paintball c02

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mr funktastic

mr funktastic

Aquarium Advice Addict
Joined
Jun 14, 2005
Messages
2,608
Location
alliston, ON
i have a 16 oz (not sure how many pounds for the americans) paintball co2 tank that i was wondering if i could use it for a pressurized co2 set up. i have the hagen ladder diffuser right now so all i would need is a regulator right? if so could i use any type of regulator or does it have to be bought specifically from an aquarium store? i have the hagen system on my tank right now and it puts out a decent amout of c02 about a bubble every 5 seconds but i guess pressurized would be a more direct form of co2 compared to what the fermentation canister is producing. any help on this would be great. thanks in advance.
 
Any regulator will do, as long as it can get down to 20PSI or so. but the reg is going to cost you about 100$. Plamers Pursuit makes one that is used for kegs. It also screws directly onto the the bottle. I have a 20Oz bottle that I don't use anymore but I think You'ld be getting it filled every 4 weeks, a 16Oz (1/2lb) would be every 3 weeks... You can get a proper CGA regulator off ebay for 85$ new or about 50$ used. I can get you a 10lb tank full for 90$ (No tax) It's used but certified for another 5 years.

So 100$ for a 16Oz needs to be filled every 3 weeks
or
As low as 140$ for a 10lb that needs to be filled every 9-10 months (15$/fill)

I don't see it as being a real "savings"
 
will it really need to be filled that often? it is only a 20 gallon tank and it the 16 oz co2 tank is only $8 to fill. i can find a regulator on ebay for a reasonable price. i cant believe that it would need to be filled every 3 weeks that seems a little crazy.
 
It's not that crazy.. 9 months is ~ 40 weeks so 4Weeks / lb is average on a 65-100Gal, so a 65Gal @ 16oz would last 2 weeks...

Also keep in mind, a "Cheap" regulator on Ebay for a paintball gun will also require an ASA and high pressure line (either steel braid or plastic) and connectors. Then you have to adapt the output with another ASA and Compression fitting to adapt the regulated output to your tubing.. If you have a Marker, look at the fittings from where the tank attaches to get to the reg, then the top of the reg is the same as the bottle..
 
ya i guess it is a little more complicated than i thought lol. i will be checking out some internet sites to find out more info on how it is done. thanks for your help so far. does anybody have any suggestion for how i could do this and an exact list of all the parts?
 
beveragefactory.com sells C)2 tanks pretty cheap and its not that much to refill tham at a welding shop
 
a 10lb tank is 90$ full at a local Fire Extinguisher place here, and that is full (it's used, but who cares).. if you can't find one at a local place up there for this price, let me know.

I got my regulator off Ebay, probably the best place to get one..
 
is there a specific seller u could reccomend or an ebay store? i have seena bunch of different retailers and from what i understand u can use like a keg regulator or things like that?what do i need besides the regulator? there is a local fill station near us that has all the different kinds of gas and co2 tanks available new and used but i have never checked out any priced. i would rather go with a 5 pound bottle for size reasons. thanks again
 
lol ya i was suprised when i bought it to lol. it is a 16oz for sure. i went to the fill shop and they have a price list for little co2 tanks and they had 9 12 and 20 so the guy didnt know what to charge me lol
 
Yes, they have 9, 12, 16, 20 and 24 if you are using a remote. I use a 47CI HPA :)

I bought mine from a reseller named Aquacave (http://stores.ebay.com/AQUACAVE-Qua...0QQcolZ2QQdirZQ2d1QQfsubZQ2d999QQftidZ2QQtZkm), but I just checked and they don't have a listing for Controllers or Regs anymore.. Try them tomorrow incase the listing expired.. They shipped really fast too (I had mine relayed through a friend in the states to avoid duties shh).. still got dinged for GST tho.

I generally look for stores with more the 1000 sales, also send them an Email and see how long it takes to get a response, the faster the better.
 
also im not sure, but i think paintball co2 or some other kind has some sort of oil in it?
 
Mine doesn't, infact any Marker manufacturer will recommend you add 3 drops of 3 in 1 oil into the asa of the marker every 4-5 tankfuls to lubricate the internals since Co2 dries it out.

Co2 is a dirty gas. because of the amount of times they typical PB tank get's filled it will have more dirt and debris in it. The only thing that goes into a PB tank is what comes out of a 10lb + syphoned tank.

I can assure you they don't add oil to the Co2, just the oil that comes off the compressor (and that's in any Co2, including the ones used for kegs). I have also stripped down multiple markers and can assure you, if you don't add oil, that regulator is very dry inside.
 
Indeed I will Travis.

the issue with paintball CO2 tanks, is that a standard regulator will NOT fit on it. You must buy an adapter...and the adapters I've seen are all in the $60+ range.

So it ends up being cheaper to just buy a normal cylinder, skip the adapater, and then get a decent beveridge grade CO2 regulator, and a needle valve. The needle valve is most important, as the regulator won't hold a steady flow under 15psi, and we really need about 4-5psi tops.

Paintball gun CO2 having 'oil' in it is a myth. I had to oil my paintball gun/marker back when I played, and our CO2 cylinder came from a welding shop. Its arguable that medical or food grade CO2 might be more pure, but its really a non-issue.

Plus, $8 for 16oz? I only pay $10.85 for a 5lb fill, and $13 something for 10lbs.

Long story short, paintball CO2 works, but its far from simple or economic. A few poeple have done it to prove a point that it can be done and work, but in the long run, its just not ideal.
 
actually thats why i was asking about the paintball co2 lol because sir lunchbox's system is what i will have in the end. it is a paintball c02 tank (looks like it atleast) some kind of regulator than just a hagen bubble ladder diffuser. i was thinking about his system but didnt have a spare $125 on hand. i was looking for a cheaper alternative to a pressurized system. guess there isnt one then lol. thanks for all the replies
 
If your intrested in a preasurized system look around localy for tanks (welding supplies and such) the rest of the components are easier to find and I at least have an idea what those cost online.. :p

Used tanks or small new tanks localy should be cheaper then the tanks online.
 
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