Is this a good deal?

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The first one is just a regulator and looks well used. I have one like the second(79.00) one. It has a solinoid so you can hook it to a ph monitor and a bubble counter and valve. The price is not bad. :D
 
So would I have to buy a ph monitor if I went with pressurized? What else would I have to get besides a co2 tank?
 
All you need for pressurized is a CO2 regulator, a CO2 cylinder, and a method to diffuse into the tank.
Even if the regulator has a solenoid, you do NOT need a pH controller/monitor...however you would have the option to use one. If you didn't you'd just leave the solenoid plugged in 24/7, or you could plug it into a cheap lighting timer and have it shut off for 8 hours over night.

That first regulator looks like an antique. The second indeed looks like a Milwaukee, and I own two of those and really like them. You might look at www.aquariumplants.com for a good price on it, and less than $10 shipping.
 
I can second Malkore's comment on aquarium plants. They appear to have a good price and you could get some plants too! :)

The PH monitor will allow you to set your PH value and the CO2 will come on/go off in order to maintain that PH. Since adding CO2 drops your PH, you would set it, the CO2 would come on - once it dropped out of range, it would shut off until the PH rose again. I believe that's correct. The experts should correct me if I'm too far off.

I believe the solenoid allows for the unit to be shut off with a timer and the bubble counter allows you to visually see how many bubbles of CO2 are to be injected into the tank. This allows you to control your rate visually.

Some places (ebay too) offer combo's of the PH monitor and the regulartor for around $160-170. A 5lb tank of CO2 will then cost another $80-100 to purchase/rent. That's the biggest investment - after that, it's just refills which I think somebody said was <$20, but I can't recall the size.

Just search for a welding supply shop in your area through something like switchboard.com and give them a call. They can give you specifics on tank cost/refill cost.
 
ok, thanks! I'd like a ph monitor but I'm trying to save as much $$$ as I can. I'm thinking of using CO2 in a 60 gallon, and I've read that diy would be to impracticle. I'm just trying to get a feel for pricing before I decide.
So I would need to get Milwaukee Co2 MA957 Regulator Set(Regulator, Needle Valve, Electric "on/off" Solenoid, bubble counter) a tank and tubing? Do I need a reactor too? Sorry for all the dumb questions.
Thanks for your help guys!
 
I have a pressurized CO2 setup in my 75g, I got everything off of Ebay. The tank is a nice aluminum job that doesn't look like it belongs in a welding shop, I think it was $80. It's a 10# tank. Another seller on ebay sells a new regulator with a CO2 diffuser for $80 or so. I spent $18 to get the tank filled, and I think it will last at least a year based upon the change in pressure so far.

The person I got the regulator from, thier Ebay name is Aquabuys. They have a nice Ebay Store. I'm looking at it now in another window, and they have the regulator, and an electronic PH monitor for $162.99 buy it now. They son't seem to have the diffusers that I bought from them 2 months ago.

The place where I got the aluminum tank (it's heavy duty) is from a store on Ebay called beveragefactory dot com, the user's name is beveragefactor.com . They 10lb tank is $75, the 5lb tank is $55.

I don't use the ph monitor in my tank, but I have high ph to start with. The CO2 can only help me, I think. My plants seem to love the CO2, I have been pruning enough every other week that I could start selling plants on Ebay if I wanted too.

Good luck in your CO2 quest.
 
dr_girlfriend, I have that CO2 reactor and it works great, but you can make one yourself for less money with the pump and the rigid end of a gravel vac tube. If you are not particularly handy then this is a fine reactor. Keep an eye on the sponge in the bottom - it clogs relatively quickly and will actually create back pressure on your CO2 system, believe it or not. Rinse it out about once a week.
 
For the record, I don't even keep that sponge in the end of the tube anymore. Aside from clogging issues, I found that my Rio pump quickly wore down to a lower gph flow. It works out well because there's more current leaving the tube, but no pure CO2 bubbles escape.

The fish are smart enough not to swim up inside it. I think they sense the high CO2 content...probably smells like 'bad water' to them.
 
I have one knucklehead BN that used to spend quite a bit of time in my reactor, though he has recently discontinued this practice since I went back to AC mini sponges instead of the pot scrubber. He can't shove the sponge aside like he could the scrubber. :? When I don't have anything in the bottom I do get CO2 bubbles coming out, so I feel like something needs to be there.

normal_BN%20in%20CO2%20diffuser.jpg
 
lol. good pic! sounds like something one of my stupid fish would do. My gourami got stuck behind my bubble ladder the other day. Thank goodness I noticed him in there!
Thanks so much for the suggestions! If its cheaper to make the reactor yourself, then thats the route I'll probably take. (Or my husband will, more likley :) )
I think I'll probably buy a system in stages. I'll try to get the milwaukee set next month and the tank the next. Seems stupid to spend all this money on fish stuff, but for my sanity I need to keep busy with my tanks right now. 8O
 
Sorry - not making fun, it is just a very sore subject in this house, and somehow even when I decide that I'm NOT spending money on fish stuff this month, something comes up and I go ahead and do it. Hubby is not amused.....
 
Thats ok. Its an extremley sore subject in my house right now, especially since money is alot tighter than it was just a few months ago. Long story but a patient kind of beat me up and now I'm on disability and big fight with workers comp etc. Between that and my aunt with cancer and my parents barely making ends meet, I need something to keep focused on and be excited about, so I guess if that means buying a 120 dollar filter on the credit card and not telling him, thats how it is for right now.
I always tell him if we have to we can always sell the stuff later. Sometimes that will calm him down......sometimes :D
 
Sorry about your troubles - what kind of work do you do? I can see how keeping your tanks would be a sort of therapy when times are tough, I know they are for me.

You can definitely sell the stuff if necessary, and you know where to find me... 8)
 
I'm a phlebotomist for a large hospital. I travel to various facilities, ie nursing homes, psychiatric hospitals, alzheimer care homes, etc. I draw blood, collect various lab samples. Old people in beds can be alot stronger than they look :wink:
The guy that attacked me had dementia, the nurses knew he was combative but didn't bother telling me :roll:
You can definitely sell the stuff if necessary, and you know where to find me...
Click to expand...
You'll be the first to know!!
Hopefully it will all be resolved soon, and it won't come to that.
 
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