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Roan Art

Roan Art

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Oct 7, 2005
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Northern VA
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It's getting down to the wire to where I need to purchase all the stuff I need for my 75g tanks. I've played with DIY CO2 and found I have lousy KH and am working on bringing that up. I'm still going to play with the pop bottles, but I need a list of what I need to buy to use pressurized CO2 for those tanks. Can someone help me out here? Other than the actual CO2 + tank, I really don't know what to shop for.

Thanks!

Roan
 
Hit the bars, clubs, welding shops, catering halls for used tanks. Don't buy a new one because the odds are that the place you end up going to will take your empty and hand you a (used) full one. Most of the above mentioned places will have 20# tanks and you really don't want to go any smaller than that or you'll be getting refills way more often than necessary.
You will need a double gage regulator and a needle valve. You will need a gang valve system if you intend to inject into more than one aquarium out of one tank. I inject into two tanks using a brass 'T' and two needle valves.....works fine.
That's all the equipment I use. Some people buy units to turn the gas on and off automatically with, and bubble counters. IMO, these are unnecessary, but whatever plows your field. I've heard a lot of complaints about solenoids going bad.

My own personal question....is that Gaelic in your signature? Love that Celtic music!!!! :):)

Len
 
djlen said:
Hit the bars, clubs, welding shops, catering halls for used tanks. Don't buy a new one because the odds are that the place you end up going to will take your empty and hand you a (used) full one. Most of the above mentioned places will have 20# tanks and you really don't want to go any smaller than that or you'll be getting refills way more often than necessary.
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There's a paintball club in my area and someone told me to get in touch with them to get the tank filled. I'll do what you suggest to source the actual tank itself.

You will need a double gage regulator and a needle valve. You will need a gang valve system if you intend to inject into more than one aquarium out of one tank. I inject into two tanks using a brass 'T' and two needle valves.....works fine.
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I'll get a gang valve, just in case, but I don't think any of the tanks will be near each other.

That's all the equipment I use. Some people buy units to turn the gas on and off automatically with, and bubble counters. IMO, these are unnecessary, but whatever plows your field. I've heard a lot of complaints about solenoids going bad.
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I might get a bubble counter, but dunno about the others. I had priced a fully auto system and it was $500! Sheesh!

Thanks for your help, Len!

My own personal question....is that Gaelic in your signature? Love that Celtic music!!!! :):)
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Scots Gaelic, yes :) Do you like Runrig, Wolfstone or Capercaille? Or are you more of an Enya guy? I've got some Dagda stuff that's really awesome, but I'm more into the real Gaelic language music like Marie Jane Lamond.

Roan
 
Looks like you have a pretty good handle on what you need. I've heard good things about the Milwaukee all-in-one systems (regulator, solenoid and needle valve I believe). Never tried them personally though. I think you can find them online for around $80.

For the tank, I bought mine at a fire extinguisher place. I've heard that all CO2 is the same, there's no "food grade" or anything like that, but that place was where my local Big Al's store gets their CO2 refills so that was reassuring.

I'm going to have to disagree with Len that anything under a 20 pound tank would be too small. I think a 10 pound+ tank would do the job well. You should be able to get 6 months or more easily on a 10 pounder I think.
 
The main reason I mentioned the tank size is because in your original post you mention, 'stuff I need for my 75gal. tanks'.
I you are going to run two tanks and at least one of them will be a 75, I would still recommend a 20# bottle. They are heavy, especially when full, but smaller tanks obviously run out of gas sooner.

I like them all. Capercaille is a favorite, but I also like Mary Black, The Chieftans, James Galway, Eileen Ivers, Clannad, Delores Keane, and a ton of others.

Len
 
pbrack said:
The all-in-one regualtors can be found at www.thatfishplace.com . You probably already knew this though
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Yes, I did. Is it any good?

Go raibh maith agat :D
Is this even spelt correctly?
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I think so, but that's Irish :)

Tapadh leibh, in Gaelic. It's confusing: Gaelic is Scots Gaelic and Irish is Irish Gaelic. So someone either speaks Gaelic or Irish. Then there's Manx, Welsh, Breton, and the other one that I always forget.

I've been learning Gaelic off and on for a long time. The funny thing is that 3 years into studying it I found out that I'm *not* Scottish. I'm Irish :) My mother was from Glasgow, but HER parents and grandparents came from Co. Tyrone and Leitrim (Leitrim is based on very slight evidence). I have one direct ancestor on her side that I can't trace back to Ireland. That one ends in Strathaven, Avondale, Scotland in the early 1800s.

Blah, sorry, genealogy is another hobby of mine and I blather on like I do with my tanks and fish.

Roan
 
Captain Hook said:
Looks like you have a pretty good handle on what you need.
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I would disagree. I feel like a blind person in a jar of jello trying to find that lone undissolved granual of sugar.

I've heard good things about the Milwaukee all-in-one systems (regulator, solenoid and needle valve I believe). Never tried them personally though. I think you can find them online for around $80.
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Oh, I saw that somewhere! Here, are these them: SM500 ORP Smart Meter, SMS122 Aquarium pH Monitor/Controller, SM102 Aquarium pH Meter* ?

http://www.marineandreef.com/shoppro/electronics_milwaukee.html

Which is best?

I'm going to have to disagree with Len that anything under a 20 pound tank would be too small. I think a 10 pound+ tank would do the job well. You should be able to get 6 months or more easily on a 10 pounder I think.
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Yah, but with a 20# I could possibly go for a whole year :) I'm lazy in that respect. Have to see what the prices are for them.

Roan
 
djlen said:
The main reason I mentioned the tank size is because in your original post you mention, 'stuff I need for my 75gal. tanks'.
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Actually 3 x 75g tanks. One with Boesemani, one with Pseudoincisus and one with Silver Dollars and tetras.

I you are going to run two tanks and at least one of them will be a 75, I would still recommend a 20# bottle. They are heavy, especially when full, but smaller tanks obviously run out of gas sooner.
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Hrm, you know I think that I would probably be better off with 3x20# and 1x10#. The ten would be a spare, just in case. My middle name is Redundancy :)

I like them all. Capercaille is a favorite, but I also like Mary Black, The Chieftans, James Galway, Eileen Ivers, Clannad, Delores Keane, and a ton of others.
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I've not heard the others, but then again I haven't had much time lately to listen to a lot of music or even explore that area. Someone told me that Silly Wizard was a great band. Have you heard them?

Roan
 
My mistake I didn't catch that. Len's right, in your situation the bigger the better!

Sorry I can't really help with the ph monitors and nice testers like you linked to. I just use plain old test strips and visual checks in the tank. The plants will give you a good indication of CO2 levels with pearling and health.
 
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