Pressurised For A 125L Tank

[markandhisfish]

im just returning to the hobby and although im not a newbie fish keeper , i have never done pressurised co2 and planted tanks . im picking up a roma 125 on friday and once cycled etc i will be setting it up pressurised and planted . probably in the region of 1.5 to 2 wpg, planted with easy to grow stem plants , crypts etc and  dwarf hairgrass or similar .  filtered by a fluval u4 and extra turnover provided by a 1200 LPH powerhead , ei dosing ferts.
 
setup/running costs being the primary concern here . the trouble is i have no idea how long ( assuming optimal diffusion , no leaks etc ) a co2 bottle of a given size will last . ideally i would like to avoid going fire extinguisher , but if thats the best option i would consider it . any decent kits etc ?

 

[markandhisfish]

having done a bit more reading , it does look like the fire extinguisher is the most cost effective route to go . how does a 2kg extinguisher coupled with this solenoid regulator sound , with the solenoid plugged into a timer ?
 
http/www.co2supermarket.co.uk/co2-solenoid-regulator.html

 

[techen]

Mostly everyone uses a Reg with a timer, As it can be a pain to turn the reg on and off every day.
 
The size of the tank I would say at least 6 months per 2KG FE bottle.

 

[Ps3Steveo]

Yeah it's a good reg, I just bought 2 of them and so far so good.

 

[markandhisfish]

great , thanks .  looking at the cost of extinguishers on ebay it seems i can get a pressurised system up and running for an initial cost of around £70 to £80 and if it should be good for 6 months , a further running cost of about £20 twice a year for replacement extinguisher .  seems a bit of a no brainer i would say    is any uk spec co2 extinguisher suitable , or are there certain types to avoid ?

 

[liamhuckle]

I believe any if your lucky enough like me i found somewhere that will refill a 2 kg fe for a tenner

 

[markandhisfish]

im looking into that at the moment , but if i cant find anywhere its not the end of the world having to spend around £20 every 6 months

 

[Ps3Steveo]

All EU FE's are 22mm and will fit.

 

[markandhisfish]

cool . i cant wait to get cracking !