Plantman Posted March 31, 2005 Report Share Posted March 31, 2005 Hi All has any one seem the sale of CO2 regulator in traeme? http://www.trademe.co.nz/Lifestyle/Pets ... 794048.htm some of you hobbyists are current using it. Anyone care to made any comments in the area of: price, reliability, practicality and effectiveness? or any things. i had personally use this CO2 regulator before and find it more reliable than DIY CO2 in term of control. are you willing to pay $550 for this precesion equipment? any where else might be cheaper? i am current negotiating with a overseas supplier to bring in such an item (complying to the standard of usage in NZ of course). i am not sure about the cost yet but like to know what the member of this forum thinks. thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edmondsng Posted April 3, 2005 Report Share Posted April 3, 2005 There is an aqua-medic distributor in Leigh. And he can get you a cheaper regulator with integrated needle valve, bubble counter, and a 350g cylinder for $323. His name is Barry Torkington. The problem with him is half the time he is in US but he is a very nice guy. Check out the website www.aqua-medic.de look him up under dealers section. He is still in America at the moment and should return in 2-3 weeks time. By the way what kind of gravel do you use in you planted tank. Hope this help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantman Posted April 3, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2005 There is an aqua-medic distributor in Leigh. And he can get you a cheaper regulator with integrated needle valve, bubble counter, and a 350g cylinder for $323. His name is Barry Torkington. The problem with him is half the time he is in US but he is a very nice guy. Check out the website www.aqua-medic.de look him up under dealers section. He is still in America at the moment and should return in 2-3 weeks time. By the way what kind of gravel do you use in you planted tank. Hope this help $323 is cheap. how much is 350 gram is litre. i though gas tank is meassure in litre. i think it is less than one litre of gas it can contain in the steel bottle. i guess it does not include the difuser or atomiser. the gravel i am using is normal one. Any interesting gravel to introduce me? thanks for the information. any one else like to made a fair comment? cheers i have look into the system Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DubbieBoy Posted April 4, 2005 Report Share Posted April 4, 2005 I am also using the Aqua-Medic CO2 gear and have been delighted with it. The kit includes an excellent reactor (requires pumped input) although the gas bottle is a little small (350g equates to about 500 ml I'd guess...). I use a solenoid to make the gas last (a lot longer). The equipment is well made, very unobtrusive, and I'd be happy to recommend it to anyone. But the proof of the pudding... The Aqua-Medic 350g bottle and regulator My 2ft (cube) planted tank This tank practically fizzes all evening! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiverJohn Posted April 4, 2005 Report Share Posted April 4, 2005 Hi Dubbie, Nice pics! Are those Cardinal Tetra's?? Did you see Cees' post?? http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/viewtopic.php?t=6146 You mention you added a solinoid to your system. Was it part of the kit? Some thing aftermarket? Some details would be appreciated :-) How much longer does the gas last now? John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Posted April 5, 2005 Report Share Posted April 5, 2005 I can build you a system the same (but slightly better) as the one on trademe for about $420. i know this because it is/was my auction It is all 100% approved NZ gas gear; no worrying about compliance, and will attach to standard NZ gas bottles. comes with solenoid, needle valve and reg and works like a dream. i can honestly say i will NEVER use yeast again, and with a 6.7kg bottle i will only have to get more gas about once every 2 years. anyone interested in just the solenoid unit i can get you one of those for about $140. (all prices include PnP, blah blah blah) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misnoma Posted April 5, 2005 Report Share Posted April 5, 2005 just out of interest. what's the price on a 6.5kg bottle/filling etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantman Posted April 5, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2005 It is all 100% approved NZ gas gear; no worrying about compliance, and will attach to standard NZ gas bottles. comes with solenoid, needle valve and reg and works like a dream. i can honestly say i will NEVER use yeast again, and with a 6.7kg bottle i will only have to get more gas about once every 2 years. (all prices include PnP, blah blah blah) Hi Dark no offence, i am trying to find out what is the best deal, money can buy. do you know how much is the cost of a CO2 6.7kg metal bottle? and yes, how much to fill it up with CO2? having the bottle, do i need to send it for inspection? Frequency and cost for doing the inspection. thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Posted April 5, 2005 Report Share Posted April 5, 2005 no offense taken - the system i have come up with is easy to construct, install, obtain, and because it can handle higher flow than the typical aquarium valve you can rig it to feed multiple tanks (probably well more than 200 tanks if you wanted) anyway... if you purchase a bottle it will cost you around $350 new. conversion of an old fire extinguisher will cost about $200, has the advantage of being cheaper and available in more size/shape options, but can be dodgey and not everyone will fill or test them testing costs about $50 - $100 depending on where you go, needs to be done every 5 years or less depending on the age of the bottle and the testers recommendations. filling of a 6.7kg bottle is around $30. hireage of a bottle: $10 per month, no testing costs ever, $30 fill. if you hire a bottle you will most likely (certainly with BOC) require a gas system that uses welding gear. and of course you need an account with BOC (easy to get if you are over 18 and have a clean credit record) (i believe the over 18 thing is government regulation regarding young people having high pressure gas bottles in their posession) apparently the only non-welding fittings that will be allowed to be owned tested or filled after 2007 will be the 9oz soda-stream style bottles, which are not compatible with the welding fittings. Most of the c02 systems i have seen; dupla, SERA, eheim etc. use fittings that will (in theory) become obsolete - note that because i have found what i consider to be a much better option i don't keep up with the market Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DubbieBoy Posted April 7, 2005 Report Share Posted April 7, 2005 Hi John, Yup, those are cardinals; big fat ones! I can try and take some pics for Cees I guess but they're awfully hard to photograph! They won't hold still and pose! Originally, when running the gas 24/7, I got exactly 6 weeks between fills. Since I put the solenoid on, about 10 weeks ago, there's been no sign of a pressure drop in the bottle (yet). I'd be hoping to get 12-15 weeks between fills now. The small size of the bottle makes up for the need to get a fill every few months IMO. Its very neat and easy to tuck away and I have nowhere to hide a large CO2 cylinder in my living room. The solenoid wasn't part of the kit although I did source it from the same place (Aqua-Medic, via Barry, $80) as I'm impressed with the quality and the price is not at all bad. These guys <http://www.valves.co.nz> did say they could get me something similar for $65ish. The valve has made a big difference and I haven't experienced any pH swings or other nastiness associated with switching the gas off at night. It just lasts a lot longer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted April 7, 2005 Report Share Posted April 7, 2005 CO2 pressure doesn't drop until the bottle is almost completely empty. Mine sits at 1000psi until about the last week and then it drops. It happily sits at 1000psi for just over 2 years before that though. It just keeps getting lighter... I put the same system together for my tank about 8-10 years ago. At the time it cost about $120 for the regulator, $60 for the solenoid and I made the needle valve. I rent the bottle as it works out only slightly cheaper to own one. It costs about $350 to buy on + about $100 every 5 years to have it tested, so $450 over 5 years. It costs $600 to rent one for 5 years and you don't have to pay for it up front... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantman Posted April 11, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 11, 2005 Hi Warren do you know where to buy a used CO2 cylinder? i have look around and could not find any where in NZ that sell a used one. you mention $350 (new) to buy one, what size cylinder are you refering? thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted April 11, 2005 Report Share Posted April 11, 2005 6.8kg, try BOC. This price was quoted quite some time ago... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantman Posted April 11, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 11, 2005 So Boc may have a used CO2 tank? any one else i can check? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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