Regulator question

[Ketso]

A small store near me is going out of business and the owner, whom I have known for several years, has offered to hold on to his regulator until I can find out more about it. Normally, these are rented with the tanks. But after having his reg. stolen or broken on numerous occasions, they wouldnt rent him another one and he had to purchase a new one. Now, I have the oprotunity to purchase this used regulator that was on a Co2 tank for a fountain drink system.

Would this type of regulator work for aquaria purposes? Not at all? Or maybe needs a few parts? If not, it's just my luck. This thing looks brand new and he'll sell it to me for $15.

 

[Purrbox]

This could work but you would need some additional parts. This article should help you figure things out.

 

[Hoovercat]

I use a single guage regulator on one setup and a dual on another but none of my stuff is aquarium specific other than the needle valves.

Other than the Milwaukee most sites sell being especially good quality there is nothing about it different than any CO2 regulator for other applications.

Fountain style setups often have a 1/4" outlet for the CO2 from the regulator. If you need plumbing parts to get the setup working they should be available locally.

 

[Ketso]

OK. Thanks a bunch to the both of you. I think I will buy it from him next time I see him. Wasnt necessarily planning on doing injected. But for $15, it can set on the shelf for awhile. Who knows what the future holds?

 

[Hoovercat]

Yea all you have to do now is keep your eye out for a tank. The 15# (i think) tanks used for fountain setups are easy to come by if larger than most people want to deal with. Then you buy a needle valve for $15-20 http://aquatic-store.com/en-us/dept_31.html and you have enough equipment to do a effective if not advanced injection setup.

I have a "inherited" 20# tank that I use on a 75 and a 55 through a splitter and only refill every 12-18 months so personally I like the big tank but it won't fit under a tank stand.

 

[Sidi]

As long as it's a sensitive enough regulator, go for it. They're not cheap new, and they'll last (almost) forever. A good regulator will make tuning your CO2 very easy. The decent ones in the sciences are often $100-200 new.