Help Me with new CO2 Setup

Hi Guys,

Thanks to your help I have acquired a 10lb CO2 tank with a Milwaukee Regulator for a great price.   

What I need help with now is completing the setup.

This will be going in my 46g Bowfront Tank.

I am planning on picking up some c02 tubing and a difussor.

What other items should do I need now?

Sorry for the New-B questions. I want to keep it as cost effective as possible.

Thanks guys!!

CSlater21 wrote:
Sorry for the New-B questions. I want to keep it as cost effective as possible.

Fish talk, tank tech, answering questions is what we are all about my friend, ask away

2 items I would suggest is a plug in timer to control when you want the gases to come on and turn off,  and a drop checker. A drop checker is a liquid that's held in a glass, inserted in the tank. It helps you visually check if CO2 levels are appropriate (not to high, low).

Info on drop checkers;
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DYI checker
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Go high tech and get a PH controller instead of a timer. It'll turn on the CO2 to keep the tank PH at a set point. They're not terribly cheap and you do have to calibrate the PH probe occasionally, but that's the best way to do CO2. Someday maybe I'll even use mine again...   

For tubing I've been using vinyl tubing. Cheap and effective. CO2 doesn't harden it and I read somewhere when I was researching that very little CO2 can pass through the vinyl. Also rated for 55psi, more than sufficient.

I got my glass drop checker with solution for about $10 on eBay.

Glass/ceramic diffuser was about $5 on eBay.

Definitely get a timer at a minimum.

If you have a canister filter I suggest looking into making a inline reactor.

a check valve for your airline tubing.

I think the bubble counter has an integrated check valve, at least mine does.

I would say get the following, if you don't have them already:

1. A light timer (if you have a solenoid, and if not, seriously consider a solenoid as well, allows you to turn off your CO2 when the lights are off to prevent gassing your fish overnight and during power outages);
2. A drop checker (uses a 4dKH solution with a pH reagent that changes color as your pH shifts with CO2 levels);
3. A check valve (will prevent tank water from back-feeding into your CO2 system);
4. CO2 tubing (standard airline tubing will break down, as CO2 can be corrosive);
5. A ceramic plate diffuser/atomizer (will diffuse into your tank better than anything except maybe a reactor);
5. A bubble counter (will show you flow rate into your tank);
6. A floor scale - zero the scale with the empty CO2 tank on it, fill the tank, and it should read 10# of liquid CO2. As your CO2 is used up the scale will return to 0. Helps you track your CO2 usage and can save you from End of Tank Dump, or EOTD.

That's some awesome advice there, Gizmo! +'d!

Gizmo wrote:I would say get the following, if you don't have them already:

1. A light timer (if you have a solenoid, and if not, seriously consider a solenoid as well, allows you to turn off your CO2 when the lights are off to prevent gassing your fish overnight and during power outages);
2. A drop checker (uses a 4dKH solution with a pH reagent that changes color as your pH shifts with CO2 levels);
3. A check valve (will prevent tank water from back-feeding into your CO2 system);
4. CO2 tubing (standard airline tubing will break down, as CO2 can be corrosive);
5. A ceramic plate diffuser/atomizer (will diffuse into your tank better than anything except maybe a reactor);
5. A bubble counter (will show you flow rate into your tank);
6. A floor scale - zero the scale with the empty CO2 tank on it, fill the tank, and it should read 10# of liquid CO2.  As your CO2 is used up the scale will return to 0.  Helps you track your CO2 usage and can save you from End of Tank Dump, or EOTD.

Great Stuff!! Thanks guys. I have everything you have listed except the drop checker.

Still looking into those.. I overthink everything.. LOL Suggestions?

A controller is a really nice thing to have, and it isn't horribly expensive. A Milwaukee controller is about $100. Note that the pH meter on it isn't super-precise, so I largely ignore what it says about the pH and instead 'tune' it to get a more precise meter's reading where I want it. It keeps the pH exactly where I want it, compensates for CO2 drops when I do a water change, and goes off overnight for the most part. Worth it just to avoid having to dink with it. Also gives me some peace of mind that I'm much less likely to overdo it and gas the fish.

I have 2 different tanks with CO2 - one has a little AquaMedic 500 reactor in the tank with a little power head on top, and that works reasonably well. It was only $60 and doesn't waste much CO2. The bigger tank has a reactor I bought from aquariumplants.com (actually, got the other one from them, too), and that's inline with the filter. It is nicer, but is overkill for my tank (55 gallon), but that's OK. I'm sure someone could make one, but I tend to want to get things going instead of dinking with them.