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So, there have been a lot of threads (it seems) lately regarding pressurized CO2. Hopefully, this primer will help alleviate any fears that people have when starting to delve into CO2 as it can be quite intimidating at first. In addition, hopefully this primer will answer some of the most commonly asked questions regarding pressurized CO2.
As this thread will be discussing how to set up a pressurized CO2 system, advantages/disadvantages of using a pressurized setup versus a DIY (yeast) CO2 system will not be discussed in this primer. For more information, please take a look here:
https://gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11247#4
On to pressurized CO2!
First, when people refer to pressurized CO2, we often read that we will need a "regulator" or a "regulator build." What does this mean exactly? This term is thrown around quite loosely in the aquarium hobby, but a pressurized CO2 system consists of more than just a regulator.
Here are the essential pieces of equipment you will need:
1) A CO2 cylinder
CO2 cylinders come in various sizes. They are often used in paintball guns (usually sold as 20 oz cans). They also come in 2.5, 5, 10 and 20 lb sizes (larger sizes such as 50 lb tanks do exist, but they are quite large and bulky, and are not commonly sold outside of specialty applications).
CO2 tanks come with a fitting known as a CGA320 fitting, which is standard in North America. Europe and Asia use different industrial standards. Paintball tanks, however, do not come with this fitting, and come with a pin depression type valve. More on this will follow below.
Many people believe that getting a small, paintball CO2 tank is "cheaper", however, this is not usually the case. Regulators (see below) often come with CGA320 fittings (or can be adapted to such). However, as paintball tanks do not contain this CGA320 fitting, normal regulators cannot be used, and you must purchase either a special regulator with the required fitting, or look around for a paintball tank to CGA320 adapter (often, quite difficult to find). In addition, refill costs for CO2 tanks are generally not much different. The refill cost for (say) a 5 lb tank and 10 lb tank may only be a few dollars different. For example, I can get my 10 lb tank refilled for $17.50, while a 20 oz paintball tank may cost $5 to refill. In addition, the larger the CO2 tank, the longer you can go without refilling the tank, etc. It can be quite a hassle to drive out and refill the tank, depending on where you live. The general piece of advice is to get the largest tank that you can afford and/or is feasible for the space that you have.
Here are some popular CO2 tank sources, as well as their contact information:
Camcarb
155 Signet Drive
North York, Ontario
M9L 1W9
Tel: (416) 745-1304
http://www.camcarb.com/Home.html
Norwood Fire Extinguisher Co
62 Advance Rd
Etobicoke ON, M8Z 2T7
Phone #: 416-239-7357
Fax: (416) 745-6844
Hydrotech Hydroponics (2 locations)
Scarborough Location
2434 Kingston Road
Toronto, Ontario
416.267.GROW
Markham Location
66 Bullock Drive, Unit 1
Markham, Ontario
905.201.9939
http://www.hydrotechhydroponics.com/
Herbert Williams
70 Ironside Crescent, Unit 1, 2 & 3
Scarborough, Ontario
M1X 1G4
416-292-8630
Dry Ice & Gases
50 Titan Rd,
Etobicoke, Ontario
M8Z 2J8
(416) 252-7137
Premium Fire Protection
717 Wilson Rd S #6,
Oshawa, ON
L1H 6E9
905-436-3473
Regarding the pricing, I have found that Norwood has the cheapest pricing on CO2 tanks.
Updated: A 10 lb at Norwood is $85 (out of date price), and $185 (up to date as of July 2020) at Camcarb. Hydrotech Hydroponics only sells 20 lb tanks, but they can order different sized tanks for you (upon request). However, be aware that they simply call up Camcarb and ask them to deliver the tanks to them, and they will charge you extra on top of Camcarb's CO2 tank pricing.
Regarding refills: Only Dry Ice & Gases are open on Saturday, all the other stores listed above are only open Monday - Friday.
For a 10 pound cylinder, the refill costs are as follows (as of October 23 2012):
Camcarb $30.45 + tax (updated July 2020)
Norwood $20 + tax (out of date)
Herbert Williams: $36.33 + tax (out of date)
Dry Ice & Gases: $25.80 + tax (out of date)
As this thread will be discussing how to set up a pressurized CO2 system, advantages/disadvantages of using a pressurized setup versus a DIY (yeast) CO2 system will not be discussed in this primer. For more information, please take a look here:
https://gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11247#4
On to pressurized CO2!
First, when people refer to pressurized CO2, we often read that we will need a "regulator" or a "regulator build." What does this mean exactly? This term is thrown around quite loosely in the aquarium hobby, but a pressurized CO2 system consists of more than just a regulator.
Here are the essential pieces of equipment you will need:
1) A CO2 cylinder
CO2 cylinders come in various sizes. They are often used in paintball guns (usually sold as 20 oz cans). They also come in 2.5, 5, 10 and 20 lb sizes (larger sizes such as 50 lb tanks do exist, but they are quite large and bulky, and are not commonly sold outside of specialty applications).
CO2 tanks come with a fitting known as a CGA320 fitting, which is standard in North America. Europe and Asia use different industrial standards. Paintball tanks, however, do not come with this fitting, and come with a pin depression type valve. More on this will follow below.
Many people believe that getting a small, paintball CO2 tank is "cheaper", however, this is not usually the case. Regulators (see below) often come with CGA320 fittings (or can be adapted to such). However, as paintball tanks do not contain this CGA320 fitting, normal regulators cannot be used, and you must purchase either a special regulator with the required fitting, or look around for a paintball tank to CGA320 adapter (often, quite difficult to find). In addition, refill costs for CO2 tanks are generally not much different. The refill cost for (say) a 5 lb tank and 10 lb tank may only be a few dollars different. For example, I can get my 10 lb tank refilled for $17.50, while a 20 oz paintball tank may cost $5 to refill. In addition, the larger the CO2 tank, the longer you can go without refilling the tank, etc. It can be quite a hassle to drive out and refill the tank, depending on where you live. The general piece of advice is to get the largest tank that you can afford and/or is feasible for the space that you have.
Here are some popular CO2 tank sources, as well as their contact information:
Camcarb
155 Signet Drive
North York, Ontario
M9L 1W9
Tel: (416) 745-1304
http://www.camcarb.com/Home.html
Norwood Fire Extinguisher Co
62 Advance Rd
Etobicoke ON, M8Z 2T7
Phone #: 416-239-7357
Fax: (416) 745-6844
Hydrotech Hydroponics (2 locations)
Scarborough Location
2434 Kingston Road
Toronto, Ontario
416.267.GROW
Markham Location
66 Bullock Drive, Unit 1
Markham, Ontario
905.201.9939
http://www.hydrotechhydroponics.com/
Herbert Williams
70 Ironside Crescent, Unit 1, 2 & 3
Scarborough, Ontario
M1X 1G4
416-292-8630
Dry Ice & Gases
50 Titan Rd,
Etobicoke, Ontario
M8Z 2J8
(416) 252-7137
Premium Fire Protection
717 Wilson Rd S #6,
Oshawa, ON
L1H 6E9
905-436-3473
Regarding the pricing, I have found that Norwood has the cheapest pricing on CO2 tanks.
Updated: A 10 lb at Norwood is $85 (out of date price), and $185 (up to date as of July 2020) at Camcarb. Hydrotech Hydroponics only sells 20 lb tanks, but they can order different sized tanks for you (upon request). However, be aware that they simply call up Camcarb and ask them to deliver the tanks to them, and they will charge you extra on top of Camcarb's CO2 tank pricing.
Regarding refills: Only Dry Ice & Gases are open on Saturday, all the other stores listed above are only open Monday - Friday.
For a 10 pound cylinder, the refill costs are as follows (as of October 23 2012):
Camcarb $30.45 + tax (updated July 2020)
Norwood $20 + tax (out of date)
Herbert Williams: $36.33 + tax (out of date)
Dry Ice & Gases: $25.80 + tax (out of date)