Help me with what and where I should buy CO2 injection

[BrianNY]

Tonight is the night!!!!! I'm going to order all of my equipment to inject CO2 into my planted 125g planted discus tank. Any and all suggestions will be appreciated. TIA

Brian

 

[TankGirl]

Marcus will undoubtedly have a deal he can throw your way - I trust he'll pop over shortly....

Mr. Peabody you really are a "dog," cause I wanna get mine set up too. I have been busy lately and let my DIY run out and about overnight I am algae-fied. Maybe now is the time for me, too....

 

[webmoose]

Uh oh better get my pen and paper ready and watch the experts at work... Good luck with you CO2 shopping!

 

[Mr Burns]

i'm probably too late for this, but....

i think aquarium freak got his Co2 stuff from marcus's store...got a really good price on the regulator package too. i ordered mine from robert at aquabotanic and it was a bit more expensive, but only by a few bucks so that's not a big deal. actually, mine is the JBJ kit which automatically adjusts to the proper working pressure whereas the Milwaukee does not. it's just a little extra feature, nothing necessary.

were you planning on getting a pH monitor with that? i didn't get one (most people don't) but aquarium freak has one so maybe he can chime in. my solenoid will be on a timer with the main lights, so any changes in pH shouldn't cause much of a problem.

obviously you'll want to get the tank locally...shipping costs are astronomical ("did somebody say 'astronomical'? -fat tony)

best of luck...maybe sometime during my life i'll be able to get my 85 set up

 

[Robert H]

I have a deal better than Marcus, but I am not allowed to talk about it here now am I!

Robert
www.aquabotanic.com

 

[BrianNY]

I definitely want the PH monitor Mr. Burns. Can't have my precious discus stressed by PH swings. Besides, I've got so much invested in this tank now (lighting, substrate and fish), that I'm more interested in avoiding probs than saving a buck.

 

[marcus russo]

I can beat you Robert anyday. 2 can play that!

This is not a post for getting your business just a post to my friendly competitor.

Robert I am sure can Price match anything i sell if you ask him and offer your first born fish. He drives a hard bargain

 

[Mr Burns]

I definitely want the PH monitor Mr. Burns. Can't have my precious discus stressed by PH swings. Besides, I've got so much invested in this tank now (lighting, substrate and fish), that I'm more interested in avoiding probs than saving a buck.

good call, i forgot about the discus!

 

[Momotaro]

I think you guys mean a pH controller, not a pH monitor. A pH monitor is going to do just that, monitor your pH. It gives you a reading on the current pH.

A pH controller works in conjunction with a solenoid, which is built into both the Milwaukee and the JBJ regulators. The controller has a switch built into it. You plug the solenoid from the regulator into it. The controller will then turn the solenoid on the regulator on and off.

You will set a pH on the controller, say 7.0. If your pH is higher than 7.0, the controller will power the solenoid, which will open up the solenoid valve and allow CO2 to flow into your aquarium. The CO2 will flow. Once the pH in your aquarium reaches your set point, 7.0 in our explanation, the controller will detect that the pH has reached the desired set point, cut the power to the solenoid, which will close the solenoid valve and stop the CO2 from entering the aquarium. If the pH creeps up, the equipment repeats the process. if the pH remains stable, the process never starts. The whole thing becomes automatic. No need to worry about swings in the Discus' aquarium!

Mike

 

[Mr Burns]

yeah, controller...i haven't talked about this stuff in a while, i couldn't remember the word. thanks

 

[Troy H]

Just to temper Momos comments a bit, even with a controller, there will be pH swings albeit small ones, depending on the settings of the controller you use. Higher end units like the PinPoint allow you a great deal of latitude over the parameters involved in minimizing the swings, lower end (but equally effective in most applications) units like the Milwaukee don't have as many tweaking features and in reality you'll swings of around .1 pH level if everything is set up right.

I don't raise discus, but I do have angels and other less than hardy species and none are the least affected. I saw larger swings before going to an automated system so even a lower end system is better than none in my opinion.

 

[Momotaro]

The PinPoint can be a bit finicky Troy. I understand that electronic ballasts can cause a bit of electrical interference, impeding the proper functioning of the unit. I think the Milwaukee pH controller really does well enough, at a much better price.

Mike

 

[Troy H]

I would agree, I guess my point is that even with a controller, even with a higher end controller, there are still going to be mild pH swings. From my personal experience with the Milwaukee, I'm able to minimize them by using a high injection rate (bubble count) and a bit of tweaking on the set point. I have heard quite a few people speak to the interference issues on the PinPoint unit, I haven't heard any reported with the Milwaukee as of yet.

Perhaps it's a case of too many bells and whistles with the PinPoint, in my opinion, a person could get lost in the setup of a PinPoint controller, kind of hard to do with the Milwaukee, one point calibration, one set point and off we go.