Ok, making the jump to pressurized CO2

[superjohnny]

I found what looks like a pretty good deal at www.aquatic-store.com for a Miwaukee MA957 regulator, needle valve, solenoid and bubble counter for $~82 shipped

I'll hit up a local welding shop or something for a tank. Anyone have any advice so I don't blow a hole in the side of my house with this thing?

[gcvt]

Looks like the same regulator I have, 'cept I don't use a solenoid. Should work out nicely for you. Just don't drop the C02 cylinder and break the top off and your walls should remain intact ;)

[125gJoe]

Like gcvt said, don't break it!

The CO2 tank/bottle should be secured upright. I've seem some strap them with metal strapping and/or Velcro strapping. Attach to the aquarium stand or cabinet. It's good to keep the CO2 tank hidden from small children and pets that may knock it over... :eek:

[gcvt]

Yes - buy a quality wall bracket like this one:

http://www.motorworld.com/gcvt/pets/fish/pics/cylinder_bracket.jpg


And, don't carry the cylinder in the passenger compartment of your car (this is illegal in some states) - put it in the trunk!

[superjohnny]

Great suggestions, I'll tie it to my tank stand or fasten it to the wall. I'll go 4x4'ing BEFORE I buy the tank. I'm really looking forward to this no-DIY CO2 stuff... very exciting for my little world.

[125gJoe]

Originally posted by superjohnny
...... I'm really looking forward to this no-DIY CO2 stuff... very exciting for my little world. You will be happy not messing with the DIY bottles.....

[rich]

if you work in a resturaunt and have a decent boss youve got access to cheap tanks of co2. all soda, and beer is pushed with co2 and a bar/resturaunt ussually has plaenty on hand. i went to my previous boss and asked if i could buy one and it was as simple as that. the first time i paid a deposit for the tank and now i just pay to have it filled. i think i pay 25$ for a huge tank of co2. i hed to buy a regulator which was a bout 50 bucks with a valve. then i rigged the hosing and air stone from home depot. when one tank empties i just take it back to the bar and swap it for a full one.

resturaunt/bar = cheap refillable Co2!!

[poormanisme]

I just got the same thing from aquatic store but i got the ph controller as well. It actually arrived today about 30 minutes before i had to leave for work. I had it set up and running before i walked out the door. It seems like its gonna work great. It was soooo nice to throw those yeasty coke bottles away. Anyway, enjoy. BTW, it would be pretty hard to blow a hole in the side of your house with anything less than taking a hammer to the tank.:D

[125gJoe]

Originally posted by poormanisme
I...... BTW, it would be pretty hard to blow a hole in the side of your house with anything less than taking a hammer to the tank.:D If the CO2 tank tips over and happens to snap the regulator clear off the tank ---- I sure would not want to be near it! :eek:

[poormanisme]

I once dropped a O2 tank off of a strecher, thank god it didn't break, but i think i had to change my underwear afterwards. Has anyone ever broke a regulator off of a tank and turned their tank into a missile? I have never seen it happen and i have seen alot of tanks dropped around the hospital.:eek:

[superjohnny]

Still hasn't been delivered. It was supposed to be delivered on the 15th. I think UPS screwed up.

That's alright though, I still don't have a CO2 tank. I will definitely secure the tank so it doesn't fall over. I don't need any low flying projectiles.

[125gJoe]

Originally posted by superjohnny
Still hasn't been delivered. It was supposed to be delivered on the 15th. ...... Always 'try' to get Tracking Numbers...

[superjohnny]

Got it, now I need a tank. I called about 15-20 places this weekend and all but 1 was closed. The open one was like 40 miles away :rolleyes:

This week it's on.

[superjohnny]

Ok, got the CO2 tank today. I couldn't find one reconditioned so I bought a new aluminum 5# for $85. It's quite shiny and pretty :cool: So total I'm into it about $168. Not too bad, about average. I'm feeding the CO2 into my canister. I'll watch that over the next few days for air-locks, but right now it seems to be ok.

I still have to figure out how to stablize my KH. I've got a nylon bag of crushed coral, but this seems to be pretty potent (ph went up over 7.4). Hopefully I can add it back in after I get the CO2 up.

So here are my water parameters...
PH 7.2
Amonia 0
NO3 0
KH 50 ppm
GH 30 ppm
Phosphate 0

After checking the water I added 1/4 tsp of NuSalt (K2SO4), 1/4 tsp of KNO3, and 3 drops of Fleet Enema (KH2PO4) and 5 ML of Seachem Traces. Is this the correct dosage?

How am I doing? I'd appreciate hearing your thoughts & comments.

Thanks :)

[Dave Cushing]

A quick calculation shows CO2 at ~5 ppm, that is not much more than normal. If you are sure of you readings, then I would increase your CO2 rate.

You want CO2 15-25 ppm (some say up to 30 ppm is good).

I use pressurized CO2 on my 50 gal and last night my readings were:

pH: 6.8
Ammonia: 0
NO3: 0.25
kH: 5 degrees (89 ppm)
gH: 12 degrees

This puts my CO2 at 24 ppm

Dave

[superjohnny]

Thanks for the reply Dave. I need to check it again tonight, but after 24 hours of running the CO2 my PH dropped down below 6.2. I added 1/8 tsp of calcium carbonate which brought my KH to around 60ppm (which is 6 degrees of hardness correct?). I slowed the CO2 down to just over 10 bubbles per minute, but after 12 hours my PH was still ~6.2. So if I'm not mistaken this means my CO2 level is around 112ppm correct?

Running the CO2 into a the canister is very effective.

Do I just keep adding the calcium carbonate until my ph comes back up?

Thank you Dave, I really apprecaite your help.

[famman]

Convert german degrees to ppm by multiplying by 17.9
60ppm=3.35 degrees.
My chart shows your CO2 at 50ppm. Still too high, but lower your CO2 by 1/3 and you should hit your 30 and you can adjust from there. I would shoot for pH of 6.6 which gives a CO2 of 25ppm or so.
good luck
:)

[ELKDOG]

poormanisme - i'm in the navy and have quite a lot of expirience with pressurized gasses. once had a full size bottle with (about 2500lbs capacity) with only 450lbs in fall over and break the valve off right above the bottle opening. talk about scary. we took it to a welding supply house to let them bleed it off, just to be safe and it took them over an hour to safely bleed it off. they said that even with that much press. for the size bottle it was enough to send it through your standardconcrete wall. just like a giant bullet!

[superjohnny]

Yikes! I got my PH to around 7.0 which is just fine. I left the crushed coral in there and it went up bit by bit. I can see why people like ph controllers, but I'm not spending another $100 on my tank :p