Re: [AGA Member] CO2

["S. Hieber" <shieber@yahoo.com>]

My advice, don't do it.  Thats a very expensive, much too
expensive, price for a CO2 system, considering it does not
include a CO2 tank, which will run another $80-$120.  I'm
not saying the AZ's markup is too high -- I'm saying that's
too much to spend for a CO2 system.


Any halfway decent CO2 rgeulator will do, it doesn't have
to cost a lot of money.  harborfreighttools.com often has
them for about $30 and they work just fine: 

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=47259

Consider a 10 pound tank (net wt.) rather than a 5.  IT
only costs $5-10 more and lasts twice as long. 
www.marindepot.com has them for $89 (very good seamless
aluminum tank with proper CGA 320 valve and valve guard).

They also have a clippard needle valve that you can pick up
there or a number of other places for about $18-$20 bucks. 
You can by much more expensive ones, like the swagelok but
the clippard is more than adequate and a much better value.


They have good solenoid for $49:

http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=KTCO2SOLENOID


$29 
$89
$19
$49

About $30 shipping costs

About $190, including tank vs AZ Gardens $180 + tank = $270
pluss shipping.

If money is important in the short term, save $50 and skip
the solenoid.  You don't *need* a solenoid -- it's a
luxury.  Your pH won't fluctuate more than about 0.2
degrees without one versus using teh very best pH
controller and solenoid onthe market.  You can put the
solenoid on a timer with the lights and cut yur CO2 use in
half, but the CO2 costs much less than the solendoid. 
Figure how many years it will take to get back the cost of
the solenoid -- often 3-5 years.  You have to decide if
it's worth that to you.

You don't need a bubble counter - pure luxury.  You really
need to use pH and KH measurements and then lkook up the
CO2 level on the pH/KH/CO2 table.  IF you don't have a
copy, let us know -- there are lots of them floating
around.

Scott H.

--- Bill Hudgens <billhudgens@earthlink.net> wrote:
> I would appreciate any advice on purchasing and setting
> up a CO2 system for a 90 gallon planted aquarium.  The
> Bioplast ProfiStar system sold by Arizona Gardens looks
> good.  But I'm not sure where to get a solenoid and
> controller and how they would connect to the Bioplast
> system.  Would it be better to assemble a system from
> scratch as George Booth suggests in his article at
> TheKrib.  Help!
> 
> --Bill
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