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All sorted. Fixed a new solenoid inline after the broken one and up and running again :)

I did have the needle valve open wide :) The problem was something to do with the valve on top of the fire extinguisher which wasn't releasing properly when I opened the levers. I endeed up squeezing and unsqueezing quite a few times before eventually the cylinder pressure gauge started to...

Hello, been searching everywhere but can't find an answer to my problem. I have an azoo dual gauge regulator with the solenoid and needle valve attached. This is one of those 'preset' regulators and is about 5 years old. Noticed tonight the CO2 was still coming into the tank after the...

The 1ph drop is a generalised statement relating to near neutral Ph with a supposed KH that relates to that Ph. Aiming for a 1ph drop is a good starting point for most people. To explain in more detail the poster may as well say nothing other than 'Here's a linky to a ph/KH chart'. This is...

Don't forget that an external will outperform an internal of the same rating as they take much much longer to clog than internals.

Always best to do the large 5ltr first and dilute down for accuracy. You won't be left with wastage though. Save 100ml of it for future use and use the other 4.9 litres to make up your fert solutions or top ups etc.

I tested a bottle of 4dKH I bought in 2011 the other day (I have started using CO2 again.) Sailfert Pro KH kit showed it was still 4dKH. Gave it a darned good shake first though. lol

I always place it as close to the filter as possible on the outflow (inbetween filter and spraybar.) I would also put it on the better flow filter to help it diffuse better.

Quite true. A 'low light tank' with CO2 addition will outperform a 'low light tank' with CO2 in terms of growth. Whether you are after faster growth is a seperate question.

I never had a problem with the Boyu inline on the out take. Think George and Zig have used them with no problems too. Similar to the glass disc ones really I think it's just a variable of ceramics. The Boyu and Up inlines have a ceramic tube through them instead and the trick is to position...

No or at least not by any huge amount directly. Someone else will clarify but I would say the CO2 dropping the Ph lower will not mean the water is actually more acidic which 'could' erode any rock or hardscape within the tank more thus raising KH. Even if not true I would suggest it would be...

Plants can use carbonate but it is very inefficient and is a last resort for the plants. Will not provide enough to calm worries of algae either. Leonardite under the substrate Just to be cheeky there are loads of plants that can use carbonates as carbon source. Just that it is not ideal...

Clive beat me to it. I was going to say it's not CO2, it's O that improves clarity. Just letting the water ripple has the effect on clarity so as Clive says plants producing more O achieves this somewhat :)

Not really. EI is about add more and then you don't need to worry about whether there is enough or not. in reality many may get more into things and actually start to adjust things down. Most though will do EI as you read it in the guide and continue with that. They aren't interested in...

A long time ago now. For the setup I was using I ended up putting 1 teaspoon+400g sugar. bottles filled up with water and change 1 a week. This wasn't for 30ppm though. was probably closer to 20ppm. changing each bottle on different days of the week i.e. bottle 1 on tuesday, bottle 2 on...

I remember in the good old days of the nutrafin kit it was 3/4 teaspoon sugar max. They were only 500ml or so containers though if I remember rightly. A lot of the asian DIY'ers who make their own filters and lights seem to have very good results from slow burners. But then those guys seem...

exactly you should be making the mix weaker, to last longer and keep a more consistent level. a bubble counter should be used to stop the gunk getting to the diffuser as well. 20g yeast is a massive amount!!! I ended up using half a teaspoon I think and that would be something like 3 - 4g

Trying to 'turn off' DIY CO2 setups is asking for trouble. either in the mix firing up the line when you turn it up or a leak somewhere else. yeast mixes stink when they're going and there is a lot more pressure in those bottles than you would imagine. Don't know why someone above said that...

The PPS Pro method actually suggests 15ppm CO2 rather than 30ppm. However PPS Pro is a lean dosing regime. With those sort of regimes there is no room for error. If you are going to lean dose (incluing CO2 which is a nutrient) then you end having to micromanage. The idea of something like...

No plant needs 30ppm. That is us pushing as much in as we can to try and get some to the substrate. It may be 35ppm in the upper regions yet 8% at the substrate. As per post above. The CO2ppm is nothing to do with the plants needs. It is to do with the light and the speed of growth the...

Never had this problem with my Azoo regulator. I think it can be hit and miss though with the standard cheap regulators just as it can be for any problem. I've read of problems with the Azoo too but I've not (yet) encountered any.

Hello Billy Those Ph fluctuations are strange. Should be the other way round in that the ph lowers when Co2 is added. It is nothing to worry about as in 'ph crash' as it is unrelated to the KH in the tank. I would however expect the Ph to drop by 1ish with the CO2 on. Are these definitely...

Something amiss there. The CO2 'shouldn't steadily increase through the day unless you are putting too much into the system in the first place. CO2 is always fighting to escape by its very nature. If you are struggling to reach a level at lights on yet it is rising during the day then...

Indeed CO2 will always fluctuate but when we are aiming at an average* 30ppm we are making CO2 unlimited. Like adding excess ferts so it doesn't matter if it fluctuates as long as the average is over X. The Ph controller will not know what how much the CO2 is affecting the Ph drop and so...

I know you weren't suggesting this but the info linked to contained a suggestion to so. Like I said earlier. If it is 1mm different diameter to the FE then it ain't a disposable. They are closer to a diameter of 12mm AC

Takes a while to be sure. I paid on 28th Feb and am about to go into dispute over it cos ebay says I haven't paid for it (paid it all in one after confirming) and the seller does not respond to any e-mails either from within ebay nor from outlook!!! Got his phone number so I'm calling him...

We've been talking about people using PTFE tape on their regs recently because you're not supposed too!! Is yours a V1? maybe the V1 was a proprietry thread. The one on AE is a V2. If you bought it second hand maybe send TMC an e-mail asking what your options are for using it. AC

Many of us are using standard welding regs. I used to use the 'disposable' reg from WeldUK. I only use a super dopper special aquarium one now because I sold off the welding setup a year or 2 ago and I got this one complete with solenoid and needle3 valve for the same price as a welding reg...

You'll have to check the instructions that come with it for a 'thread size. Its definately not for disposable bottles (390/600g). The regs for them have connection threads a quarter of the diameter Post up what it says there and someone in the know can detail :) Hope its not a US thread :( AC

Lol. 2kg FE's are being sold by someone at 99p+£13 shipping on ebay. No idea if they are full or not but still a saving. I got a brand new and unused Azoo regulator with solenoid and needle valve on an auction (private seller) for £34.60 The rest (hose, DC, Bubble counter, NRV, ) were...

Yep thats what I did when I first bought the WeldUK one way back (dual on elike you link to.) They told me I needed the adaptor to fit the CO2 hose so I bought it. Then found the needle valve would screw straight into the whole anyway. I guess me being a little vague with them and not knowing...

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_a ... t_in_tilex Seeing as Tilex is US and hard to buy in the UK then the answer above may help us a little more :) And can be bought here (still looking for cheaper options.lol) http://www.bonnymans.co.uk/products/pro ... uctID=6163 Is this not the same...

Lol at the retailer there. The shipping weight gives away that the price is for a case. Maybe 6 but the others seem to ship in 9s. Tom - Which version of the Tilex do you use? Is it the one above as there are a few different versions. Not sure the daily shower cleaner is going to do the...

Got the total down to £66.98 including a 2kg FE now :) (That also includes shipping. lol) That includes reg, solenoid, needle valve, NRV, Bubble counter, FE, diffuser, hose and DC. Even surprised myself this time. AC

I've used your picture here Sam to show where the PTFE is not be used. The 'can be used' one is based on what I have read up on. apparently it is a different type of thread there. AC

I have 55cm to play with in my cabinet. Gonna have to route the base to make it fit the 50cm 2kg as it is. lol Otherwise would've been cool. AC

I think the aquatic magic and HSL are rebranded UP ones or maybe all three are rebranded JBJ ones. They just replace the sticker in the centre. The Solenoid problem comes up often in the searches on all of the above. Some say it needed replacing after a month :) That needle valve is the one...

Yeah I am looking at the Asian ones but some of them (namely the UP and HSL have some pretty scathing reviews on teh forums regarding the solenoids. I am having to weigh up the 'moan factor' as well because we all know there will be many more bad reviews than good reviews no matter what...

I'll put them into the equation then. Although they are cheap and I do like their needle valve I am sourcing a little cheaper at the mo :) AC

Dan -The link in the first post and those above explain the reasoning. The threads that you use Teflon tape on are tapered in that they decrease in diameter the further you go down the thread. Like a wedge if you like. So the further in ti goes the harder it is to tighten. PTFE tape is not a...

I've been digging around the forum (and others) gauging the quality and opinions/reviews on various regulators and setups etc. I'm not a first time user of pressurised BTW. I sold my last one about 18 months ago, however am sourcing a new setup at the moment. Off the topic of parts really but...

Oh I had one before and I've used several of their needle valves. I find them much better than others. I'll send them a message. Just wondered if anyone had recent knowledge :) Thanks for the reply AC

Hello guys I know Lunapet (Aquarianversand) setups used to supply a full cylinder with their sets. Is this still the case or are they now empty (maybe due to newer restrictions etc)? Anyone bought one recently? Regards AC

Re: This can happen on any single stage regulator which will cover most of them that we use. Seems to be a bit hit and miss r.e. if you have the problem or not. I never had a problem on a £30 welding regulator!! Big discussion on the merits of dual stage regulators on barrreport over the...

Not been in the CO2 forum for a while but I was doing mine at the same time as Purigen every 2-3 months. At a fiver each I had 2 and just 'swapped' them over. I had 2 purigen bags too and kept the newly cleaned one in a dark DI water filled box in a dark cupboard until the next change to stop...

mp3 case armband matey. 99p on the market. Use the case or throw it away. AC

Quite correct. Dennerle decided in their wisdom to force people who choose dennerle disposable setups to have to use their own thread. Their regulator will not work with any other cannisters. I have used the same as in the picture before with no problems :) The simple answer to the original...

It should do if you are using the same regulator :) AC

When you buy those solenoids seperate they are normally sold with hose connectors at both sides. Meaning they are made to fit inline. Some people remove the input hosetail and screw it into the regulator. I have mine inline. AC

There is BOC, Instagas, Gas products. many more, check your yellow pages :)

Any CO2 bottle has the potential to do as you say but that is a very very very rare occurrence. Think of a balloon. It stays still unless you let the gas out very quickly at which point it flies around the room. It is quite hard to do the same to a cannister. AC

Yes I meant 20 days. I saw and edited it. Then I saw the next post. lol ;) Is it a disposable bottle setup or refillable. If the latter then you can go the fire extinguisher route. or hire a big BOC bottle. You pay something like £1.50 a month rental and then just pay for refills. AC

As a guide 600g lasts about 80 days on my 125ltr which would make around 66days for 500g. Would be around 20 days on a 400litre I calculate so not that far off. Not ideal to run small bottles on larger tanks :) AC

Think simply: If your tap water was 7.4ph, tank water 7.2ph and you dosed EI then did your 50% water chane at the end of the photoperiod where the Ph is 6.2-6.4ish then the water change will immediately drive the Ph up very quickly. For me within 10 minutes. During that time I have the filter...

you could always heat up the hose and push it into the attachment thatis there. That is a push fit welding connection. AC

Sam that is the same manufacturer as mine although mine is a dual gauge. The screwed in part there I unscrewed and the Lunapet needle valve screwed straight into the hole. Can't say this is the case for sure with yours as mine had a hole front and back. 1 was smaller and 1 larger. the larger...

From what I gather if you buy Dennerle regulators you have to use Dennerle bottles. AFAIK all the others can use welding canisters either straight on or with an adaptor nut. The reason being the only difference with the others is that the actual thread may be a slightly different taper/gauge...

The cheapest I have found are Welder's Warehouse and Wilstar Marketing. Halfords have gone up to £17 each but still useful for an emergency :) All the threads are identical except for one selfish manufacturer. Dennerle decided to use their own thread which requires the Dennerle regulator to...

If you have doubts over your own 4dKH then making the others you would also have doubts :) This is easy to do with homemade or bought. For example take 250ml of 4dKH (Homemade or bought) Add another 250ml of DI. You now have 1 litre of 2dKH which 'should' show the 'usual' green at 15ppm...

I think this was the initial cause of all the disagreements. It started off at X amount and then people started talking about moisture and someone changed it to a lesser weight and baked the Bicarb without taking into account the reaction. I think it was 5.999 something that was eventually...

Do you have some API test tubes or similar? If so I shall weigh how much bicarb goes to the top of the 5ml line for you :) DI water is available in Tesco, Wilko, Boyes, Halfords. etc AC

The disposable ones will read approx 60bar when connected up to the reg. It will remain at 60bar until it is very nearly empty. This is because inside the cylinder is liquid. It turns into gas in any area that is not liquid. This of course is at the top which is why you stand the cylinders...

I recently had my CO2 split and found that the levels to each diffuser were a little inconsistent. I put this down to differing back pressures of the diffusers!!! As most of us will know from practice when we clean the diffuser and then reconnect the bubble rate can be slightly higher for a...

For the sake of a fiver 'possibly wasted' if you have a steady hand you could use a 12mm drill bit and widen the 8mm inner diameter ;) Or you could pay me to do it :lol: I have 2 for sale which are currently the standard 8mm (I think) standard untouched diameter. AC

It will reduce flow for any piping. The internal entry and exit is 8mm if I remember correctly therefore with it being a smaller diameter than the hose that goes over it flow reduction occurs. Same as anything that you put inline. Unless the entry/exit and internal diameter is equal to or...

My first disaster which was when the whole tank dumped killed off all my fish and shrimp. I thought it had killed off all the MTS snails too!!! However a little while into emptying carcasses into a bucket I noticed that there were 'dead' snails climbing the bucket walls. Much higher...

I used to use DIY on my Rhinox 2000 but then I had 2 Nutrafins and a 2Ltr linked up to it ;) I agree with London. 1 won't work AC

I have 2 in my cupboard not being used :) I found that they work quite well but not with my setup of having the lily pipe at the surface nor the very high turnover I am using. I think Zig found the same thing until he changed to the ADA jet pipe. You need to find a method to inject the...

You'll probably find that it is preset to release 2 bar. There may be a screw which adjusts this behind the green badge on the front. Shouldn't need to touch it though, just use the needle valve to open and close. don't close the needle valve tight or it will be damaged. If a little gas...

I have 2 of the ones that London has linked to above and also a Rhinox2000. I can't tell the difference really. I do need to adjust the bubble rate for each one though. I guess they must have lightly more or less resistance (back pressure) than each other!!! I have used the inline and...

My answer is no............I aerate during lights on and lights off 24/7 :) I have a fair amount of water turbulence and up the injection a little to compensate AC

I used to use DIY through a Rhinox 2000 so I would've thought there would be no probs with a Nano. AC

While I am not working I have the 'luxury' of monitoring the bottle emptying and can adjust it as it gets to 0. While I was working a dodgy needle valve released a whole 600g into the tank in one day. Urine coloured DC and all dead livestock (except for the MTS) of course. I feel for you and...

From Tom Barr's research with his CO2 gas reading equipment I would say no. He found up to 100ppm close to the source of CO2 (diffuser) and as low as 10ppm further away. If too high CO2 were a problem then I assume the plants closest to the diffuser would struggle which as far as our tanks...

I don't measure the 4dKH I put the 2 drops in and then 4dKH until halfway up the 'bulb' AC

I tend to put 2 drops of ph reagent in first and then fill until the bulb is half full with 4dKH. The colouration differences could be looked at 2 ways 1 - Adding more gives exactly the same colour just darker 2 - Adding more dilutes the 4dKH more making it less accurate Either way I tend to...

Tom Barr had some links for this sort of setup. There was a great pic on there of a marine one where the water looked white rather than clear from the mist :) lol. I think it was this pic using this 'mesh' wheel (I actually know it was these because I posted them into the thread. lol: AC

I did an internal one too. The powerhead I used was the maxijet MP400 and I put holes in the impellor blade. I found having the diffuser underneath it worked much better than feeding the line into the intake. Worked quite well but not as well as having the Boyu 'external' joined to the...

I have the aquarianversand/Lunapet solenoid and needle valve on my setup. I can't say that I hear any noise from the solenoid!!! I only got the needle valve after the second hand one I had off ebay failed and gassed my fish right at the beginning :) Probably someone had closed it fully and...

lime green is the colour of a lime's skin. Limeade (which is what I aim for) is similar to the UKaps icon in the tab at the top of the screen :) or like a bottle of limeade colour. AC

If it wasn't working before then either nutrient or CO2 wasn't enough for the light provided. You can back off the light and then reduce the CO2/nutrient but then when/if you increase the light again you are at the same crossroads!!! AC

I would just leave the CO2 high, double the nutrients and leave the lights. Let the nutrients do the job for a couple of weeks if that was indeed the defficiency and then after everything is cured think about backing off the CO2/nutrients a little until you are happy with the levels. AC

Maybe playing with fire a little with my limited science knowledge but: The way I see it if light is the limiting factor then you already had your limit set. Unless you increased your light and the CO2 was already circulating well and keeping the DC light green / yellow in several areas around...

Garuf - What you suggest in your second post sounds feasible but then we aren't talking about CO2 being too high, rather nutrients being too low!! Seeing as you are fishless you could double, triple your nutrient dosing to match the CO2 input and plants additional requirement and see if that...

This is true in a way but not the whole truth. Even with no diffuser the bubble that shoots to the surface will diffuse a little on it's way. We try and reduce this big bubble to microbubbles as they don't rise as quickly and are easier to hold in the water for longer. Ladder diffusers have...

I would speculate that under the same flow conditions that a tank using liquid CO2 like EasyCarbo/Excel would fare almost exactly the same as injecting Co2 from a bottle. You would need to measure it somehow though to ensure you had the same C supply with each. With the non CO2 method I used...

because the natural amount of CO2 that passes into the water and stays there is in the region of 3-5ppm (maybe slightly wrong) and therefore we add more to try and maintain a higher amount. This is why to keep stable in non CO2 setups water changes can be a bad thing (CO2 wise) because the tap...

No need to worry about it. Just push it up. AC

I'm with Sam. I think they put the 'recommended tank size' label on them to tempt people towards the larger ones and make a little more cash. To get the 'full disc' output you see in the adverts is easier with smaller diffusers than they state. I personally think they are pushing 10-15bps...

My Aquarianversand needle valve screwed straight into the front of my reg although it is a welding reg. I had this problem with a second hand needle valve I first bought but not this one thank god. lol AC

It's not so much the fire extinguisher lasts longer etc. The fire extinguisher has more in it of course and is not labelled aquarium so costs less. The advantages of sourcing your own components compared to buying a kit is that firstly it is much cheaper. Secondly you rarely get the best...

Having battled with my large plantmass for a period of a month or more I tried many combinations of inlets and outlets, inline diffusers, glass diffusers, needlewheels etc. In the ned what seemed to sort it once and for all was MORE surface turbulence!!!! and the Koralia1 wacking up the...

When I was working at a welders earlier this year the 25kg bottles were at that kind of pressure. AC

It may be a carbon source but it doesn't seem to have the ingredient we assume causes the algae killing side effect. AC

No the solenoid, needle valve and regulator are seperate items. The Aquatic Magic setup has put them together for you with the 'added bonus' of the bubble counter as well. Most of us buy them as seperates and then choose whether to join the solenoid or put it inline. inline needle valves are...

If its not the check valve, then I would assume it is either: the regulator/solenoid/needle valve combination has sprung a leak somewhere!!! Can't see it being the hose unless you've put a hole in it somewhere in which case you would see something. The more likely since your bubble counter...

It just helps people to know who is close to who. Then someone local can give more detailed advice on things applicable to the local area i.e. water hardness, LFSs etc. FYI I live about ¼-½ mile along the road from the Aquarium!!!! I always give the aquarium a good word on forums because...

Luke. why don't you put your location in your profile and then those of us in your area know there is someone local etc. AC

That would not help as it would still let the bubble counter empty but then not let anything back so you would have to fill it up each day!!! AC

Tennis the way you are saying that it is out of water during the day and full again by night would imply there is some sort of expulsion/suction going on. I've never experienced this so I wouldn't like to hazard a guess at a cause!! AC