My New Co2 System Is Out Of Co2?

[mibson]

I have had my 90g tank on a new co2 system for 5 weeks at about 3.5 bubbles per sec. I hooked my 55g up to the same system 10 days ago at 1.5 bubs per sec.

The pressure in my 5lbs tank dropped alot, into the "red" zone in the past few days. My understanding is that this means the tank will run out soon...

Is this unusually fast for a 5lbs tank to be empty?

Concerns: I had to run a line 23 feet to my 55g tank. All I did was split the line and add another needle valve and bubble counter, running both on the same solenoid. Is this ok?

Thanks for any help

My co2 system is Red Sea...

 

[aaronnorth]

5weeks seems about right to me. 5lb is about 2kg, it lasts about 4 months on a 20g, every tank is different yes, but you can still work out an average.

 

[Rooster]

My disposable welding CO2 lasts about 8 months !

 

[OldMan47]

One place that you may be losing a lot of CO2 is in that long run of tubing. Ordinary air line has CO2 seep through its pores to some extent. The longer the run the more gas will be lost to this seepage. I would also check all fittings for leaks as it seems that you have a few possible leak points.
The idea of CO2 running out when the pressure drops is right. Most of the actual CO2 in a tank is in liquid form and boils off at room temperature to maintain a constant presure. When the liquid is gone, the tank pressure starts dropping but with no liquid left there is not much gas volume to supply your diffusers and the last bit goes away very quickly.

 

[mibson]

One place that you may be losing a lot of CO2 is in that long run of tubing. Ordinary air line has CO2 seep through its pores to some extent. The longer the run the more gas will be lost to this seepage. I would also check all fittings for leaks as it seems that you have a few possible leak points.
The idea of CO2 running out when the pressure drops is right. Most of the actual CO2 in a tank is in liquid form and boils off at room temperature to maintain a constant presure. When the liquid is gone, the tank pressure starts dropping but with no liquid left there is not much gas volume to supply your diffusers and the last bit goes away very quickly.

I just had a 20lbs tank run out in two months with my 55g and my 90g? Im pretty sure this is too fast, is it? my 55g it at 1.5 bps and my 90g is at about 2.5bps...

Yes, I heard on this site that some tubing types are better than others for reducing co2 loss, Im guessing harder tubing is better? Seems critical if I have a 25 foot tube to my 55g tank. (Note I now have a new 10lbs tank for both my 55g and 90g).

Also, there is 3 feet of tubing between the regulator and solenoid, I have been guessing this could be the issue since this portion of tubing remains at a relatively moderate pressure as dicated by my regulator. Perhaps attaching my solenoid directly to the regulator is a good idea?