Maxwell Posted May 27, 2012 Report Share Posted May 27, 2012 55 Gallon 3x54W HOT5 1-Wide Spectrum 1-6700K 1_10000K Eheim 2213 5lb CO2 Milwaukee Regulator & Needle Valve I introduced CO2 10 days ago but ran dry 8 days later. Probable reason is that some leakage happened on setup & had a wide open needle valve at different times.. Was considering trading up to a 10 lb until they told me the difference in Tanks and prices.. I paid $137 filled price on the 5 lb. They wanted an additional $162 for the 10 lb aluminum tank with my trade in. Does that sound reasonable? I ask because the guy that works the Dock estimated an additional $40 for the larger Tank but was given a different story at the order desk. Anyway this dockman tells me that you only get useage of about 3.5 lbs on the 5'er and about 8 lbs on the 10. I came home with a filled 5 pounder.. No blowoffs or leaks this time. I've set the needle valve to get about 1 bubble a second and will work with this as long as the CO2 indicator shows green I'm hoping I get a couple of months out of this tank..whats your experience with this kind of bubble rate? Is anyone running the T2 lighting? Only one U.S. supplier has these lights that I can tell. They promote them as the next generation aquarium light even more efficient than the HOT5 At 1/4"D they only come in 5 inch links. They have fusible links.Pretty decent price too. Here's a link to that supplier in case your're interested http://americanaquariumproducts.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blink Posted May 27, 2012 Report Share Posted May 27, 2012 I haven't used a 5lb but I'd say you have a pretty serious leak if you only got 8 days put of it, every account I've read says a 5lb should be at least a month. Do you mind mentioning where you got your tank, they sound like a place I'd like to avoid lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted May 27, 2012 Report Share Posted May 27, 2012 I used to get almost 2 months out of a paintball canister and 13months+ from a 10lb running at 3-5 bubbles/sec Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxwell Posted May 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2012 I haven't used a 5lb but I'd say you have a pretty serious leak if you only got 8 days put of it, every account I've read says a 5lb should be at least a month. Do you mind mentioning where you got your tank, they sound like a place I'd like to avoid lol OxyPro on 53 Ave..Are these the only guys in town. New regulator..no leaks evident on a soap test Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckmullin Posted May 27, 2012 Report Share Posted May 27, 2012 http://www.jlaquatics.com/product/cr-p10lbc/Aluminum+CO2+Cylinder+-+10+Pound.html $300...they are taking you as a sucker. (with all due respect) return it and get your money back. cause a stink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisher Posted May 27, 2012 Report Share Posted May 27, 2012 (edited) Was considering trading up to a 10 lb until they told me the difference in Tanks and prices.. I paid $137 filled price on the 5 lb. They wanted an additional $162 for the 10 lb aluminum tank with my trade in. Does that sound reasonable? Is anyone running the T2 lighting? Here's a link to that supplier in case your're interested http://americanaquariumproducts.com/ I only looked at tanks once. The difference between buying 5# and 10# aluminum was around $50, maybe a bit less. But, admittedly, I haven't ever checked what trade-in upgrades cost. So without some empirical trade-in comparisons, it's hard to make a reasonable value judgement. One reason the trade-in price might seem expensive, is because the 5# tank you have is steel and not aluminum. edit: thanks for the T2 link! edit#2: J&L doesn't accept trade-ins on expended tanks. They will issue a credit only if the tank has a mechanical problem -or- if you return the tank in the same condition as purchased. Edited May 27, 2012 by Fisher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremoose Posted May 28, 2012 Report Share Posted May 28, 2012 (edited) That price for a 10 pound sounds insane.. I paid 150$ for a 20 pound filled! Edited May 28, 2012 by jeremoose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blink Posted May 28, 2012 Report Share Posted May 28, 2012 I haven't used a 5lb but I'd say you have a pretty serious leak if you only got 8 days put of it, every account I've read says a 5lb should be at least a month. Do you mind mentioning where you got your tank, they sound like a place I'd like to avoid lol OxyPro on 53 Ave..Are these the only guys in town. New regulator..no leaks evident on a soap test Try praxair, linde, air liquide, advanced industrial supply. I'll probably be going to ais as that's where my employer gets our gas. Will post on my experiences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckmullin Posted May 28, 2012 Report Share Posted May 28, 2012 oxypro's price is the same in calgary as edmonton. 10 pd steel 169 while al is 199. i bought a setup from a member on aa however I was originally going to purchase from jlaquatics.com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishTankBoy Posted May 28, 2012 Report Share Posted May 28, 2012 A 10 lbs co2 lasts my 90 gallon for over a year. I am running an electronic solenoid with a Milwaukee PH controller though. Do you have a solenoid on your setup? When you installed the regulator to the aluminum tank, did you use a permaseal or a new nylon washer? Also use teflon tape when attaching the regulator components together? Tell us about your full setup. What items are inline after the needle valve (e.g., Needle Valve --> Bubble counter --> check valve --> Reactor). Or, you can spray some soapy water all along the line to see where the leak is coming from. I would suggest that you just keep the 5lbs bottle as it should last you at least 8 to 14 months. If you run the electric solenoid on a timer, have it turn on 2 hours before lights on and 1 hour before lights off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishTankBoy Posted May 28, 2012 Report Share Posted May 28, 2012 (edited) Whoops just read that you did a soap test. You still have a leak somewhere. Try running vegetable oil in the bubble counter, it gives you a better picture of how many bubbles per second. As for the light, why not go with LED technology? Or you can retro-fit your existing HOT5 with new bulbs. Edited May 28, 2012 by FishTankBoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxwell Posted May 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 29, 2012 I have the Milwaukee setup from J&L. See their website. Cheap, but good enough, time will tell.. Not using a reactor, output goes throught my water intake on my Eheim 2213.. Think I'm getting pretty good disolution. Set my bubble counter to about 1bps. Rather than go the timer route I just throttle back the needle valve a bit after the lighting goes out on a 12 hr cycle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisher Posted May 29, 2012 Report Share Posted May 29, 2012 Not using a reactor, output goes throught my water intake on my Eheim 2213.. Think I'm getting pretty good disolution. Say, does routing your co2 through your canister make the impeller chatter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckmullin Posted May 29, 2012 Report Share Posted May 29, 2012 Not using a reactor, output goes throught my water intake on my Eheim 2213.. Think I'm getting pretty good disolution. Say, does routing your co2 through your canister make the impeller chatter? I do the exact same thing and no it does not make a peep. The little bubble is broken up long time before it even reaches the impeller. At least in my fluval canister setup, i have close to 4 feet of ribbed tubing which it must travel even before going into the canister. However when the bubble leaves the airline tubing and first enters the filter intake, there is a very subtle sound but I need to have my ear almost against the glass to hear it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxwell Posted May 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 29, 2012 Did a more extensive leak test on the regulato and found a leak on the thread of the high pressure gauge. Phoned J&L and they said remove the gauge and apply some teflon tape. Once I performed that simple operation, the leak was fixed. You wouldn't think that a manufacture instal would be faulty? Oh well that made my day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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