What CO2 for 75g?

[rgh69]

Hello all,
I'm setting up a 75 gallon tank has a planted aquarium but I am having trouble determining the right CO2 systems. Would 1 of the smaller paintball gun type systems be sufficient or should I go with a bigger unit. Also if there's another system you would recommend what would it be?

Thanks,
Robert

[Totenkampf]

i dont care for the paintball systems, they might have a usefulness on small tanks where you are limited with hide space but i think you will wish that you had invested that cash in a better system. Green Leaf Aquariums and AquariumPlants.com sell nice complete systems but they are pricey. You can put one together off of ebay much more cheaply if you are comfortable with assembly. I like to use:

1) Quality dual stage regulator - doesnt have to be stainless steel but i like those. 0-50 psig output range. look for one with a CGA320 fitting or buy seperately. I like GO, Parker, Tescom brands but there are others.
2) 5-10# CO2 cylinder - you can buy one or rent one from a place that sells bulk gas like AirGas or a welding supply. Its pretty cheap to rent.
3) Solenoid operated valve - should be 120VAC and rated for continuous duty so it doesnt overheat. should fail closed when power is off. this can be used with either a timer or a pH controller
4) pH controller (optional) - Milwaukee makes a decent one thats inexpensive...its pretty much the standard.
5) Needle Valve - get a quality fine 'metering' type from swagelok, parker, hoke or others. i like the swagelok SS-SS4
6) CO2 proof tubing - not silicon
7) diffuser - inline types are nice, look up DIY 'rex' reactor.
8) bubble counter (optional) - i like the 'beetle' type but you can set the flow in a glass of water and since you are using a quality regulator and metering valve the flow wont change until the cylinder starts to run dry
9) drop checker - fairly reliable way to check CO2 saturation, DIY is possible

set the system up, energize SOV, set pressure to about 15 psig, set flow to about 2-4 bubbles per second to start with, and watch your plants. they will tell you when you have it right. the drop checker or gasping fish will tell you if you are using too much.

[mistahoo]

I'm gonna go ahead and thread jack as it seems like the OP doesn't view the forums often and to minimize how many CO2 threads there are.

Okay so I decided on doing CO2 for the 5g nano. I'm new to all this CO2 stuff and still new to plants. I have no idea how a CO2 setup works, but I know how it benefits plants. I've got a ton of questions... I apologize for all the questions and thanks in advance!



What are the estimated costs for a full CO2 setup for a 5g?

What are the estimated costs for a DIY CO2 setup for a 5g?

Is a DIY CO2 setup hard to make/put together?

Where can I get the stuff for a DIY setup locally?

I'm not sure about the paintball CO2 tank, but I see that a lot of people use it. Is it truly reliable?

How big of a bottle should I get? 20oz? 5lb? 10lb?

Is there a certain brand of CO2 bottles I should be looking out for?

What is the estimated time that CO2 lasts for the size of the setup?

How much does CO2 cost to refill?

Would I be better off doing a DIY CO2 thing with plastic bottles, yeast, and water?

How does this bubble counter work? Do you just twist it and it works like a valve? I see some that have some liquid in it, is that normal?

What is the recommended minimum/maximum psig?

What exactly does a Solenoid operated valve, dual stage regulator, needle valve, and drop checker do?

I've seen several people use airline tubing or silicone tubing. How much CO2 do you lose by doing this?

Is there a place to get CO2 proof tubing locally?

[Totenkampf]

What are the estimated costs for a full CO2 setup for a 5g?
nano tanks dont mean nano co2 to me, they need the same system as a big tank. think about it, smaller tanks have much less room for error...so plan on maybe 200 bucks

What are the estimated costs for a DIY CO2 setup for a 5g?
the price of a few 2 liter bottles, yeat, gelatin, some tubing, and a diffuser...maybe 50?

Is a DIY CO2 setup hard to make/put together?
i dont think that you would have any trouble with it

Where can I get the stuff for a DIY setup locally?
most at walmart other than the diffuser

I'm not sure about the paintball CO2 tank, but I see that a lot of people use it. Is it truly reliable?
its a single stage regulator and they are cheaply made. the fail pretty often, i dont consider them to be reliable

How big of a bottle should I get? 20oz? 5lb? 10lb?
get as big as you can afford and hide. CO2 fills for a 5lb and a 20lb bottle differ by maybe 5 bucks

Is there a certain brand of CO2 bottles I should be looking out for?
no, it just has to be made for CO2. if you get them from a welding gas supplier like AirGas then you basically rent the bottle. when its empty you return it and they give you another full bottle. there often isnt a deposit or rental fee.

What is the estimated time that CO2 lasts for the size of the setup?
a 5lb bottle on a 5 gallon aquarium? like forever man

How much does CO2 cost to refill?
i refilled my 10lb for less than 20 bucks

Would I be better off doing a DIY CO2 thing with plastic bottles, yeast, and water?
DIY CO2 is cheaper, its never 'better off'. you can get good results if done right but its a hassle

How does this bubble counter work? Do you just twist it and it works like a valve? I see some that have some liquid in it, is that normal?
a bubble counter is just a container of fluid where you can see the bubbles from the CO2 rising through it. you measure the minute flow by counting bubbles per second. i was running the setup on my 75 gallon at 3 bps

What is the recommended minimum/maximum psig?
i ran mine at 15 - 20 psig

What exactly does a Solenoid operated valve, dual stage regulator, needle valve, and drop checker do?
the SOV is an electrically operated valve. it can be used to shut off CO2 at night or be controlled by a pH meter. dual stage regulators drop the pressure in two stages, its much more reliable. failure of a regulator means everybody dies. a needle valve is a type of valve used to regulate gas flow. you want a type called a metering valve. a drop checker gives you a visual reference of the amount of co2 in the water. when set up right, optimal co2 makes the solution inside turn green

I've seen several people use airline tubing or silicone tubing. How much CO2 do you lose by doing this?
i use PFA tubing, i lost no apprecible amount of CO2

Is there a place to get CO2 proof tubing locally
i get mine from work, although i think you can get the rainbird drip irrigation tubing at HD or lowes...i believe its PFA

see above

[mistahoo]

Thank you so much! $200 doesn't sound too bad for a full setup. I was thinking it would cost a lot more! I'll try to find a large enough bottle to tuck under the desk and hide. I'll probably get a 10lb bottle since you said a 5lb bottle seems to last forever; that way it would last twice as long!

I'd like to ask a few more questions if you don't mind. If I buy parts (everything you listed on your first post) to put together a CO2 system, is it relatively simple? I would have no clue how to assemble it if I had all the parts and I don't want to damage anything. I also wouldn't want to purchase a part and finding out later that it won't fit.

I found a diffuser that has the end broken off (where you connect the tubing to it). Could I still use it, or is it now a completely worthless piece of glass?

Also, does CO2 lowers pH? If it does, being paired with eco-complete "african cichlid mix", would it neutralize? I read that the substrate bumps up the pH to about 8.2. I'd like the pH to be closer to 7 if possible.

[mnemenoi]

Jeff is the man when it comes to CO2!!! Its sad I just run all my systems as low tech....

[mistahoo]

Re: What CO2 for 75g?

Jeff is the man when it comes to CO2!!! Its sad I just run all my systems as low tech....

Lol he seems so! I was originally planning on low tech but I got curious and checked out a few setups. My gf was over and she saw the bubbles from the diffuser and wants it now. On the bright side, less worry about algae and better plant growth!

Sent from my spaceship using Tapatalk 2.

[Jozle]

From personal experience, as a lowtech guy that has progressed to high tech since January, I suggest going with the big stuff. It's less hassle. Paintball co2 was terrible with getting the right bps for my nanos and the chemical reactions was a bit messy and did not have much of a reaction for me.

[mistahoo]

Yup. Plan to get a whole setup with the list of equipment that Toten posted or finding a nice complete setup for sale.