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Yes a regulator can be damaged by a fire extinguisher for the reasons you have given. As long as the CO2 rate through the regulator is slow the CO2 has time to vapourise in the syphon tube that is inside the fire extinguisher. If however the rate is too fast then you will get liquid CO2 in the...

The bees knees. This one is for very high flow rate filters/pumps as it has the bypass valve on it. I use the one that doesn't have the bypass valve and think it is a brilliant piece of kit. James

There are lots of posts around how to make your own 4dKH solution and how important it is to be accurate, but does it really matter? When you add a couple of mls to your drop checker and then add some drops of bromothymol blue you are in effect diluting the 4dKH solution. I've seen it...

They don't put any warnings on the label as by law they don't have to. Would you buy an aquarium product if it had these warnings which I've taken from the MSDS for aqueous glutaraldehyde? James

Doesn't sound too good Paulo. If you don't mind I'd be interested in hearing what your doctors says about it. I noticed that in the link provided in this discussion - Is this guy bonkers?! - Tom Barr says this about gluteraldehyde/Excel, Easy Carbo etc. James

Not that I'm aware of. CO2 is so much better than Excel, etc anyway. James

Once added to the aquarium the liquid carbons have a half life of about 6 hours. This means that after 6 hours there is 50% the active ingredient left, after 12 hours there is 25%, etc. They also decompose in the bottle so you shouldn't keep them for long periods of time. Coming back to the...

They may not all fit as standard. JBL used to manufacture their regs slightly oversized so they couldn't be attached to a standard CO2 bottle. They have since stopped this and now manufacture them to a standard size. James

People even used to add soda water directly to their tanks. James

Ah, learn something (or two) everyday. I had the older JBL reg that had no adjustment and the pressure was set around 1.2 Bar. James

The low side pressure on JBL and many other aquarium regulator combos is fixed inside and cannot be changed. The only adjustment you can make is with the needle valve, that has been circled in the previous post, to change the bubble rate. Why do you want to change it? The setting it's at should...

TBH your CO2 usage seems about right for the bubble rate and the time it's on. I go through 6.5kg in about 4-5 months at around 3bps. These are large bubbles though so if you have a bubble counter with small bubbles it can make quite a difference. To save gas I'd go with turning it on 2 hours...

You've got exactly the same regulator as me. What you have circled is the safety release valve to gas off any CO2 when the pressure gets too high. From what you have described this looks to be exactly what has happened. The pressure shouldn't be as high as 1000psi. Mine runs around the...

:text-+1: James

Update on the regulator. Over the first couple of days I noticed the guage on the low pressure side slowly dropped down to about 2 bar so I had to increase it back up to ~3.5 bar. After doing this it has remained constant and possibly I shouldn't have changed it in the first place. After the...

Have just purchased one of these Azoo regulators off eBay and thought I'd share my view and experience with using it. The eBay seller is called goaqua88 and is based in Taiwan. This is the actual item - AZOO-CO2-Pressure-Regulator-With-Magnetic-Valve-plant. I paid £37.91 with £11.50 P&P...

Yes I would think this should work fine and the anti siphon valve is a necessity. There should be enough back pressure in the tubing going to the tank to force all the CO2 out through the open solenoid valve. Then when valve is closed all the CO2 would then go up the tube to the tank. TBH I...

Do you find it reduces flow? It amazes me that the Aquamedic 1000 comes with such small connectors that are designed for filters used on small tanks since they claim it's for tanks up to 2000 litres. I would have brought one of these if it weren't for this fact. Instead I had to buy one from...

Oh, yes you're right. I just presumed it was the same as mine. I actually got mine from Aquamas who I think no longer trade on Ebay but do have an online shop. This is the one I brought...

This is what I use and love it to bits - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CO2-boost-1000-Aussen-Reaktor-bis-1000-Liter-Aquarien_W0QQitemZ200399438118QQcmdZViewItemQQptZde_haus_garten_tierbedarf_fische?hash=item2ea8bcc126. Needs a fairly decent filter (as they all do) to prevent a build up of gas at the...

I like the 'just' a hospital or dental disinfectant. IMHO it is very nasty stuff even at the concentration that is supplied in the bottles and should be only used for short term use. For clearing up algae then ok but for a CO2 source I'd look into getting a CO2 system installed as it's much...

Put some tap water in a glass and leave 24 hours and then measure the pH again. It may already contain some CO2 which is why your tap pH is quite low. I take it your tap water is very soft. If it is and you are concerned about the low pH then just add a bit of potassium carbonate or baking soda...

Yes CO2 will attack rubber seals. Some people get away with it whilst others don't so you'll always get people saying 'I've done it for years without problem'. Keeping the seals well greased may help. I've been told that Eheim will invalidate your warranty if they see that you've pumped CO2...

It depends on the pressure in the tubing to how much CO2 is lost. If all you are doing is bubbling CO2 into a ladder style diffuser or external reactor then the pressure in the tubing will be very low and therefore CO2 loss will be virtually zero. But with a ceramic disc style diffuser then the...

Initially somebody calculated the amount incorrectly and it was a while until is was noticed. This is why you sometimes see the wrong amount in some old posts. The 6g that I use is the correct amount. You can use less water but the problem is that the accuracy is then reduced. If you have to...

This is how I make mine: Accurately weigh 6.0g of Sodium Bicarbonate and add to 5 litres of deionised water to make a 40dKH solution. Mix 100ml of the 40dKH solution with 900ml of deionised water to give you 1 litre of 4dKH reference solution. James

That is excellent service from JBL. I use a tiny bit of silicone grease on the o-rings to help prevent them getting damaged when attaching the regulator. James

That's probably not too bad. How fast do you bubble it in at? I use a 6.35kg pub bottle on my 200 litre tank which lasts about 4 months. James

Should be OK I'd thought. If it works as you want then no worries. James

The dial is showing the high pressure side of your regulator. In other words the pressure inside your CO2 bottle. A figure of around 60 bar is perfectly normal and is what it should be reading. As long as there is some liquid CO2 inside the bottle then your guage will read around 60 bar. Only...

It did take about a week for the o rings to arrive as they were posted from Germany. This is also why it is bad practice to inject CO2 directly into the filter inlet. It may work for a while but the chances are that your rubber seals may become damaged. James

JBL's customer care is top notch. I emailed them asking where it was it was possible to purchase the o rings. They responded by sending me four o rings free of charge. Try this email address which I got of their website - info@jbl.de James

Not quite sure why you are having such problems with splitters. I've been using this splitter from Aquatic Magic for a couple of years now without any problems. Has been exceptionally reliable for me and never needs any adjustment, unless of course I want to adjust bubble rate. One line goes...

As Andy metioned earlier it is best to use more KH solution and as few pH drops as you can to preserve accuracy. For every drop of pH solution you add you are diluting the KH solution making the results less accurate and making you think that you actually have more CO2 in your tank than is being...

That regulator is for an industrial size bottle and won't fit an aquarium/pub/fire extinguisher bottle. James

Having CO2 mist come in direct contact with the plants is definetly the best way to go. This is because you are bringing pure CO2 gas in direct contact to the leaves, so concentration wise it is many times higher in magnitude compared to the concentration of dissolved CO2 in water. It does...

Interesting. Never seen one like this before. It says it uses a swirl chamber to create a vortex. This explains why the inlet is at the top and comes in from the side. In theory sounds like a good idea. Shame they don't use a clear tube as it would be pretty cool to see in operation. James

I presumed it was the Aqua Medic 1000 reactor you had - http://www.aqua-medic.de/freshwater/en/2/reactor%201000/, but looking closely now I'm not so sure. This reactor is the one that is most commonly available in the UK and uses 12mm tubing connectors. Others, me included, have brought reactors...

The CO2 should be bubbling in at the bottom and the water flow should be in at the top and out at the bottom. James

Yep, adding CO3,HCO3 (KH) will raise the pH, so you can't add more KH without the pH rising as well. The problem is that CO3,HCO3 is a buffer and the more of this you have in the water the stronger the water is buffered. So when you add CO2 and try to lower the pH it becomes more difficult to do...

Graeme, where did you get this from? Increasing KH makes it harder for CO2 to dissolve in water, but saying that it's not that noticeable within the ranges that we are used to. Normally if you find it difficult to achieve higher CO2 levels it's because you've got too much water surface...

Yep you can do it. Take a look at the Team Onslaught from Robot Wars website for info on doing this - http://www.teamonslaught.fsnet.co.uk/co2_info.htm. James

Yes you can with no problems. Depending on your setup normal silicone tubing does leak a bit of CO2 gas depending on the pressure inside the tubing. Using a ladder diffuser will mean tiny amounts of CO2 escaping as the back pressure is low whereas using a ceramic diffuser will let some more CO2...

I'd say you've got it right with the water entering on the right and exiting on the left. Gas build up at the top is often a sign of using a filter that hasn't got a strong flow rate. James

When I looked into it a few of years ago I did manage to find a couple of places around the Dartford area but they would only refill FE's supplied by them and it wasn't that cheap either. I just went through the yellow pages and phoned up all the places I could find locally. Ended up getting a...

This is very strange, unless you have access to a special. As far as I'm aware Aqua Medic only do the one external CO2 reactor which is the Reactor 1000. On their website they even say it comes with 12mm hose connectors. http://www.aqua-medic.de/freshwater/en/2/reactor%201000/ James

As long as you've got decent flow going through the reactor you shouldn't have any problems with gas build up. I run mine on the outlet of an Eheim 2028 and it runs almost silently with no gas build-up at the top. The only faint noise is of the CO2 gas bubbling in from the inlet tube. If this is...

I would think that the more solution you had the longer it would take to reach equilibrium because of the extra CO2 that would have to be gained or lost. Also if the solution is kept in a ball type drop checker and you fill it to the top then the surafce area is going to be greatly reduced and...

I find the o-rings great. Had my JBL reg now for some years and have never had any leaks. Just apply a very small amount of silicone grease and do the nut up finger tight is all that is required. James

Maison Maurice - http://www.maisonmaurice.co.uk/ They will only refill their bottles so initially you have to buy the 6.35kg bottle which is a little bit expensive. Can't remember exactly how much now as it was a few years ago when I brought mine. Thereafter you just turn up and they take the...

Just look for your local soft drink / pub supplier as they normally have a CO2 bottle service and it's normally quite cheap. I've got one just up the road to me in Bexleyheath and they charge £15+VAT for a 6.35kg refill. Takes about 15 minutes from when I leave the house till I get back with...

This is a difficult one and I did somewhere write up an answer to it but I can't find it now. Done some searching around chemistry sites but can't find a nice easy answer to point to. From what I remember if you have a higher KH you also have a higher ph. This higher pH shifts the equilibrium...

That is correct. The higher your KH the more CO2 is required to achieve the same CO2 concentration as in a lower KH water. James

Quite simply, yes. It's also easier to plumb in if you have the reactor in a cupboard. James

The reactor is for a 1000 litre tank. I would be amazed if your filter is too powerful as I have a more powerful one and I'd say it was really only just powerful enough to work the reactor (Eheim 2028 btw). CO2 dissolves so quickly it is unlikely that these bubbles are CO2, but more likely...

Afraid it won't fit a fire extinguisher as it's for industrial sized CO2 bottles that you get from places like BOC. James

A JBL stockist can probably get them for you or you could do want I did and email JBL in Germany and ask them very nicely where you are able to purchase them as you've broken the one you have. They offered to send me some FOC which I gladly accepted. Fantastic customer service. I know some...

Yep, just file it down a bit. I've pasted in the following from another post: The JBL regulator is slightly oversize for a fire extinguisher (which has an international std neck on it). All you need to do is take the O-ring off the regulator (carefully!) & have at it with some 120 Grit Wet &...

I'm not sure on this but adding indicator solution may affect the KH. The JBL drop checker I have uses 1ml of solution which is approximately equivalent to about 18 drops so adding another 10 drops of indicator will dilute the solution bringing the KH down to about 2.5 - (18/28 * 4 = 2.57). The...

This could be true with welding but don't think the soft drink and beer manufacturers would be too happy about that. James

Boil the kettle and put an inch or two of the tube in the water. Leave half a minute or so and then spit in the end of the tube (it's a great lubricant) and try and push it on. James

By any chance is it possible to put the 4mm tubing in hot water and get it to fit on the 6mm connector. Don't use one of those myself but I know a few people who have used that exact same one with no probs. James

Needle valves are quite good but don't know anything anout the regulator. James

There are two different types of regulators that can be used. The first is a straight forward regulator that has two guages, one for the high pressure side (CO2 bottle) and one for the low pressure side (diffuser side). There is a large knob (regulator) that controls the pressure on the low...

Yep, that should work fine. As long as the only thing you have between the regulator and the diffuser is a non return valve and bubble counter then you won't run the risk of exploding tubing. James

The idea of a regulator is to regulate the pressure. But if you don't have the guage to measure the pressure then it's hard to do. With a guage attached the pressure should be set to about 1 to 1.5 bar which should be fine with CO2 tubing. The regulator once adjusted won't allow the pressure to...

The problem is that your regulator only measures the pressure inside the CO2 bottle and not in the tubing. To do this you'd need to get a dual guage regulator. Without this guage it is near impossible to adjust the regulator to the correct pressure. To actually of split the tubing you must have...

CO2 comes on three hours before lights on and goes off 15 minutes before lights off. The larger the tank the longer the gap before CO2 on and lights on I have found is needed. I monitored the pH with my Hanna pH meter whilst working out when to turn CO2 on. Just kept adjusting the time period...

Shouldn't be a problem as long as you've got CO2 tubing. I have a splitter on my pub bottle of CO2 where one tube goes to my main tank and the other to my 25l about 7 metres away. Works fine but when the solenoid starts it takes a miute or two until enough pressure is created to start creating...

Maison Maurice are less than five minutes from me which is why I chose them, but they aren't the cheapest. They operate a funny system where you have to buy the bottle plus put a deposit down as well. If you no longer need the bottle you can hand it back but you only get the deposit back. Didn't...

I got my CO2 cylinder from Maison Maurice in Bexleyheath - http://www.maisonmaurice.co.uk There's a good thread in the tutorials section all about using fire extinguishers - http://ukaps.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=266 James

The guage I'm pretty sure measures the pressure in the CO2 bottle. Adding a needle valve to this regulator may be dangerous as you have no idea what the pressure is in the tubing/pipe between the reg and needle valve. I think that needle valves also have a max working pressure. These sorts of...

Sometimes I have found the rhinox diffusers let all the bubbles through in one place tending to create larger bubbles that don't dissolve very well and just shoot to the surface. The way I cured this problem to create an evenly spread fine mist is to actually gently scrape the surface of the...

You can do and it does work fairly well. The thing you have to remember doing is that if the donor cylider doesn't have a dip tube inside then you will need to turn the cylinder upside down so that liquid CO2 comes out. Used to be fairly common with paint ballers as they could go to a meet and...

Hi and welcome to UKAPS, Your idea should work OK but isn't the best way to do it - cheap though. As long as there is enough filter tubing for the bubbles of CO2 to dissolve it will work. What you don't want are large bubbles of CO2 coming out the end of the filter tube. And yes, you definitely...

Because bubbles can vary in size quite considerably it's impossible to say. On my 200 litre tank I run about 2 bubbles per second for about 11 hours per day and my 6.35kg pub bottle lasts 6 months. James

The second one has the bypass so if you have a very powerfull pump or filter the water flow going through the main reactor can be controlled so as not to blow the CO2 bubbles out the bottom. I run the first reactor from my Eheim 2028 with no probs. James

Not keen on that one. Main reason is that it has no vent in the top. The vent makes life so easy when priming the system at install or after filter maintanence. People without vents moan like mad at having to invert the reactor to get the air out. The two I like are Aquamas ones...

Agree totally with ceg. pH controllers just cause too many problems. Another one is that they do need calibrating as they tend to drift a bit over time, more so the older they get. It only takes a small variation to change CO2 levels quite a bit. Everytime recalibration is done the CO2 level is...

On a large tank external reactors are the way to go. Be careful though with the Aqua Medic 1000 reactor as it only comes with connectors for 12mm tubing which to me seems crazy. Along with others I use an Aquamas reactor which is very good and comes with 16mm tubing connectors. Worth a look but...

I'll jump in if I may. Yes, diffusers in large tanks are problematic due to, as you've said, getting the CO2 distributed around the tank. On a four foot tank with very good flow you can get away with one, but if your tank is bigger you'd need two. High CO2 will make the fish more docile as...

The water doesn't have to be saturated with O2 for pearling to occur. Pearling will occur if the rate of O2 production is greater than rate rate of O2 absorption in the water. The rate of O2 absorption will be affected by certain parameters including temperature and O2 saturation. The higher the...

If interested I get my CO2 from Maison Maurice in Bexleyheath - http://www.maisonmaurice.co.uk/. Initially it's a bit expensive as you have to buy the bottle but after that it's £15 + vat for 6.35kg refill. It's very easy for me as it's just up the road from me and I can get there and back in...

1) and possibly 2) but I wouldn't take the risk. If it were me I'd bin it and buy a new one. Seals and diaphragms only have a limited life so it's probably better to buy a nice new one rather than try and revamp and old one. Just my opinion of course. James

I didn't know about it either until a few weeks ago when someone did this only to find later that water was leaking from the filter's seals. They contacted Eheim only to be told in no uncertain terms by them that it was very much frowned upon. They didn't state though if it affected the warranty...

It's not advised to add CO2 to the filter inlet as the CO2 can damage the filter's rubber seals. James

The main reason is the risk of an air lock. Yes I'm sure that many people have done this for years and never had an air lock but I know some people have and it's not a risk that I'd take or advise anyone else to take. I'm also not sure how the bacteria in the filter like having CO2 all around...

No, you're right, the mesh doesn't seem to slow the bubbles down that much. OK so we know that CO2 is being dissolved quickly and that gas buildup you have is not CO2. I've always thought that it is mainly O2 that has been degassed from the O2 rich water. Until this gas has been analysed it is...

The gas buildup at the top is often quite normal and as long as it doesn't get too large, the reactor should function fairly normally. These reactors don't push the CO2 bubbles down like how the internal reactors do. You should see the bubbles go from the bottom to the top and also slowly...

I would really recommend you get a needle valve. Trying to maintain the correct bubble rate just using the regulator quite often ends in disaster and you also greatly increase the risk of 'tank dumping' There are plenty of very good standard regulators you can buy in the UK. I know people who...

I use distilled water which works fine. Yes the water will absorb the CO2 but the small amount of water used will mean it will reach saturation point very quickly. Where I worked quite a while ago we used glycerine in bubble counters, but that was for nitrogen being added to a reaction flask in...