Co2 & 260L Tank

Hi...im looking to purchase a Co2 setup for my tank..i went around all my local LFS stores and found only one complete setup available in Seahorse Aquariuims..which was great except it only had a 1L cylinder tank which did not have a refill option..does anyone know how long would a 1 litre bottle of cO2 last if hooked up to a 260L?
its gona cost about €20 per 1L bottle if i go ahead and make the purchase..


anyone with info..please give me a shout.

Can you get ur hands on a Co2 fire extinguisher......?

a co2 fire extinguisher? i think thats a bit too big.

It would last around a year.......!

oh!! wow...will i have any hastle with the guage fitting's/solenoid etc? where can i get it refilled?

You can buy a dual reg with one build in

good stuff..the only thing im worried about is getting the tank refilled. where can i get hold of a fire extinguisher? and will any cylinder do?

Any Co2 one will do all you have to do is remove the part were it comes out with a wrench put the daul reg in screw it up run the Co2 piping into the diffuser. Thats a pretty basic run through there is a thread on here about it try the DIY section it is alot more detailed then whay i said.

On filling it up i no you can get them filled just cant remember were

I eh....... found mine........

Hi you might want to check out this site for Co2 equipment
www.aquaticsuppliesireland.com/index.html
hth

Items needed: (pictures will be in the next post)
1. gas cylinder (fire extinguisher)
2. c02 regulator gauge (preferably with needle valve)
3. needle valve (if not with gauge)
4. solinoid ( can be on some daul reulator gauge )
5. c02 tubing
6. check valve (anti flow valve)
7. diffuser

Gas cylinders:

Fire extinguishers are one of the best options as they have the correct fitting for the most used and available gauges on the market. Pub c02 cylinders can be used but adapter units have to be used to convert male thread to female thread for the gauge.

Gauge/regulator:

There are many different types and designs on the market with different designs and reliability, ranging from very cheap to very expensive. From just the basic gauge with pressure only to twin gauge with needle valve to fine tune the amount of c02 released from the bottle. The latter, gauge with needle valve is by far the best option to go for.
If a gauge on its own is bought then a needle valve MUST be bought separately.

Needle valve:

The needle valve allows for very fine adjustment of the c02 coming out of the cylinder.

solinoid

the solinoid turns the unit on & off via electicity. plug this into a timer so it turns on 2hrs before lights on and off 2hrs before lights out.

C02 tubing:

Standard c02 tubing is adequate to use. There is a lot of disagreement on tubing as to how much c02 can leak THROUGH the wall of the tubing.

Check valve:

A check valve imo MUST be used. When the c02 is turned off at night (or god forbid a power cut) the flow and gravity will draw water up the tubing from the tank and then run into the mechanism of the gauge and cause serious damage.

Diffuser:

An ordinary air stone can be used but not recommended for c02 use as the bubbles will be bigger from the stone than from the diffuser, which will give out tiny minute bubbles which will disperse more easily into the water, as the whole idea of c02 is to get as much into the water as possible.

Diffuser Placement:

The placement of the diffuser is important, again so as much c02 gets dissolved into the water. You will get better c02 saturation if the diffuser is placed under the flow of water being pumped back into the tank so the c02 bubbles get swirled/churned up.

Some people but not all, place the end of the tube in to the up take pipe so the c02 gets directed into the filter, were it gets churned up even more than any were else in the tank. The only problem with this is that many say that it makes the filter noisy and causes damage to the filter. I have not used this method so cant give any real answers only to say I can see both sides of the argument.


Just some info i pulled of another site which may be helpfull to you.

Alan

A fire extinguisher is your best bet, you can get them refilled without much trouble. I would estimate a 5kg fire extinguisher would last you about a year if used in conjunction with a solenoid (electronic on/off switch set on a timer) it might last less than that, each tank is different, how you distribute the CO2 etc.

Irish Pub cylinders are not suitable IMHO, they have a different head connection fitting and it would be difficult to get a proper regulator and needle valve to fit them for our needs, most are not CO2 only either usually a mix, most hobbyists in the UK and Ireland will use Fire extinguishers as the source of CO2.

Im using the larger size fire ext. (cant remember exact size) on my 260 liter tank. I get about a year out of it.

Duzzy1 did a thread on this a few months back might help

www.irishfishkeepers.com/cms/component/o...w/catid,41/id,43608/

Seamus

Here is my co2 set up, cost 170 to set up and 20 euro every 6 months on a 300L tank

www.irishfishkeepers.com/cms/component/o...it,10/limitstart,20/