# What type of regulator?



## GeminiPrincess (Oct 1, 2010)

When buying a regulator what should i be looking for and what do i want in it? Besides a regulator and a tank what else do i need to get for a Co2 set up?


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## paronaram (Jul 12, 2008)

Besides a regulator and a tank you will need a needle valve, check valve, bubble counter, diffuser.
Also, make sure you have something to measure how much CO2 you have in the water. To do that get a Drop Check.
You can overdose CO2 in the tank, and all your fish will belly up over night, so make sure you have good quality needle valve to do a fine gas tuning.

What type of regulator? - make sure it fits to your tank 
If your tank is paintball 20oz or 24oz you will need a special feting (adapter)
but if you are going with regular #5 or #10 etc. tank, anything will work. Al long is it fortified for Co2 use. For example I had a regulator from pepsi  Pepsi truck driver sold me one for $15


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

The basic pressurized CO2 setup is as follows:
Pressurized CO2 bottle
High-pressure regulator
Low-pressure regulator (a.k.a. needle valve)
Check valve
Bubble counter
Reactor (to dissolve CO2 into the water)

If you want the best CO2 regulator for an aquarium setup, it's called a Milwaukee, and it is a unit that includes the high-pressure regulator, low pressure regulator, bubble counter, and a solenoid (to turn it on and off on a timer like a light), for ~$200.

Rex Grigg, a guy several of us knows sells some awesome stuff, sells a custom-made regulator like the Milwaukee for $150, replete with everything but the bubble counter, and the URL for this is here:

The Best Aquarium Regulator & CO2 Parts

I ended up cannibalizing the CO2 bottle and high pressure regulator from my keg tap for use in my fish tank (currently disconnected due to the presence of a keg in the house).


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Some bubble counters have the check valve built in.


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## James0816 (Jun 19, 2009)

Don't forget the soleniod. That is your most important piece of equipment.

And be very carefull on the type of regulator you get. Some models will "dump" the remaining gas when it reaches a certain level. That would be very bad. Milwaukee's are ok, but I like to recommend Victor's.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

I beg to differ that the solenoid is the most important - I don't use one at all. If I'm gone for an extended period of time (more than a day) I'll turn my CO2 off, otherwise I just leave it on. Word of warning though - leaving your CO2 on is dangerous, I just don't add enough to asphyxiate my fish overnight.

You could save the $30 on a solenoid and get an air pump and stone to run at night instead, as an alternative.


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## NursePlaty (Feb 5, 2010)

*Usually if you buy an aquarium regulator, it comes with the solenoid, needle valve, bubble counter etc etc etc already. JBJ and Milwaukee are both good brands. All you will need to buy is the regulator and the tank, 2 items only. Optional is the drop checker to measure co2 levels, and check valve to keep the tank water from going into the tank.*


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## Lil Gashog (Dec 1, 2010)

Lol i'm sorry but whats a regulator i just can't stand people talking about something i have no clue about.And CO2


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

CO2 = carbon dioxide. Living organisms like Humans and fish consume O2 when they breathe and produce CO2. Plants, on the other hand, consume CO2 and produce O2 when they do their photosynthesis. The whole object of a CO2 system for a fish tank is to add extra CO2 into the water so the plants can grow bigger and healthier (with added fertilizers, the right lighting, and good substrate as well, mind you).

A regulator is, in essence, a valve. It controls the pressure of the CO2 being delivered from the CO2 bottle (which is pressurized anywhere from 200 psi to 1200 psi, with psi being pounds of force per square inch). So you might have an 800 psi CO2 bottle, but the high pressure regulator only delivers 20 psi to the low pressure regulator, which in turn delivers ~1 psi to the tank. High pressure regulators also usually come with pressure gauges to show how much pressure is in the bottle, and how much pressure is being delivered to the output of the regulator.


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