CO2 Regulator

[androo303]

Hey all, so my paintball co2 is running out a lot faster then I expected. Sadly, my plants have all taken a hit      I suspect I've been dosing dry ferts without co2 for about 2 weeks now with 2.7WPG of light for approx. 8-9 hrs.

So I am wondering if I can find a 5lbs dual regulator for under $75. If so where?

[exv152]

If you mean a dual stage regulator, I think you'll be hard pressed to find one that cheap. If you mean dual gauge, but single stage, maybe. Or are you looking for the entire setup; cylinder, reg, needle valve, bubble counter etc?

[androo303]

The kit minus the tank..

Needle valve
Regulator
Bubble counter
Solenoid

So what price should I be looking at? I don't want the Cadillac. I can get one off amazon USA for $90.

[exv152]

The kit minus the tank..

Needle valve
Regulator
Bubble counter
Solenoid

So what price should I be looking at? I don't want the Cadillac. I can get one off amazon USA for $90.

What brand is it you're looking at? Here's a link that's got lots of good info for a paintball setup. http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/diy/115850-paintball-co2-injection-diy-setup-tons.html

[charlie]

The kit minus the tank..

Needle valve
Regulator
Bubble counter
Solenoid

So what price should I be looking at? I don't want the Cadillac. I can get one off amazon USA for $90.

A word of caution - as far as co 2 rigs go, the term you get what you pay for rings through here, for what it`s worth my advice is to spend a bit more & get a decent regulator body & needle valve.
Regards

[exv152]

Here are some examples of quality paintball regulators...just to give you an idea of price.

http://greenleafaquariums.com/co2-regulators/paintball-co2-regulator.html
http://greenleafaquariums.com/products/atomic-paintball-co2-kit-v1.html
http://greenleafaquariums.com/co2-regulators/atomic-paintball-co2-regulator-v2.html

[charlie]

 Just for clarification,Paintball rigs are no different from regular rigs in terms of the main components, any regulator will work with a painball set up, the difference is the  connection to the bottles, there are adapters available to do this.
My 2 cents is to assemble one with quality parts that you can afford, i`m partial to the Micromatic single stage dual gauge regulators, i have used them (3) without issues, the last one is now owned by a member here,apart from the the Micromatic, i have & is using a Cornelius body( same as link 1 that Eric posted) they are good as well but to me the Micromatic trumps it with build quality & is in the same price range.
Quality Needle/metering valves are costly - for me heading the bunch for our uses, the Ideal & Swagelok are the premierer valves, for a good middle of the line i`ll lean towards the Fabco  needle valve difference in price new is about 80.00+ for the ideal/swagelok to about 25-30 for the fabco as for the Regulator bodies you can get the Micromatic for 54.00 US before shipping etc from the USA in Canada anywhere from 80 - 100.00 before shipping  etc .
Solenoids are not a must have but handy to shut off at nights& save some gas , if you must have a solenoid get a quality one with a Clippard being the minimum , there are others that can run you a few more bucks ,bubble counters can be as expensive as you want it to be, the cheap ones work just the same.
All that said i have one of each Micomatic & Cornelious bodies with Swagelok valves running on my 2 CO2 injected tanks , you are free to come by & have a look at them to get a better idea .
Assembly is a piece of cake.
Errol

[exv152]

I would not normally suggest spending extra money on anything in this hobby. But if I had to, a CO2 regulator is one of them. There are way too many stories out there of aquarists with average to lower than average regulators that did not last, and in the end replacing it a year later or less, just ends up costing more than the quality regulator would have to begin with. Just my recommendation based on personal experience.

[Janny]

Errol, I swear that was like reading Greek.

Is there a plug-and-play solution for people like me or am I going to have to figure it all out or stick with DIY?

(only half kidding!)

[charlie]

Errol, I swear that was like reading Greek.

Is there a plug-and-play solution for people like me or am I going to have to figure it all out or stick with DIY?

(only half kidding!)

Hi Jan,  Greek  . There are several plug & play solutions but for the price you pay for them one can do better with  sourcing decent parts & putting it together the result is a better quality rig for a few more bucks, this is not to say some of the Plug & Play Will not do the job .
Errol

[exv152]

Pressurized CO2 is not complicated. But it's well worth the investment of time and money.