Your current Fish tank Setups!

Soldato
Joined
16 Jan 2010
Posts
8,529
Location
Cumbria
This isn't always a good idea. Rimless tanks usually use thicker glass to stay stay swu

And you don't really need to use carbon on freshwater tanks. Peat in the filter is good for the fish though, especially in the UK where we have very hard water. It will tan the water a bit though.

Carbon will take that yellow tint away in the water, we all want clear water carbon job done :)
 
Soldato
Joined
22 Nov 2006
Posts
23,299
Carbon will take that yellow tint away in the water, we all want clear water carbon job done :)

But then your removing the tanin which is the healthy stuff :(

With the right lighting it also looks really good with a warm golden hue. It's really good at killing fungus as well.
 
Last edited:
Soldato
Joined
9 Mar 2003
Posts
14,056
60%-70% of the cost is the regulator and its also the most important piece. Bubble counters and diffuses are peanuts in comparison. The regulator is taking highly pressurised gas down to an safe (adjustable) working pressure followed by a valve that takes the flow down to a trickle being let out of the bottle.

I'd say go and buy a cheap one off Ali Express but if that thing lets go in your house it will be a bad time, seriously. Also cheap regulators are not dual stage, single stage regulators often suffer from releasing all the remaining gas in the tank when the pressure gets too low and will kill all your fish (often refereed to as 'end of tank dump'). A cheap regulator on ebay etc. will not be dual stage even if it says so in the description.

Buy cheap, buy twice. I guess comparisons can be drawn with buying a quality PSU for your PC.
 
Caporegime
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
25,289
Location
Lake District
60%-70% of the cost is the regulator and its also the most important piece. Bubble counters and diffuses are peanuts in comparison. The regulator is taking highly pressurised gas down to an safe (adjustable) working pressure followed by a valve that takes the flow down to a trickle being let out of the bottle.

I'd say go and buy a cheap one off Ali Express but if that thing lets go in your house it will be a bad time, seriously. Also cheap regulators are not dual stage, single stage regulators often suffer from releasing all the remaining gas in the tank when the pressure gets too low and will kill all your fish (often refereed to as 'end of tank dump'). A cheap regulator on ebay etc. will not be dual stage even if it says so in the description.

Buy cheap, buy twice. I guess comparisons can be drawn with buying a quality PSU for your PC.
Thanks for making that very clear!
 
Soldato
Joined
9 Mar 2003
Posts
14,056
No problem, a quality regulator should last years and years. You’ll probably only ever need to buy one.

It is possible to hook up more than one tank to a regulator using a multi way needle valve.
 
Soldato
Joined
22 Nov 2006
Posts
23,299
60%-70% of the cost is the regulator and its also the most important piece. Bubble counters and diffuses are peanuts in comparison. The regulator is taking highly pressurised gas down to an safe (adjustable) working pressure followed by a valve that takes the flow down to a trickle being let out of the bottle.

I'd say go and buy a cheap one off Ali Express but if that thing lets go in your house it will be a bad time, seriously. Also cheap regulators are not dual stage, single stage regulators often suffer from releasing all the remaining gas in the tank when the pressure gets too low and will kill all your fish (often refereed to as 'end of tank dump'). A cheap regulator on ebay etc. will not be dual stage even if it says so in the description.

Buy cheap, buy twice. I guess comparisons can be drawn with buying a quality PSU for your PC.

Yep, compressed gas can be lethal so never go cheap and Chinese with this stuff.

I know a guy who screwed up while filling a diving cylinder, it flipped round and shot up through the roof, then kept going like a missile. They never found it lol
 
Caporegime
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
25,289
Location
Lake District
I'm trying to work out what the current co2 level in the tank is by using a pH and kh test and using this chart.



But I'm only seeing 2kh at 7.2ph even right after adding the liquid co2 I currently use.
 
Soldato
Joined
9 Mar 2003
Posts
14,056
‘Liquid CO2’ isn’t actually CO2. I don’t think that would work as it’s based off the amount of carbonic acid (actual CO2) in the water.

Those liquids do increase the amount of available carbon in the water but carbon can take many other forms. How efficient the take up of other forms of carbon depends on the plant if then can even take it up at all. Those liquids also break down pretty quickly in the water hence the daily dosing.
 
Soldato
Joined
9 Mar 2003
Posts
14,056
Not really (IMO of course), they come with some significant downsides:

They don’t get as much CO2 into the water
You still have to ‘dose’ most days
Diffusers are huge and pretty ugly
Refills are expensive and could only ever be cost effective on a small tank.

The ones based off the small disposable CO2 capsules used in things like air guns are better but:
They are expensive (not much cheaper than a proper system).
You can’t use a solenoid so the gas runs 24/7
Gas is still pretty expensive.

There are yeast based systems but again they have drawbacks. The gas supply isn’t particularly stable which can cause issues but they are cheap. You can DIY it or buy a commercial product. The commercial products (aquaria do one) are more stable but still not consistent and you can’t turn them off. Not really recommended for long term use, I’d just rather dim the lights and grow easier plants.

To save some cash lots of people get CO2 fire extinguishers as the gas supply. They can be very inexpensive and last a long time but you still need to buy a decent regulator.
 
Soldato
Joined
12 Dec 2004
Posts
3,233
Location
the south
I used to use a co2 fire extinguisher with a 2 stage regulator, is by far the cheapest option out there. The important thing is to get a really good quality solinoid to control gas release.

I went through a few cheap ones which didn't shut off properly before getting a good one which worked fine.

Another thing about co2 extinguishers is by law they have to dispose of them after a certain number of years, can't remember how many but you can often get them for cheap if you contact a local service man.
 
Soldato
Joined
9 Mar 2003
Posts
14,056
I assume this would be fine to use? It states co2, but what would the fitting be for the regulator?

https://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs...egoryId=318455&productId=217424&storeId=10001

It look like the same type of bottle that comes with the JBL kit.

https://www.swelluk.com/jbl-u401-co...K4WRSLr9-hZrte_mebwAtTpNwyLNs-8hoCfU8QAvD_BwE

You Still need a proper regulator and solenoid so it’s pointless investing in those systems because the refills are so expensive and the set up cost is similar. There is no solenoid on the above kit.

You should also note that it’s more than I pay for a refill on a proper 3kg cylinder which is almost 6x the size. The 3kg cylinder is far more cost effective even after factoring in the bottle deposit (£50) for just a single fill. You can pick up CO2 fire extinguishers for not much more in eBay.

You should check if you have any stockists of Adams Gas in your local area. I get mine from a local filling station.

https://www.adamsgas.co.uk/product/...oponics-and-aquatic-plant-growth-refill-only/

How much light do you have on your tank and what tank is it? Most stock lights don’t really output enough to really warrant it (IMO).
 
Last edited:
Caporegime
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
25,289
Location
Lake District
Are dual stage regulators absolutely necessary?

Is an end of tank dump a real issue on the smaller 600g canisters? Why would CO2art sell single stage if there was a risk to fish?

Its a JEWEL 125 with the LED strips rather than the T5, adding liquid CO2 seems to have helped the plants a little, there is new growth and less algae.
 
Soldato
Joined
9 Apr 2007
Posts
13,451
Lost another guppy yesterday. They really don't live very long do they.
Going to stick some more panda cory on to replace the guppies I've lost maybe some more neons as well.
 
Soldato
Joined
9 Mar 2003
Posts
14,056
Are dual stage regulators absolutely necessary?

Is an end of tank dump a real issue on the smaller 600g canisters? Why would CO2art sell single stage if there was a risk to fish?

Its a JEWEL 125 with the LED strips rather than the T5, adding liquid CO2 seems to have helped the plants a little, there is new growth and less algae.

CO2Art only sell dual stage regulators, that’s where mine came from.

I don’t know if end of tank dump is a problem on smaller containers, I don’t see why it wouldn’t be. Given they are more expensive I’m not sure why you would want to go down that route. A 600g tank will not last long on a 125L.

Are they the Jewel LEDs or have you retrofit something else? How much wattage do they have?

Also what’s your photo period and what plants are you trying to grow? Does your tank get a lot of natural light?

Sorry for the 20 questions but it helps when trying to see what your set up is and what you are trying to do. A lack of CO2 may not be the source of your algae problems/lack of growth.
 
Caporegime
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
25,289
Location
Lake District
Jewel LEDs, set for 8 hours of light per day, 14w, tube is 590mm, one is a day bulb one is a natural bulb.

No natural light other than first thing in the morning, I have java fern which is struggling, Amazon sword, hottonia and some anubias.

The algae on the plants has reseeded a lot since dosing the liquid.

You're right about co2art only selling dual stage, I was looking late last night and was sure I was on that site but I was actually looking here https://www.co2supermarket.co.uk/co...id-magnetic-valve-horizontal-valves-p181.html
 
Back
Top Bottom