Most common co2 bottle?

[Caliban07]

Does anyone use soda stream?
Fire extinguisher?
Paintball?
Any others?

What are the pros and cons of each?


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[Delapool]

Micro-brewery co2 bottle here. I guess you could run/do both at once...

Easy and cheap to get a refill but the initial cost is diabolical.

 

[Caliban07]

Micro-brewery co2 bottle here. I guess you could run/do both at once...

Easy and cheap to get a refill but the initial cost is diabolical.

Tell me about it! I'm about to lay out £250 here. It's annoying because I'm in a workshop that has everything I need. Connectors, tubing disused regulators, cylinders.



But things would have to 'go missing' if I was to knock something up. The needle valves on the co2 regs are not precise enough to get a good ratio of bubbles per second and set to 4bar working pressure. Plus I'd have to shove a co2 cylinder under my jacket and walk out. Not worth it haha.


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[Caliban07]

I have a mate who also works at a brewery. Where do you get them refilled? Is it a standard thread or have you bought and adaptor for the reg?


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[Fresh2o]

I use a paintball tank. Refills are provided by most larger sporting goods stores (usually in the hunting section). Tank size is much smaller than brewery or fire extinguisher tanks but it's fine for my purposes. Paintball tanks require an adaptor for use with a standard CO2 regulator.


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[Delapool]

I have a mate who also works at a brewery. Where do you get them refilled? Is it a standard thread or have you bought and adaptor for the reg?


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It's a standard thread here. I bought the first one through a fish shop where I got the whole kit (bottle, solenoid, ph controller, etc) as one package.

But the bottle had a micro-brewery sticker on it so I dropped into one down the road and they said they could fill it no worries. Saved 30 minute drive.

Then I bought the second bottle at a craft / home brewery shop on the same road.

I can do a bottle exchange or keep my own bottle. The second larger one is aluminium and the smaller is stainless steel I think.

I'm not sure on paintball bottles. I've seen disposable co2 bottles for nano setups and I know there are industrial co2 bottles but I suspect everything fits here cause we're so limited in choice anyways (one of the few times that might actually help ).

 

[Delapool]

I use a paintball tank. Refills are provided by most larger sporting goods stores (usually in the hunting section). Tank size is much smaller than brewery or fire extinguisher tanks but it's fine for my purposes. Paintball tanks require an adaptor for use with a standard CO2 regulator.


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Paintball must be pretty big over there? I think we have one or maybe two companies / playing fields for the state.

 

[Nils]

Yeah paintball, airsoft, pellet guns......pretty huge over here. Personally I think it's pretty dumb, wouldn't ever buy any of it. I use a paintball tank, works like a charm and hopefully going to keep going strong for a few more months. Pretty cheap to refill ($4) as well.

 

[Caliban07]

What about placing the diffuser? Top, bottom? Does the co2 have to be connected inline with the filter outlet or do people just put it near the outlet?


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[Delapool]

Yeah paintball, airsoft, pellet guns......pretty huge over here. Personally I think it's pretty dumb, wouldn't ever buy any of it. I use a paintball tank, works like a charm and hopefully going to keep going strong for a few more months. Pretty cheap to refill ($4) as well.

That's a pretty good deal

 

[Delapool]

What about placing the diffuser? Top, bottom? Does the co2 have to be connected inline with the filter outlet or do people just put it near the outlet?


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I used to run a ceramic air stone under a in tank filter which pushed water around. Air stone was right at base of tank. I think air stones are a good start point.

Now have a tunz reactor to dissolve co2 first. This still sits under filter to push water around.

There was a thread where someone got a co2 ladder working nicely.

I think(?) lots of people do inline. Pretty popular here (don't hear of many leaks).

 

[Caliban07]

Do the filters cater for inline or do you have to T in somewhere with your own tubing? Do you T Im to the intake or outtake hose?


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[Delapool]

On mine I think you would have to cut the tubing. Heard of one recently where that must of been done as the connections started leaking so must of upset the apple cart somewhere.

Amazon.com : Sera Flore Active CO2 Reactor 500 - Small 66-160 Gal : Aquarium Plant Fertilizers : Pet Supplies

This is the one I have. Contained powerhead, etc. But I cut out the flow meter so it draws more water in and doesn't make an awful rattle.

http://www.amazon.com/Tunze-USA-7074-500-Diffuser-Compact/dp/B00H6YW0QK

 

[Caliban07]

On mine I think you would have to cut the tubing. Heard of one recently where that must of been done as the connections started leaking so must of upset the apple cart somewhere.

Amazon.com : Sera Flore Active CO2 Reactor 500 - Small 66-160 Gal : Aquarium Plant Fertilizers : Pet Supplies

This is the one I have. Contained powerhead, etc. But I cut out the flow meter so it draws more water in and doesn't make an awful rattle.

http://www.amazon.com/Tunze-USA-7074-500-Diffuser-Compact/dp/B00H6YW0QK

Thanks dela. Is that an internal reactor?


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[Delapool]

The tunz is but not sure on the sera.

I think (really need someone more knowledgeable) that external reactors go on the outlet pipe. I've heard of issues on the inlet pipe with co2 building up in the canister or the co2 somehow causing the impeller to wear faster. However pretty sure I've seen posts where people have a ceramic stone under a canister inlet so ....

In my case I have room in tank, I like to keep gear separate and cannot afford any leaks with external reactors.

One thing I have found that seems in agreement is that you will need some water flow to push the co2 around the tank.

I think ceramic stones work. They might not be the most efficient but they are simple and a larger bottle means you have co2 to spare.