okay , im planning a co2 systm for my 55, i would like to do a diy but ive heard of problems with doing it for tanks this big. so what should i do.
thanx for the help
thanx for the helpco2 setups
- Thread starter pharoh08
- Start date
http://www.floridadriftwood.com/store.asp
They have what you need for "pressurized" CO2 - except the tank. You can get that locally..
They have what you need for "pressurized" CO2 - except the tank. You can get that locally..
you could also look around your town for places that carry co2 tanks and regulators. brew supply shops, soda distributors, theres all sorts of places. buying a tank and regulator will be a lot cheaper than buy a "made for aquarium" kit. i spent around 100 bucks on all my stuff and while its not the best it does the trick. a regulator was 50$ a huge tank with deposit was 50 bucks and only costs 25 to refill. i got all of the hosing at a hardware store and i just run the bubbles into the hob filter. i can get around 15 ppm with 2-3 bubs a sec. and i can still run my keg off the same setup 
I did the DIY thing in a 55 for quite a while before going pressurized.
It can work, but it requires a lot of mixing. I had to use four 2-liter bottles to get 20ppm, and they had to be replaced every 3 weeks or so. If I had to do it over again, I'd rotate the bottles, replacing 1 per week. This keeps the gas fresh and keeps the flow of CO2 more stable.
It worked fine for a while, but it gets old having to replace that many bottles. And that was on just one tank. I had two more bottles going on a 40 gal. as well.
Len
It can work, but it requires a lot of mixing. I had to use four 2-liter bottles to get 20ppm, and they had to be replaced every 3 weeks or so. If I had to do it over again, I'd rotate the bottles, replacing 1 per week. This keeps the gas fresh and keeps the flow of CO2 more stable.
It worked fine for a while, but it gets old having to replace that many bottles. And that was on just one tank. I had two more bottles going on a 40 gal. as well.
Len
I also did the DIY co2 thing in my 55 gallon initially. It did get old real fast always having to make up a new bottle of "brew". I used two 2-liter bottles. Not sure what co2 concentration I got. But it worked well enough I decided to go pressurized.
With my DIY I used a generally available mix and a simple airstone. I think I used one of those ceramic ones to get fine bubbles. Also used a small water pump blowing across the airstone so it would better disperse the bubbles.
For info on pressurized options and sources, take a look at my web site. You will find useful info on sources for low cost tanks, regulators and needle valves.
http://members.cox.net/tulsaalstons/AquaticPlants.htm#High Pressure CO2
Bob
With my DIY I used a generally available mix and a simple airstone. I think I used one of those ceramic ones to get fine bubbles. Also used a small water pump blowing across the airstone so it would better disperse the bubbles.
For info on pressurized options and sources, take a look at my web site. You will find useful info on sources for low cost tanks, regulators and needle valves.
http://members.cox.net/tulsaalstons/AquaticPlants.htm#High Pressure CO2
Bob