Co2 welding regulator

[claudio1]

Hi,has anyone used or converted a co2 welding regulator to be used in a planted tank..thanks.
NEW Gas bottle regulator CO2 Argon Mig Tig Welding Regulator 0-315 bar | eBay

 

[nirbhao]

My spouse is a welder/ fabricator and built our CO2 system. The regulator is similar to ours.

 

[claudio1]

Thanks for that,i bought 1 yesterday...

 

[nirbhao]

I'll take a picture of mine in a bit. I know that we had to change out one of the valves... I can't remember all of the details.

 

[claudio1]

That would be very helpful...thanks for your help.

 

[nirbhao]

Left to right:
solenoid with fan, total shutoff, regulator with pressure step-down, tank, line split, and separate needle valves

 

[claudio1]

Wow that is a big co2 cylinder,thanks for that.i'm only going to use a sodastream co2 cylinder for now as i only have a 120 litres tank

 

[Funken_A]

Hi,has anyone used or converted a co2 welding regulator to be used in a planted tank..thanks.
NEW Gas bottle regulator CO2 Argon Mig Tig Welding Regulator 0-315 bar | eBay

you may have to buy a few gauges and a precision needle valve / Bubble counters to get it dialed in right and set up for your situation but a base regulator will work with no issues.

I use a 20lbs CO2 set up myself. Last for a year

 

[claudio1]

I have got those parts off a old co2art regulator.

 

[Funken_A]

I have got those parts off a old co2art regulator.View attachment 302106

You are going to need a precision needle valve, cheap is not better. the best ones I have found for the money are Dakota 6AMV2101. Most likely that needle valve on the unit will not offer the precision you will want

https://www.dakotainstruments.com/v...ring-valve-mfvs-stainless-steel-straight-flow


I have tried cheaper ones but never got the precision you need. these are next cheapest ones I could ever find that work better than most


you will also require a bubble counter and a diffusing method. I recommend building a reactor over ceramic diffusers

 

[nirbhao]

If you're doing competition level planted, you would need stuff so fancy. The valves you see cost $25 new. We got a used lot of three for $24. We also have a used Horiba wheel that we paid $50 for used, but we haven't installed it yet.

Our diffusers are stainless steel fabric, which is....not cheap. Reactors seem to be better, but they're best if you have a canister filter.

Here's a very good resource:
https://barrreport.com/threads/the-...tor-part-numbers-sources-and-other-tips.9727/

 

[Fresh2o]

I bought an entry level full rig (reg/solenoid/needle valve) and if I were to swap anything out it would be the needle valve. Can go from 0 to 10+ bubbles per sec with just a nudge. So it takes a bit of patient tuning to get it right.
24 oz paintball (0.7L) tank lasts 3-4 months @2 bps.
$14 GLA knockoff diffuser does not produce the finest bubbles on its own but when place in the path of the canister filter output, it produces a mist of CO2.

 

[nirbhao]

These are our diffusers. You can't even see the bubbles.

For needle valves, what you want and what you need are very different. It's a question of whether you want to put patience or money into it.

 

[arnoldndana]

Is that for putting oxygen in the tank and what kind of metal are those canisters? Right now I'm running an airline hose from my mother's oxygen machine to my display tank for oxygen exchange to help regulate my pH. Been having problem keeping my pH up and stable and my corals and fish are suffering because of pH swings.

 

[Fresh2o]

Is that for putting oxygen in the tank and what kind of metal are those canisters? Right now I'm running an airline hose from my mother's oxygen machine to my display tank for oxygen exchange to help regulate my pH. Been having problem keeping my pH up and stable and my corals and fish are suffering because of pH swings.

No, it's for CO2 injection in a freshwater planted tank.
In your case, if you don't already have an open top to your SW tank, you should consider doing so for proper gas exchange. Also, adding power heads for increased circulation.

 

[nirbhao]

I didn't realize this was for a saltwater tank.

The diffusers are stainless steel. One tank has atmosphere for 15 minutes every 2 hours and aragonite for substrate.

Nobody seems to have a problem with the pH swing in the other tank.

 

[arnoldndana]

No, it's for CO2 injection in a freshwater planted tank.
In your case, if you don't already have an open top to your SW tank, you should consider doing so for proper gas exchange. Also, adding power heads for increased circulation.

I do have power heads and about 2" along the whole length of the tank exposed, makes me a little nervous because I have jumpers. Thank you.

 

[arnoldndana]

I didn't realize this was for a saltwater tank.

The diffusers are stainless steel. One tank has atmosphere for 15 minutes every 2 hours and aragonite for substrate.

Nobody seems to have a problem with the pH swing in the other tank.

Sorry, I was going through threads and reading them and figured I'd ask because I was curious if it might help my situation.

 

[claudio1]

This is carbon dioxide or co2 for a fresh water planted tank.plants needs co2 and fertilisers to grow and some plants will die off if no enough co2 in the water.