Making the Switch to Pressurized
- Thread starter Purrbox
- Start date
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Well I finally got everything set up today. As you can see from the pics I use some screw eyes, chain, and clips to secure the CO2 cylinder to the 10 gallon stand as a safety precaution.
To start I've set the 2.5 gallon at 9bpm, the 5.5 gallon at 12bpm, and the 10 gallon at 15bpm. I'll be keeping an eye on CO2 levels and tweaking the bubbles per minutes as needed.
I requested that two of the needle valves be setup inline, and I'm really glad that I did. This means that I could leave the bubble counters right by each tank (2.5 gallon and 5.5 gallon) and easily adjust the CO2 levels. It also means that I shouldn't have any problem with distances between the tanks and the CO2 cylinder. Rex recommended that if a tank is going to greater than 8-10 feet from the CO2 cylinder, the needle valves should be setup inline. Both of the tanks were right in that cut off range, so I felt better just getting it setup inline to be on the safe side.
So far I'm quite pleased, just a matter of seeing how it performs over the long term.
To start I've set the 2.5 gallon at 9bpm, the 5.5 gallon at 12bpm, and the 10 gallon at 15bpm. I'll be keeping an eye on CO2 levels and tweaking the bubbles per minutes as needed.
I requested that two of the needle valves be setup inline, and I'm really glad that I did. This means that I could leave the bubble counters right by each tank (2.5 gallon and 5.5 gallon) and easily adjust the CO2 levels. It also means that I shouldn't have any problem with distances between the tanks and the CO2 cylinder. Rex recommended that if a tank is going to greater than 8-10 feet from the CO2 cylinder, the needle valves should be setup inline. Both of the tanks were right in that cut off range, so I felt better just getting it setup inline to be on the safe side.
So far I'm quite pleased, just a matter of seeing how it performs over the long term.
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Glenc
Aquarium Advice Addict
Very cool, Looks great. 
Can't wait to go pressurized, seeing this post and now the final product has made my mind up. I'm getting a pressurized system first thing Tues. Just in time as I'm getting cloudy water and algea issues in my 20 gallon. Ferts are all in strict line, 3 guesses where the problem lies. Thanks for this post Purrbox, it's been very helpful
Can't wait to go pressurized, seeing this post and now the final product has made my mind up. I'm getting a pressurized system first thing Tues. Just in time as I'm getting cloudy water and algea issues in my 20 gallon. Ferts are all in strict line, 3 guesses where the problem lies. Thanks for this post Purrbox, it's been very helpful 
mr funktastic
Aquarium Advice Addict
looks pretty good purr box. glen i would love to know where u get your equipment from since i am planning a new tank and also want to go pressurized. being in canada makes it hard to get cheap equipment.
WaterPond
Aquarium Advice Addict
there is a surplus of equipemnt in sarnia Funk. Seeing as how it is "chemical valley" and we have like 20 different refineries that stuff is easy to get hold of. I will keep and eye out for stuff for you. I have all the equipment but my brother uses it as a paintball co2 fill station. Its all the same stuff though.
Lonewolfblue
Aquarium Advice Addict
Looking good Purrbox.....
Well, fate decided that I couldn't make this switch without at least one bump in the road. Missed the fact that there was a slight leak between the cylindar and the regulator and drained the tank in two days. 8O Sigh.
Tip #1 - Use a wrench that is appropriate for the task at hand. Don't just grab a pipe or monkey wrench because it's the only thing you have on hand that is large enough.
Tip #2 - Buy/mix leak detector and USE it to make sure you've got a good seal. Doesn't do any good sitting on the shelf.
Saving grace is that I didn't have to pay for the first fill with the tank, even though the employee was going to charge me for it at first. I mentioned that over the phone I had been told there was not charge for the first fill and he took it off the bill. Guess I'll just end up paying for it anyway.
Tomorrow I'll be getting the tank refilled, buying an appropriate wrench, and hopefully picking up a couple spare washers just in case.
Please learn from my mistakes, instead of making them yourself!
Tip #1 - Use a wrench that is appropriate for the task at hand. Don't just grab a pipe or monkey wrench because it's the only thing you have on hand that is large enough.
Tip #2 - Buy/mix leak detector and USE it to make sure you've got a good seal. Doesn't do any good sitting on the shelf.
Saving grace is that I didn't have to pay for the first fill with the tank, even though the employee was going to charge me for it at first. I mentioned that over the phone I had been told there was not charge for the first fill and he took it off the bill. Guess I'll just end up paying for it anyway.
Tomorrow I'll be getting the tank refilled, buying an appropriate wrench, and hopefully picking up a couple spare washers just in case.
Please learn from my mistakes, instead of making them yourself!
mr funktastic
Aquarium Advice Addict
lol i have gotten so used to checking for leaks after dealing with DIY for so long. make sure u dont over tighten it this time around since that can be as bad as undertightening it. i hope it works out better this time for u.
An t-iasg
Aquarium Advice Addict
Excellent tips, Purrbox! I'm sorry about your refill. I hope it isn't too expensive! Good luck!
Glenc
Aquarium Advice Addict
Sorry to hear that Purrbox. A good way to check for leaks is to take some dish soap, mix it with a bit of water, paint it on the joint with a small brush. You will know if you have a leak pretty quick, even a tiny one. Old plumbing trick, done it many times to find leaks in gas piping.
Yep. Knew all about that trick with the dish soap. Just either didn't try it at the right point or forgot about it all together in my excitement. Bubbled up real quick when I checked today after noticing the pressure in the red.
Lonewolfblue
Aquarium Advice Addict
Another trick, Teflon Tape. Even though my regulator was not real tight, I had no leaks. I used the type of teflon tape used for pressurized gas.
Actually according to what I have read, teflon tape would be useless in my case. The seal is actually made where the cylinder, washer, and regulator meet. Putting teflon tape between the threads on the regulator and cylinder would have no affect on the seal. It's good to use teflon tape or something similar on the rest of the connections in the setup where parts are being threaded together, just not there.
I want to cry, but I can't or I'll go on a crying jag. 
When I got up this morning I checked on the cylindar and saw that there was just a touch of CO2 left. Glanced at the bubble counter on the 10 gallon and saw that it was higher than I wanted, so I turned it down a bit. The other two tanks were fine so I left their settings alone.
At noon when it was time to go swap the cylindar over lunch, I discovered that the substrate in the 10 gallon was littered with dead Cherry Red Shrimp. So stupid of me not to check on the CO2 levels, when I saw the bubble rate was high. :x I might have been able to do something then to save some of those poor shrimp, but the lights were off and it didn't occur to me. I immediately began scooping out dead shrimp in an effort to avoid a deadly ammonia spike in case there were still some alive. What an aweful way to get a really good picture of how many shrimp you'd managed to breed. Luckily it appears that at least a dozen of the older juveniles survived. I added an overdose of Prime per instructions to help with any Ammonia or Nitrite spikes.
Next I disconnected the tank and went to swap it out. The refill was more expensive than expected since there was a Hazardous Materials Fee that I hadn't been informed of originally. Still with refill and an extra washer/gasket it was only about $12.50. Stopped by the hardware store and picked up a big adjustable wrench with comfort grip, and headed home.
Once I got home I performed a 50% water change and siphoned up some more dead shrimp that were missed with the manual removal. Several of the shrimp were hanging out at the top of the tank, but otherwise had perked up. After refilling the tank, most of the shrimp were down in the lower levels of the tank looking a lot more active. I got a definate count of 11 shrimp, so as long as I've got a mix of both males and females I should be able to get the colony going again barring any more tragedies.
Once the CO2 tank warms up I'll go ahead and get it connected back up. I'd be a lier if I said I wasn't scared that I'll accidently wipe out the rest of the shrimp. As it is I've lost 80-90% of the shrimp including several berried females.
When I got up this morning I checked on the cylindar and saw that there was just a touch of CO2 left. Glanced at the bubble counter on the 10 gallon and saw that it was higher than I wanted, so I turned it down a bit. The other two tanks were fine so I left their settings alone.
At noon when it was time to go swap the cylindar over lunch, I discovered that the substrate in the 10 gallon was littered with dead Cherry Red Shrimp. So stupid of me not to check on the CO2 levels, when I saw the bubble rate was high. :x I might have been able to do something then to save some of those poor shrimp, but the lights were off and it didn't occur to me. I immediately began scooping out dead shrimp in an effort to avoid a deadly ammonia spike in case there were still some alive. What an aweful way to get a really good picture of how many shrimp you'd managed to breed. Luckily it appears that at least a dozen of the older juveniles survived. I added an overdose of Prime per instructions to help with any Ammonia or Nitrite spikes.
Next I disconnected the tank and went to swap it out. The refill was more expensive than expected since there was a Hazardous Materials Fee that I hadn't been informed of originally. Still with refill and an extra washer/gasket it was only about $12.50. Stopped by the hardware store and picked up a big adjustable wrench with comfort grip, and headed home.
Once I got home I performed a 50% water change and siphoned up some more dead shrimp that were missed with the manual removal. Several of the shrimp were hanging out at the top of the tank, but otherwise had perked up. After refilling the tank, most of the shrimp were down in the lower levels of the tank looking a lot more active. I got a definate count of 11 shrimp, so as long as I've got a mix of both males and females I should be able to get the colony going again barring any more tragedies.
Once the CO2 tank warms up I'll go ahead and get it connected back up. I'd be a lier if I said I wasn't scared that I'll accidently wipe out the rest of the shrimp. As it is I've lost 80-90% of the shrimp including several berried females.
maxwell1295
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Well that about sucks! Sorry to hear that...
I just got around to ordering everything I need for my own pressurized system. I just picked up another CO2 bottle from eBay, a 5-lb cylinder. I ordered the needle valves, adaptors, and check valves from a local Clippard dealer. Picking up the tubing from Lowes today along with the parts I need for the DIY inline reactor. Hopefully, everything should be up and running by the end of next week...
I just got around to ordering everything I need for my own pressurized system. I just picked up another CO2 bottle from eBay, a 5-lb cylinder. I ordered the needle valves, adaptors, and check valves from a local Clippard dealer. Picking up the tubing from Lowes today along with the parts I need for the DIY inline reactor. Hopefully, everything should be up and running by the end of next week...
An t-iasg
Aquarium Advice Addict
Oh no, Purrbox. I'm so sorry - that is terrible.
I really hope the rest of the shrimp are ok after the water change and Prime. I hope they will breed again soon. How are the rasboras?
Maxwell - I ordered my pressurized system on Tuesday! I already got my shipment notification. I hope it comes tomorrow!
I really hope the rest of the shrimp are ok after the water change and Prime. I hope they will breed again soon. How are the rasboras?
Maxwell - I ordered my pressurized system on Tuesday! I already got my shipment notification. I hope it comes tomorrow!
Thankyou for your kind words. Hopefully the switch to pressurized will go much smoother for the two of you.
The the Rasboras in the 2.5 gallon and the Cories in the 5.5 gallon are all fine. It was only the 10 gallon shrimp tank that was affected. With the age of the survivoring shrimp, they should start breeding in about a month if all goes well.
The the Rasboras in the 2.5 gallon and the Cories in the 5.5 gallon are all fine. It was only the 10 gallon shrimp tank that was affected. With the age of the survivoring shrimp, they should start breeding in about a month if all goes well.
Well I was able to get the CO2 Cylindar hooked up successfully yesterday. And as a result I'm adding another tip to my list for Pressurized CO2.
Tip #3 - Always keep a spare washer/gasket on hand and use it if you're having troubles getting a good seal between the CO2 Cylinder and Regulator.
Same style tank both times, Aluminum. When I first tried to hook up the new tank I still couldn't get a good seal even using the new wrench, so I switched out the original gasket that came with the Regulator for the one that I picked up with the refill. With one extra cynch the tank was sealed and I was in business. Best $0.65 I spent the last few days.
The shrimp seem to be doing fine, though I'm keeping a very close eye on them and will do a quick water change should I see any signs of stress. At this point I think the tank is out of the woods assuming that I didn't miss more than a couple of the dead shrimp in the mass of plants. I may do an extra water change tomorrow just to hedge my bets as I haven't seen the any sign of the Oto since this occurred. I've got a feeling that the Green Water that's been lingering in the tank was probably a blessing in disguise and may be helping to keep the Ammonia and Nitrites in order.
I've ordered 10 more shrimp which should arrive the end of next week, to deversify the gene pool and jump start the colony. I was planning on ordering them anyway, but I'll have the added benefit of being able to build numbers a little faster this way.
Tip #3 - Always keep a spare washer/gasket on hand and use it if you're having troubles getting a good seal between the CO2 Cylinder and Regulator.
Same style tank both times, Aluminum. When I first tried to hook up the new tank I still couldn't get a good seal even using the new wrench, so I switched out the original gasket that came with the Regulator for the one that I picked up with the refill. With one extra cynch the tank was sealed and I was in business. Best $0.65 I spent the last few days.
The shrimp seem to be doing fine, though I'm keeping a very close eye on them and will do a quick water change should I see any signs of stress. At this point I think the tank is out of the woods assuming that I didn't miss more than a couple of the dead shrimp in the mass of plants. I may do an extra water change tomorrow just to hedge my bets as I haven't seen the any sign of the Oto since this occurred. I've got a feeling that the Green Water that's been lingering in the tank was probably a blessing in disguise and may be helping to keep the Ammonia and Nitrites in order.
I've ordered 10 more shrimp which should arrive the end of next week, to deversify the gene pool and jump start the colony. I was planning on ordering them anyway, but I'll have the added benefit of being able to build numbers a little faster this way.
An t-iasg
Aquarium Advice Addict
That's great news! It seems like the rough period is over! I hope you see the oto soon.
