TheNamelessPoet
Aquarium Advice Freak
about how long will it last?
I have a 20 gallon with 3.5 wpg... its not heavly planted yet... but it will be
I have a 20 gallon with 3.5 wpg... its not heavly planted yet... but it will be
5LB CO2 tank
- Thread starter TheNamelessPoet
- Start date
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mgamer20o0
Aquarium Advice Addict
depends if you turn it off at night or not. should last a year or more if you turn if off at night. if you leave it on 24/7 about 6 months.
OP
OP
TheNamelessPoet
Aquarium Advice Freak
Sweet! I will probably only have it on for about 8-10 hours a day
timwag2001
Aquarium Advice FINatic
i have a pretty heavily planted 55g and my 5lb lasts between a month or two
OP
OP
TheNamelessPoet
Aquarium Advice Freak
sweet
sou sounds like at least 6 months if its only on about 8-10 hours a day XD
sou sounds like at least 6 months if its only on about 8-10 hours a day XD
I'm using the same size CO2 cylinder 24/7 on a 10 gallon, 5.5 gallon, and 2.5 gallon. It consistently runs out after about 6 months give or take a couple weeks. A lot will depend on what flow rate you set the regulator to. The higher it is, the faster you will use up the CO2.
OP
OP
TheNamelessPoet
Aquarium Advice Freak
thanks for all the info guys
mgamer20o0
Aquarium Advice Addict
sure you dont have a leak?
timwag2001
Aquarium Advice FINatic
yeah. i've checked it all out before. i have a very high bubble count. 4wpg t5ho. and a thick plant jungle. just soaks up the co2
7Enigma
Aquarium Advice Addict
Check for leaks, leaks, leaks! use teflon tape on any connection you make, and don't overtighten. When I first got my setup I was told not to use teflon tape and to tighten as much as I could (ie you couldn't overtighten). Well that advice was bad. I'm not a huge guy, but I managed to tighten the nut so much that I developed a small leak a week later and when I disconnected the bottle from the regulator I had to pry the now crushed compression wafer out with pliers. With the teflon tape it tightens much easier, but again you don't want to put it on like a car tire nut, you want it to have good resistance when you turn but stop before you are really fighting it. I'd tighten it until you think it's a bit loose, then turn on the gas and check for leaks with soapy water. If you see bubbles continue to tighten until they disappear, then give it another quarter turn for good measure. It's kind of a learning experience, but if you follow this method you can be sure you're not going to have to refill the tank in a month (had that happen to me....).
I will check for leaks when I first attach the tank and then about a week later. The little compression wafers seem to flatten over time a bit and I've had leaks develop after there were none. Temperature also plays a factor as when the winter months come around I tend to have to tighten the nut a bit more. Even worse, recently my needle valve on its own decided to stop the flow of CO2. I have my airline going into a powerhead and so it's difficult to see flow. It wasn't until after I cleaned the powerhead from muck that I found out there wasn't any CO2 going into the tank (some minor algae issues also brought it to my attention). Many people use bubble counters so this doesn't happen but I prefer to K.I.S.S. and so will monitor more closely in the future.
I have the same setup as you and get around 4-6months with the lights on from noon to 10pm. I use an electric solenoid that turns the tank on and off with the lights. A very nice investment that will pay for itself in under 2 years depending on bubble rate.
I'd recommend making a drop checker to measure the CO2 level in the tank which will help you fine tune the bubble rate so you're not over/under estimating the dissolved CO2 levels. It's pretty simple, just need some baking soda, liquid pH test, and a drop checker (Red Sea makes a cheap one for around $4 that you use with your own liquid mix).
Also be very watchful when you hook it up. I'd recommend doing it on the weekend so you can monitor every hour or so for the first day or two. You can wipe out a tank if the CO2 level is too high, and that would be horrible. If you catch the fish gasping at the surface, or extremely fast gill movement, cut the CO2 and do a partial water change ASAP.
Finally I recommend getting a low pressure regulator. This attaches to the tank before the needle valve and prevents tank dumps when the bottle gets low. People have lost the entire tank from this, and so those without the LPR refill the tanks when they see the pressure start to drop. Those of us with LPR's can let the bottle run completely out, and from my experience I get about 1-2 weeks from the time the pressure starts to lower until I need to fill up (nice if you live far away from a fill station like me).
Dunno if RexGrigg is still selling CO2 setups, but I purchased mine from him 3-4 years ago and have nothing but great things to say about the quality of the parts. My regulator, low pressure regulator, check valve (highly recommended, especially if your CO2 tank is lower than your fish tank), and needle valve setup was ~$160 shipped. The 5lb bottle was about $90, and my fillups cost about $15.
So while the initial expense was high, the total ownership cost is now pennies a week to run and is only getting cheaper. This is coming from someone who went the DIY yeast/sugar method for over a year with bad algae problems from fluctuating CO2 levels and a near explosion from a clogged piece of tubing.
EDIT:
Here's Rex's site. Seems he's still selling high quality regulators and now also has dry ferts which I highly recommend over the expensive Flourish or other liquid lines as the dry ferts last forever and are easy to dose and mix into a single application mixture.
Welcome To The Home Of The Best Aquarium Regulator
I will check for leaks when I first attach the tank and then about a week later. The little compression wafers seem to flatten over time a bit and I've had leaks develop after there were none. Temperature also plays a factor as when the winter months come around I tend to have to tighten the nut a bit more. Even worse, recently my needle valve on its own decided to stop the flow of CO2. I have my airline going into a powerhead and so it's difficult to see flow. It wasn't until after I cleaned the powerhead from muck that I found out there wasn't any CO2 going into the tank (some minor algae issues also brought it to my attention). Many people use bubble counters so this doesn't happen but I prefer to K.I.S.S. and so will monitor more closely in the future.
I have the same setup as you and get around 4-6months with the lights on from noon to 10pm. I use an electric solenoid that turns the tank on and off with the lights. A very nice investment that will pay for itself in under 2 years depending on bubble rate.
I'd recommend making a drop checker to measure the CO2 level in the tank which will help you fine tune the bubble rate so you're not over/under estimating the dissolved CO2 levels. It's pretty simple, just need some baking soda, liquid pH test, and a drop checker (Red Sea makes a cheap one for around $4 that you use with your own liquid mix).
Also be very watchful when you hook it up. I'd recommend doing it on the weekend so you can monitor every hour or so for the first day or two. You can wipe out a tank if the CO2 level is too high, and that would be horrible. If you catch the fish gasping at the surface, or extremely fast gill movement, cut the CO2 and do a partial water change ASAP.
Finally I recommend getting a low pressure regulator. This attaches to the tank before the needle valve and prevents tank dumps when the bottle gets low. People have lost the entire tank from this, and so those without the LPR refill the tanks when they see the pressure start to drop. Those of us with LPR's can let the bottle run completely out, and from my experience I get about 1-2 weeks from the time the pressure starts to lower until I need to fill up (nice if you live far away from a fill station like me).
Dunno if RexGrigg is still selling CO2 setups, but I purchased mine from him 3-4 years ago and have nothing but great things to say about the quality of the parts. My regulator, low pressure regulator, check valve (highly recommended, especially if your CO2 tank is lower than your fish tank), and needle valve setup was ~$160 shipped. The 5lb bottle was about $90, and my fillups cost about $15.
So while the initial expense was high, the total ownership cost is now pennies a week to run and is only getting cheaper. This is coming from someone who went the DIY yeast/sugar method for over a year with bad algae problems from fluctuating CO2 levels and a near explosion from a clogged piece of tubing.
EDIT:
Here's Rex's site. Seems he's still selling high quality regulators and now also has dry ferts which I highly recommend over the expensive Flourish or other liquid lines as the dry ferts last forever and are easy to dose and mix into a single application mixture.
Welcome To The Home Of The Best Aquarium Regulator
