How long does your CO2 tank last?

[sns26]

I just emptied a 20lb CO2 tank. It ran my 57g tank - high light, heavily planted - for 11 months. Does that seem about right? I'd say it was running at ~5bps. I'm just trying to figure out whether I have a nano-leak someplace.

[Jim Miller]

I'm pretty sure I have a leak on the low pressure side of my solenoid. It's a Clippard Mouse that I've taken apart (bad Jim, no cookie...). Make sure to paint that side of your setup as well with leak detector fluid. 11 months sounds a bit low but definitely livable. Mine has been lasting only a month.

Fix coming this week...

jim

[Aaron]

11 months at 5 bps is pretty reasonable.

[Jim Miller]

What sort of reactor are you using to require 5bps? I don't remember you having a huge tank.

jim

[sns26]

The tank is 57 gallons...I use a 2' stretch of PVC with water flowing down and bubbles going up. If I have the ferts really cranked and the lights at max, I can generate enough gas in the water to airlock, but usually it's no trouble.

I'm getting ready to do my first major rescape...and when I do it I'm going to do some re-plumbing. Among other things, I am going to switch away from @#$@#ing hardware-store ball valves that seem to stick all the time. I'm going to go real simple with something like these: http://www.jehmco.com/html/fittings_-_pvc.html

[Jim Miller]

I left my similar counterflow reactor in place but upstream of it put a diffuser. Now the counterflow is working with much smaller bubbles. I'd try it without the reactor but I'm unwilling to mess with it now. My CO2 levels are much higher now with less BPS.

Those valves look nice. Let us know how they work.

jim

[sns26]

The forums (TPT etc) are full of super-DIY-ers who are really into over-building their systems. (Yes, this from the guy who spent two solid weeks building his stand and light.) Many use plumbing-style PVC valves and fittings, and I did too. But that's just overkill for most of us. They are designed to hold water under way more pressure than we deal with in our tanks. Meanwhile, the simple valves that Eheim etc. sell us are smaller, easier to use with flex tubing, and they never leak (fingers crossed).

So I'm going to play around with these Jehmco-sourced valves.

[Jim Miller]

Agree on the no need for pressure. I just couldn't find valves conveniently other that at HD, etc.

jim

[sns26]

Agree on the no need for pressure. I just couldn't find valves conveniently other that at HD, etc.

I had the same issue, and I was forever needing an extra elbow or threaded tee or whatever. This time around, I'll be replicating the system I already laid out, so I'm hoping to do a better job of getting what I need online first. My main hope is that these simpler valves won't get sticky and hard to turn like regular PVC.