Question about CO2

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atomiclord

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Apr 20, 2009
Messages
107
Location
Perth, WA, AUS
I've found this CO2 Pressurised system on ebay. It's Aust made and therefore good :-D

Just wondering if anyone's used a pressurised single-guage system? The premise being that you don't need a measurement of bottle pressure since it stays pretty much the same so long as liquid CO2 is inside, then drops to 0 the minute you run out, and as such a bottle pressure guage is mostly redundant. Is this any good?
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CO2 PRO 0.82L (820g) - Type 1
Below is a detailed list of the kits contents and how each item operates.

Bottle/Cylinder

Australian Standard AS2030 Cylinder

Capacity:0.82L Capacity

Gas Life:In excess of 10 months at 2drop/sec @ 10hrs/day.

Fill Thread:Australian Standard AS2473 Type 30 thread for easy refill.

Transportation:Gas Cylinders when full are classed as 'Dangerous Goods'. To send them full we need to use a Dangerous Goods Courier. We now offer our customers this option.
Registered Post:Bottle EMPTY: $15.
Dangerous Goods Courier:Bottle FULL: $35.

Refill cost:CO2 gas is on average $10-$15 per Litre.

Who fills them:Any gas supplier can & will fill our bottles. However we suggest that you support your local Aquarium if they sell CO2.

Any gas supplier such as BOC and SupaGas will fill these bottles. Also Home Brew, Paint Ball and Fire Services are known to fill CO2 cylinders.

Bottle life:Our cylinders have a 10 year bottle life. After this period we can retest the cylinder and recommission it for another 10 years.

Other info:The 0.82L cylinder from the AQDesign Series has been selected for good reason. Not only are they the perfect size for storage beneath any Aquarium cabinet, they are still considered a large cylinder in comparison to our big brand competitors, big enough to last about a year between fills.

We have gone to alot of effort to source Australian certified cylinders. They cost us more, however it's absolutely worth it.

Note: What we've found is unless sellers specifically advertise that a cylinder is certified, then you can safely assume that it isn't. Only buy AS2030 certified bottles. There is no law preventing sale of unapproved cylinders, however it's against the law to fill them.

DISPOSABLE BOTTLE FEATURE:Removable adaptor to enable it to be used with disposable cylinders. This valuable feature means that when your gas runs out on your large cylinder you can simply attach a disposible 95g bottle giving you no down time in CO2 supply whilst you get your cylinder re-filled.


Regulator / CO2 Electronic -Solenoid Valve

The Type 1 CO2 regulator is all in one specifically designed compact single gauge design (regulator pressure), which mounts vertically to the bottle tap. It is equipped with a conventional needle valve.

The AQ Designer Series Regulator is aimed at the astetically discerning Aquascaper looking for a sleek compact injection system, without compromise.

Needle Valve Adjustment:CO2 regulators are designed to reduce the approx 900+ psi bottle pressure down to 30psi to allow further regulation by the solenoid valve and needle valve.

Electromagnetic Solenoid Valve:This is a special device that allows control of the supply of CO2 electronically so that CO2 supply can be timed to turn ON/OFF in conjuction with your tanks light timer. Set and forget.

Australian Power Plug (240V)
Low heat output.
Operates silently
Lowest power consumption unit on the market.

The solenoid valve fixes via 4 screws, completely eliminating buzzing sounds that can be experienced with other designs. This unit is silent during operation.


The needle valve tapallows fine adjustment of CO2 supply accurately down to well under 1 drop/sec.


PH Controller Ready:This device can also be connected to pH controllers which will automatically adjust the perfect amount of CO2 by turning the injections system ON/OFF as required.

Single Gauge Design:The Designer Series is uniquely equipped with a single regulator pressure gauge so as to determine what pressure the regulator has reduced the bottle pressure to. These days we understand that reading bottle pressure isn't a measurement that offers us insight into gas life. Bottle pressure will remain constant whilst any liquid CO2 is present with the cylinder. So pressure will drop from 900psi to 0psi the minute liquid CO2 expires. The only way to determine cylinder volume is by weight.


CO2 Diffuser

Glass Diffuser with ceramic disc is the most popular choice of diffuser worldwide.

Disc is 3.5cm in dia and is suitable for all capacity Aquariums up to 8x2’ if suitably positioned low in the tank below your filter outlet.


CO2 Brass Bubble Counter


Screws onto the Electromagnetic Solenoid Valve and is connected to the CO2 resistant hose leading into your Aquarium.

This item unscrews at one end and is filled ¾ with water. It is used to specifically measure the drop rate/second of CO2.

This device conveniently mounts next to your bottle which makes drop rate adjustment a lot easier than alternate versions that mount within your tank.

Considered the best bubble counter on the market.



CO2 Hose & Suckers


2.5m of clear CO2 resistant Polyurethane hose c/w with hose suckers.

CO2 Hose Check Valve


The Check Valve prevents return flow of water towards bottle/cylinder.

The item is positioned anywhere along the length of silicone hose leading to the tank. When the CO2 PRO is switched off during night hours, it prevents water from siphoning back down to the bubble counter.


CO2 Test Kit


Determines the amount of CO2 that has been diffused into your tank.

Have you ever performed a pH test before? A pH test is in fact a measurement of the CO2 within water resulting in a specific pH value.

The CO2 Test Kit is a smartly designed testing apparatus that remains submerged with the Aquarium. In essence it is both a CO2 and a pH test kit as one directly influences the other.

The plastic apparatus is filled with a small volume of water mixed with Bromothymol Blue (pH/CO2 test agent). The unit is then flipped upside down and submerged in the water with the clear plastic cup facing upside down. A layer of air is trapped essentially separating the measuring pH liquid and the tank water. Gas that is diffused from the tank water redifusses with the testing reagent giving us a pH/CO2 reading.

When CO2 is injected into water it produces Carbonic Acid which in turn results in acidic water.

The pH/CO2 solution absorbs the gas from the Aquarium and changes colour to present us with a pH/CO2 value which is measured against the colour chart sticker provided.
I'm sorry that it's almost a plug for this manufacturer but I'd really like some opinions / advice and I wanted you to have all the info I have to work with.Oh and it comes with a money back satisfaction guarantee.
 
the problem with these small systems is you will need to refill often. this is basic a paint ball set up. just remember you might be having to fill that ever couple weeks vs a reg 5 pound co2 bottle 6 months to a year.

whats the total cost on this?
 
atomiclord does it use liquid CO2 and if so do you have a place near you to refill it? I know liquid O2 last much longer than regular gas o2 bottles. With O2 the liquid O2 in a D cylinder will last about as long as a E cylinder of gas.
 
Yep it uses liquid CO2. I fill a LOT of LPG bottles at work by decanting so at least I'm familiar with that... The CO2 is liquid under pressure; when you release some it rapidly decompresses (getting colder) back into a gas, giving you your bubbles. I know there are a few places here that can do it, luckily.
 
comes out to $270 for a co2 setup using usa money.... here at least i can easy set up a the same system using a large 5 pound co2 prob for less.

do you have room for a larger set up?
 
I was thinking the same thing. Personally, (here) I'd try to go for a 2.5, 5, or even a 10. I got my regulator of ebay for $65, 5 lb for $65, and misc for probably like $20.. but I'm not sure about AUS.

I'll try to list off prices for the kit.

Paintball tank - <$15
Regulator - ~$40
Bubble counter - $15
Drop counter - $10
Diffuser - <$10
Suction cups/tubing/check valve - <$15


My estimates might be off, and it might be more in AUS, but you could probably get alot more for your money, or get it alot cheaper.
 
$1 asu = $0.78 usa right now.... here you can put one together for $200.... if you want higher end $250....
 
Yep it uses liquid CO2. I fill a LOT of LPG bottles at work by decanting so at least I'm familiar with that... The CO2 is liquid under pressure; when you release some it rapidly decompresses (getting colder) back into a gas, giving you your bubbles. I know there are a few places here that can do it, luckily.

It actually expands and gets warmer to become a gas.

I'd suggest going with a 5 lb or larger cylinder if you have the space. Its also nice to have a pressure gauge on the cylinder so you can see when you are running low.
 
I started with the red sea system and after 2 months it stopped working. I then order and good regulator and defuser. The difference is amazing, my paint ball co2 cylinders last a lot longer. Go with a quality system it will save you money in the long run. I bought 7 paint ball co2 cylinders so I wouldn't have to refill as often.
 
I didn't read *that* closely into the earlier posts, but I think you might be arguing the same thing. When a gas expands, is absorbs heat, so the canister gets cooler because of energy levels (gas is higher than liquid)

It costs like 15$ to fill a 5lb here, and it costs like 6$ to fill a 12oz bottle of co2, and I think it's like 20$ for a 10 lb, so the cost of filling goes down dramatically with the size of the tank.

You might have to wait longer, but I'd suggest piecing together the system yourself, like maybe buy the regulator etc of ebay, and buy the tank somewhere locally (Australia).
 
It actually expands and gets warmer to become a gas.

Yeah that's what I meant :) Need a LOT more sleep: exams coming soon so cramming right now...

The main difference between US and AUS CO2 bottles is the DOT standard of bottles is well below the required standard for AS2030 or whatever it is. You can buy DOT rated ones here, but you can't get them filled. Hence bottles are more expensive. I have about 2 ft of space to house a unit in.
 
The kit looks fine. I agree you don't really need to know the bottle pressure. It looks like the regulator is a low pressure one, so along with that and the needle valve you can be safe letting the bottle go empty without risking a tank dump. You'll just have to keep a close eye or risk missing when it does run out eventually. This is basically the setup most of us use minus the extra guage. I like having the main regulator guage because it lets me know I have a couple weeks before a refill when the pressure starts to fall. With your smaller bottle size it will be much quicker, but still probably give you a day or two of notice to go from 30psi to empty.
 
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