Pressurized CO2 help

dwag88

dwag88

AC Members
Jun 15, 2007
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Chattanooga, TN
I'm going to try to get a pressurized system set up before christmas but I'm still pretty confused about what I'm actually going to need. The kit on Drs Foster Smith (which I've been told is overpriced) has a reactor chamber filled with what looks like bio balls. What is this for? Do I really need it? Also, I'm having trouble determining what kind of solenoid to buy. Are some better than others? I'd like to save as much money as possible without sacrificing quality. Thanks in advance!

One more thing, where does one go to buy a CO2 tank, or have it filled for that matter?
 
www.rexgrigg.com has pretty much all the information you need.

Yes, the reactor on drsfosterandsmith.com is too expensive and you don't need it.

www.aquariumplants.com has about the best prices on new aluminum cylinders. There's one other welding supply place that I found with about the same price, but I can't remember the site offhand. I bought the 10 lb. one as they are only a few more dollars to fill than the 5 lb. ones and will of course last twice as long.

You don't actually have to buy a cylinder. You can rent one from a welding supply or fire extinguisher place. They can fill your cylinder whether you rent it or buy it.

Rex's site has good information on regulators, solenoids, needle valves, reactors, dosing dry ferts, bubble counters, etc. He is very helpful too. I bought his best regulator and couldn't be more pleased with it. It was more than the others, but you don't get the level of service with other places that you do from Rex.
 
I think the solenoid is only necessary if you want to put it on a timer. It does give an easy way to shut off the CO2 immediately without having to close any of your valves as well.
 
I'm not sure what shipping is on an empty tank but it may serve you well to do a little local searching anyway. You will need to get it filled no matter how much you pay for the tank. I did a little google search and found there is a Linde Gas in Chattanooga (many welding suppliers or bar/beverage suppliers will likely have CO2... Linde gas is a national brand and where I get mine filled locally, just came to mind, there are many others).

welding supply is a good search term for finding a supplier.
 
loaches r cool said:
Yes check locally. A local shop here had a good deal on a (used) 15# steel tank. However when I was looking for a newer larger aluminum tank they wanted closer to $200! Aquariumplants.com had em for 89.99 and shipping to me was around $20 if memory serves (of course shipping will vary by location).
Click to expand...

OUCH!....when building a beer tap 4-5 years ago, I bought a used 30lb filled tank for ~$130 here in Cleveland. Now to just get around to plumbing it to the tank :)
 
I go against the grain. Let me start by saying I set up my co2 system in late 2001.

I have never had a solenoid, don't need one and don't want one. However, there are tanks that may. I would add that I do not run co2 at as high a level as many.

For bottles, renting is the way to go. Tanks must be inspected every few years and this involves the shop sending them out and the process takes several weeks. When my owned bottle's inspection ran out, I decided to switch over to a the swap system where you pay once, pay for refills and the supplier switches bottles each time and they worry about the inspections.

I don't have a reactor or diffuser. I run the co2 directly into the intake of the Eheim canister on the tank and it seems to disolve it up just fine and it doesn't vapor lock. I would not even contemplate trying this with a lesser quality canister.

The best advice i can offer is for when you finally hook it up. be sure to use teflon tape on all connections that screw together. Once the system is hooked up and turned on, soap test all the threaded connections for leaks. Add a little dish soap to a small bowl with water. Use a small brush or Q-tip to spread the soapy water all around each connection. If there is a leak, you will see soap bubbles forning and know you need to redo that connection.
 
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