Bae's Planted Tank Journal Aka The Rockpool

[Truck]

you also need a regulator and a solenoid

 

[bae1994]

yeah i mwant a regulator as the valve dam it

and i was going by some one elses plan on here where he didnt use a solanoid do i really need one
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=212550


also couldnt i just shut off the regulator at night

 

[shrimply]

You'd really be better off with a solenoid, most of the kits you can buy have one attatched to the regulator anyway. You could shut off the fire extinguisher at night but it would mean constantly releasing and de-releasing ( is a word) the FE, I've also found that there is plenty of CO2 between the FE and the regulator so even after turning off the FE you could be injecting CO2 for many hours.

Also in regard to lighting levels, as far as I know from what I've read, CO2 is nearly always the limiting factor and its addition to most tanks will make an improvement, in lower lit tanks the plants will require less but they will fully utilise the light available which they will not do in a tank without CO2 injection, I'm sure some one will correct me if I'm wrong though.

 

[bae1994]

i meant turn it off at the regulator so there would only be the tiny bit of co2 in the tiny thin pipe

 

[shrimply]

As far as I know there ain't a way to shut off the regulator, and I wouldn't want to be fiddling about with the pressures or anything to shut it off on a regular basis, and what if you forgot or were away. To be honest I don't think its £20 worth skimping on. And I'm the biggest skimper out.

 

[keenonfish]

i meant turn it off at the regulator so there would only be the tiny bit of co2 in the tiny thin pipe

You mean adjust the final output from the regulator which you use to adjust bubble rate? Personally I think when you come to installing you will realise this 'setting' is best left unchanged and checked every month or so. You could attach a second needle valve and open and close that every night but forgetting to turn on / off could spell trouble for your tank!

 

[bae1994]

oh i thought they where like 50 o thats not to bad then
but in a powercut what happens

 

[shrimply]

Solenoids work when power is going though them, so in a power cut no CO2, which is what you'd want as you have no lights or anything either.

 

[bae1994]

yeah thats what i thought as i dint want it just to carry on so all i need
is

extinguisher
solanoid
regulator

bubble counter
diffuser
drop checker
also does the solanoid go before or after the regulator

im guessing before

eg fe-solanoid-regulator-bubble counter-diffuser

 

[keenonfish]

Bottle-regulator-solonoid-needle_valve-non_return-bubble_counter-diffuser

There is a cheap non return / bubble counter set on ebay from china.

 

[bae1994]

so its

fire extinguiser--------regulator--------solanoid--------non return valve-------bubble counter----------diffuser would thst be ok

 

[AdAndrews]

so its

fire extinguiser--------regulator--------solanoid--------non return valve-------bubble counter----------diffuser would thst be ok

yep yep mate, have the non return valve straight after the bubble counter, the fe thing is in my sig

Adam

ps. moss posted 2day

 

[bae1994]

so does the non return go between the solanoid and the bubble counter or the bubble counter and the tank?

and thanks for the moss

and was gonna follow that fire extinguisher thread but got told i need a solanoid

 

[keenonfish]

so does the non return go between the solanoid and the bubble counter or the bubble counter and the tank?

and thanks for the moss

and was gonna follow that fire extinguisher thread but got told i need a solanoid

yes sorry to be absolutely safe non return should go last however I kept losing the water out my bubble counter (after about 4 months) so put the non return before this. It just means there is an extra point of weakness between the non return valve and completely draining your tank that's all!

 

[shrimply]

I've personally ended up using a check valve before and after the bubble counter, the one above prevents most of the water running out the bubble counter but some always manages to find its way into the one below the bubble counter too. Maybe with better quality check valves this wouldn't happen

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...p;#entry2104940