for my D-D setup from Machine Mart as they're only £9 or so for a 600gm cannister.

Stupid me never even thought about the tubing diameter it needs! I'm using 12/13mm tubing so with luck it'll fit!

Ordered one myself, for the sake of £4.99 delivered if it's rubbish then no big loss.