# Look what I bought



## 65galhex (Nov 5, 2008)

So I have decided to buy a CO2 system for my tank. I just feel it will benefit me more than not having it. I bought this:

http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/prod...amp;pcatid=9935

Other than the actual CO2 tank itself, what else do I need? Does anyone have any experience with this system? or any suggestions or anything? Thanks all.


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## Piranha Guru (Nov 24, 2005)

65galhex said:


> So I have decided to buy a CO2 system for my tank. I just feel it will benefit me more than not having it. I bought this:
> 
> http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/prod...amp;pcatid=9935
> 
> Other than the actual CO2 tank itself, what else do I need? Does anyone have any experience with this system? or any suggestions or anything? Thanks all.


I bought that system years ago for my first planted tank and it is still going strong. I would replace the glass CO2 diffuser with the Reactor 500. IME it is much more efficient.


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## 65galhex (Nov 5, 2008)

Very nice....thanks for the heads up! I am glad to hear this setup is good. Any recommendations on where to get a CO2 tank?


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## Piranha Guru (Nov 24, 2005)

65galhex said:


> Very nice....thanks for the heads up! I am glad to hear this setup is good. Any recommendations on where to get a CO2 tank?


The easiest and often cheapest thing to do is figure out the best place to get one filled and buy one from them. I go to a gas supply company that only charges about $12 to fill a 10lb tank. It is steel and not as "pretty" as an aluminum tank (much cheaper too), but nobody really sees it in the tank stand.







Another plus of doing that is they also recondition tanks when they "expire" by law.


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## 65galhex (Nov 5, 2008)

ahh good call! What is a good setup in terms of how many bubbles per minute, etc? do you have any recommendations for the setup itself?


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## Piranha Guru (Nov 24, 2005)

65galhex said:


> ahh good call! What is a good setup in terms of how many bubbles per minute, etc? do you have any recommendations for the setup itself?


I like to start around 60 bpm or 1 bubble per second and adjust from there...it really depends on your lighting, plantload, and water parameters. The regulator itself is pretty easy to use...all you have to adjust is the needle valve until it gives you the proper bubble rate.


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## 65galhex (Nov 5, 2008)

ok cool. sounds pretty simple. This is going to be another dumb question, but is there a test where I can guage whether I should increase or decrease the bpm?


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## T-wag (May 21, 2009)

man where do i learn how to use and set up one of these lol....sounds really confusing


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## Piranha Guru (Nov 24, 2005)

65galhex said:


> ok cool. sounds pretty simple. This is going to be another dumb question, but is there a test where I can guage whether I should increase or decrease the bpm?


If you want to measure your CO2 levels, you need to know your kH and pH (there's a table somewhere) and/or use a drop checker. I usually just read my plants (and fish...set it too high and they gasp at the surface).


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## 65galhex (Nov 5, 2008)

So the glass diffuser that came with the setup is garbage so what I did is I put the airline tube into the intake of my canninster filter. Is this okay? Will I see tiny bubbles come out the out take tube? or should I go back to the glass diffuser for now?


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## Murphy18 (Oct 17, 2008)

I dont really see how a difuser can be garbage, what i do is but the diffuser near the filter intake. Never had a problem doing this. But i can tell you that i have tried without a diffuser once and i got an airlock in my filter. Nothing a littlle shaking couldn't handle though.


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## 65galhex (Nov 5, 2008)

I just feel as if the bubbles are too big and they just float to the surface. And I put them next to the filter intake as well and they didn't even get sucked in.


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## roccov12345 (Sep 26, 2008)

I have the same setup now for 2 years. Works like a charm!


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