C02 Noob !

[Rooster]

Want to try c02, but dont want to faff about with yeast method... here in UK, the nanny state keeps most "dangerous" things away from us !
So where DO you get c02 cylinders from ? most welding shops sell disposable ones of about 1 litre size... how long would one of those last ? and are they safe ? i would assume they are not "food grade"
Also, where do you get a solenoid from ?

 

[nicklfire]

WHOAOAAA partner, back up a bit

First off you gotta ask yourself Am i ready for co2...
My myself i thought i was but there are alot of hurdles to deal with. First off are you dealing with a heavy planted tank? how bigs your tank? Do you have enough lighting for co2 (probably at least 2wpg), is your Kh and Ph at the right paremeters?, do alot of reasearch about co2 first before jumping into it. Read through all the co2 threads here and the stickies and stuff like that.

what do you want it for.. plants? how many do you have... lets start off with that

 

[Jen]

DIY co2 is easy, and I wouldn't say dangerous. It's just yeast, sugar and water in a pop bottle. Works effectively for about a week, and then you make up a new soultion. I did that for about 2 months before I went pressurised.

 

[Rooster]

DIY co2 is easy, and I wouldn't say dangerous. It's just yeast, sugar and water in a pop bottle. Works effectively for about a week, and then you make up a new soultion. I did that for about 2 months before I went pressurised.

Mmmm, point is WHY did you swap over to pressurised ? Seems that that is the way to go, and cylinders are so cheap when weighed against convenience, wouild like to know what consumtion is like though.... I can get a full "pub" cylinder, but I suspect this is overdoing it a tad ? (these are about a metre tall !)
Thanks for replies - keep em coming !

 

[Bloo]

DIY co2 is easy, and I wouldn't say dangerous. It's just yeast, sugar and water in a pop bottle. Works effectively for about a week, and then you make up a new soultion. I did that for about 2 months before I went pressurised.

Mmmm, point is WHY did you swap over to pressurised ?

Much less faff. Much more regular and stable.
MUCH more expensive.
Personally I don't fancy an industrial sized cylinder in my living room
I love my neat little green 500g one sitting neatly tucked away - chugging away for months at end, before it needs topping up.

 

[Rooster]

DIY co2 is easy, and I wouldn't say dangerous. It's just yeast, sugar and water in a pop bottle. Works effectively for about a week, and then you make up a new soultion. I did that for about 2 months before I went pressurised.

Mmmm, point is WHY did you swap over to pressurised ?

Much less faff. Much more regular and stable.
MUCH more expensive.
Personally I don't fancy an industrial sized cylinder in my living room
I love my neat little green 500g one sitting neatly tucked away - chugging away for months at end, before it needs topping up.

How big is a 500g ? And where do you get it refilled ? I do use the full sized pub bottle, for welding... I wonder if I could decant into a smaller cylinder.... Im sure the paintball guys do this !

 

[Bloo]

I don't believe decanting is the word used for CO2 refills but anyhow I have mine done at my lfs. I freeze the empty cylinder overnight and pay around £10 to have it refilled.
500g is roughly around 15" tall and 4" diameter (without stand and regulator).

 

[donkey]

i use a pub" cylinder myself .if you can get hold of one thats the way to go .it will last you ages there cheap to fill and there food grade as well . you can get hold of the regs and solenoid from ebay .i think mine cost about £25 for the reg and solenoid .so far i have had this cylinder running for about a year now . and the best thing about it is you wont have to keep getting your cylinder filled ever few months

 

[Rooster]

i use a pub" cylinder myself .if you can get hold of one thats the way to go .it will last you ages there cheap to fill and there food grade as well . you can get hold of the regs and solenoid from ebay .i think mine cost about £25 for the reg and solenoid .so far i have had this cylinder running for about a year now . and the best thing about it is you wont have to keep getting your cylinder filled ever few months

Arrrr, any links for the solenoid please ? I get my pub bottle filled for £10, so I looks the cheapest option ... bit big though ! Do you use yours upright ?

 

[donkey]

have a look here
http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/CO2-solenoid-suitabl...1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[Bloo]

i use a pub" cylinder myself .if you can get hold of one thats the way to go .it will last you ages there cheap to fill and there food grade as well . you can get hold of the regs and solenoid from ebay .i think mine cost about £25 for the reg and solenoid .so far i have had this cylinder running for about a year now . and the best thing about it is you wont have to keep getting your cylinder filled ever few months

Arrrr, any links for the solenoid please ? I get my pub bottle filled for £10, so I looks the cheapest option ... bit big though ! Do you use yours upright ?

As far as I understand, bottles always have to be upright.

 

[Jen]

I changed to pressurized for the ease of use - no more messy mixtures, very stable results. I have a 5 pound tank that is just over a foot and a half tall. I get it filled at store that re-fills fire extinguishers and paint ball cylinders. My tank has been lasting me about 5 or 6 weeks - its a 90 gallon tank, so it takes a lot of co2 to keep it at 35ppm, and I'm not using co2 resistant hosing. That would make a bit of difference I'm sure.

 

[donkey]

or here
http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/Hydroponics-CO2-rele...1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[Bloo]

and I'm not using co2 resistant hosing

wow - I can't remember the rate % of loss, but it's very high I believe ! Why not invest in a little CO2 resistant tubing ?

 

[donkey]

yes bottles always have to be upright if you find your bottle is to big to go under the tank just stand it somewhere near it and run the tubeing to the tank .i have mine in another room and i drilled a small hole in the wall to run the tubeing to the tank

them links i sent you from ebay are ok but i have seen them go a lot cheaper .just keep looking on ebay and im sure one will come along cheaper than them very soon . i payed about £15 for mine and that was with P+P and it was brand new