Pressurized c02

[Rex]

Hey! It's been a long time since I've been in the hobby but I just got a new tank today and want to go high tech planted. Back in the day I had a 10lb c02 tank with an awesome Sumo regulator and an external diffuser. Now I see sumo is no longer in the buisness and I can't find much info on which is the best regulator out there. I see Miluakee is still selling theirs but they have had mixed reviews.

So my questions are, what these days is considered the best c02 regulator to get? Also, where would I find a c02 tank in the city.

[charlie]

First of all welcome back to the hobby.
I don`t know if there is a best regulator out there, they all do the job intended, some with more reliability & consistency  than others.
The most consistent & reliable is a DIY custom built 2 stage regulator if you want to keep the cost down, if cash is not an issue , they are a few out there over the counter ones,
http://greenleafaquariums.com/products/gla-pro-ss-co2-system.html
outside of that there is a company out of GB that offers a middle of the line 2 stage called CO2 art
http://www.co2art.co.uk/collections/dual-stage-regulators/products/aquarium-co2-dual-stage-regulator-and-solenoid-magnetic-valve-smc-valve
Both of these companies offer single stage units as well
Personally i tend to stay away from the Milwaukee & Aquatek type offerings, simply because for their cost a better DIY single stage unit can be assembled with a few more dollars.
Regards

[exv152]

I agree with Charlie. I would personally not recommend; Milwaukee, aquatek, azoo, DICI, or anything made in china really. The price is very tempting but from personal experience - they're not well made. You'll end up spending twice the amount to get what you need in the long run. GLA and co2art are good sources. I bought from GLA and don't regret it. That was back when their prices were a bit more reasonable though.  Today, if I had to do it again I would probably buy my own regulator and piece it together myself, or go with co2art in a pinch.

Also, try Pyromateck in Gatineau or Davidson's fire extinguishers on Percy St for co2 tanks. Or you can get a 24oz paint ball tank from any retailer that sells co2 bb or pellet guns (but you'll need a co2 adapter). Depending on the size of your tank. For larger tanks I would recommend a larger tank like a 10lbs or 20lbs.

[Rex]

Thanks for the welcome and the replies! I ended up going for the Green Leaf Aquariums model that was linked here along with a 10lb aluminum tank. Also picked up a few other goodies while I was there. I'll post some pics when it's all up and running. Thanks again!

[wolfiewill]

Have you recieved it yet? I like the products but don't purchase much these days 'cause of the duty I have to pay on anything they sell. It's outrageous! There is no such thing as free trade these days.

[Rex]

The c02 equipment came in on Friday! There was a small delay as they do some sort of machining in house so it took about a week to send out. I was worried about the duties as well but only had to pay $44 in taxes on an $800 order. I specifically chose USPS as the shipping option though because UPS's duties are usually nuts.

Anyways I have to go fill up the tank now and I'm still waiting on some T5HO lights I bought. Should be all ready by tomorrow then I'll post some pics

[Rex]

Okay so I know I promised pics but I ran into a few issues. First was new tank syndrome so my water was all cloudy for a while. I also had a massive algae outbreak with tons of gross staghorn algae. I'm running high tech with an insane amount of light (4x39 watt t5ho on a 30 gallon long, about 5.2 watts per gallon). Needless to say things got out of balance pretty fast.

I ended up doing the "one-two punch" treatment with peroxide and flourish excel overdosing as detailed here http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/23-algae/203684-one-two-punch-whole-tank-algae-treatment.html

It worked fantastically, killed off all the staghorn and all the rest of the algae. I was cleaning the glass daily before this treatment, now I'm not cleaning it at all. So anyway, here's a before picture when everything was new and before the issues.



And here's a few weeks after the treatments and stabilization (notice the plant growth!):



Here's a pic with the c02 equipment and filter:



So yeah, it's been extremely fun getting back into the hobby. I appreciate the advice given in this thread, thanks for helping me build a great tank