Q: 5lb CO2 bottle price and how long it lasts?

[slvrcvc]

I paid about $100 for a 5lb bottle of CO2 from AIRGAS Co. here in s.cali in riverside. It lasts about 2 weeks and costs $8.50 for a refill. Is this about right or am I paying to much???

also is there an alternative for buying CO2 other than a welding supply shop?

 

[scottracy]

My 70 gallon tank maintains a CO2 concentration of about 25ppm... the 5lbs tank lasts about 6 months.

When I started injecting CO2 I asked a similar question concerning a 20 lb. CO2 tank. The quote above was one response. Others report 4-6 months using a 5lb CO2 tank in a 125g tank. It sounds like you have a leak somewhere in your setup. Place your connections/CO2 tubing in water and look for bubbles. You should definitely not have to refill every 2 weeks.

As far as initial cost, it varies but if you look around you can get a better deal. I paid $54 for a 20 lb. CO2 tank. I did a local search of welding shops(not necessarily supply) on the internet. After nearly 20 calls I found the best deal.

Scott

 

[beviking]

Unless you're using the CO2 for multiple tanks or something other than one tank, you've got a leak. That should definitely last longer than 2 weeks. I use a 5lber on my 90 gal and got 6+months out of it.
The refill price seems right. I agree with scottracy that you could have found a better initial price but that's old tank water down the drain now isn't it?
Alternate CO2...DIY but if you already have the equipment for compressed CO2, you'd be nuts to go DIY. Stop the leaks and you'll be good to go. Try a little dish soap at each connection starting from the tank. Keep a cloth handy. A leak will produce bubbles in the soap.

Good luck.

 

[Timmain42]

Teflon tape is your friend, use liberally. Wrap your connections no less than 3 and no more than 7 times, clockwise.

On my compressed CO2 setup (200 actual gallons,160 in the box), I pump in 1 bubble for every 40 gallons, equaling 4 bubbles a second. My 5# tank lasts 9 weeks. My 10# lasts just over 4 months.