What is Reddit's opinion of AQUATEK CO2 Regulator Mini?

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I've been googling for the better part of an afternoon I have a better understanding but I'm still unsure of which product is good or bad which one is too pricey or not for what it is. More specifically Regulators, Solenoids, and Drop Checkers. On the post I have in /r/aquariums someone recommended the aquatek mini regulator but it isn't purchasable on Amazon anymore and has terrible reviews so I'm not too sure about that one. Also most of the CO2 set ups are for much larger tanks than my own I don't want to over buy.

I am using the citric acid and baking soda mix. The DiY system has been pretty consistent for me so far, apart from my 4 year old inadvertently opening up the needle valve and almost gassing my fish...

The regulator you linked appears to only be available with European plugs and voltages (220v in Europe vs 110v in US). It does look nice, and the reviews are good. I guess I'm mainly just hesitant to drop $80-100 on a regulator that seem to have less than stellar reviews, like Aquateck's Offerings. The reviews on it aren't bad, but there are some real horror stories in there. At least with a DIY solenoid system I could potentially build in some fail safes (like 2 solenoids for instance). Seems like one has to spend $200+ on a regulator to get something truly reliable, which is a little disappointing.

I may just bite the bullet and go for the one I linked with a 24oz paintball tank, but kind of just exploring other options.

Here's the regulator I have... there are mixed stories about it. It's been fine for me.

http://www.amazon.com/AQUATEK-OF-CALIFORNIA-Regulator-Mini/dp/B008TJCPSY/ref=sr_1_cc_2?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1464028443&sr=1-2-catcorr&keywords=co2+regulator+aquarium

You're looking at around $150 for a full CO2 setup. You'll need a regulator, a tank, a diffuser/reactor/way to get it into the water column, and some air line tube. Overall, it's not hugely difficult, but will make a really big difference on your plant growth if you're OK with spending the $$$.

Edit: You can also always look around plantedtank.net for a used setup. There's always people there upgrading.

Thanks! Very useful description of the solenoid. So would a unit like this Aquatek Mini be all I need to set up an automated CO2 system (minus the co2 tank)

I used a citric acid/baking soda DIY setup for about 2 months on my 55G planted community. It was very inconsistent and I could only get about 2 weeks from a single charge. I switched to this paintball system and Ive been really pleased with the results. It has a builtin solenoid so I put a timer on it. It's great and everything was less than $150. A 20 oz. paintball tank lasts about 2 months and refills are $5.

I have this regulator: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008TJCPSY?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

I have a 12 gallon long which I inject 3 bps into an ADA pollen beetle diffuser. I clean it weekly or every other week with bleach (once it gets algae and bubbles get larger). This is important. Just make sure you run it under water and then give a prime bath afterwards. You don't want bleach getting back into your tank.

along with 2 20oz paintball co2 tanks. I have never had an EOTD and I've had it run out a few times. The bubbles just get less and less until it totally stops.

Maybe I just replaced them once the bubble count got really low, avoiding the EOTD?

Either way, the output decrease was noticable and it was obvious I needed a refill. That's why I keep two tanks.

This is the regulator: http://www.amazon.com/AQUATEK-OF-CALIFORNIA-Regulator-Mini/dp/B008TJCPSY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450136175&sr=8-1&keywords=aquatek+mini+co2+regulator

On a timer from 11am to 7pm Using just a regular glass diffuser. I had an inline diffuser but it sprung a leak (at the co2 connector luckily) and I never replaced it.

I use an AQUATEK CO2 Regulator Mini on my 55 Gal planted community. It connects directly to a paintball CO2 tank. At 2 bps, a 20 oz. tank lasts me about 6-8 weeks. It has a built in solenoid that I connected to a timer to run 8 hours per day.

Works like a charm.

I use the AQUATEK CO2 Regulator Mini and a 20oz Paintball tank. The tank and the regulator should not run you more than about $120, depending on the tank. The 20oz tanks typically last me about 2-3 months on my 75g tank. The Aquatek regulator is kind of a pain in the ass to get set right, I recommend getting a bubble count that's not too objectionable and then controlling your levels with a timer. But otherwise it seems like a decent piece of kit.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008TJCPSY?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00

I have this regulator with solenoid and have absolutly nothing bad to say about it. If you bought this instead of the GLA regulator and dropped the second check valve, you would be saving $62.

http://www.amazon.com/AQUATEK-OF-CALIFORNIA-Regulator-Mini/dp/B008TJCPSY/ref=sr_1_17?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1436492834&sr=1-17&keywords=fluval+CO2

this is the best I can find. it seems it comes with everything but a diffuser. any opinion?

I know people have used them, but I have not, so I can't realy say how well they work.

This regulator is designed to work with paintball canisters.

This should be what you are looking for. http://www.amazon.com/AQUATEK-OF-CALIFORNIA-Regulator-Mini/dp/B008TJCPSY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1435092861&sr=8-1&keywords=aquatek

You just need to buy a diffuser, co2 tank & some co2 tubing.

Just to add I've been looking at this:

AQUATEK CO2 Regulator Mini

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008TJCPSY/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_ZAnyvb1F59E9Y

All i have is a 20g tall. It IS heavily planted. I know i said i don't need/want a solenoid, however for less than 100 dollars this seems pretty nice. I suppose my question now would be is this overkill for a 20g tall?

It's a 24oz Paintball CO2 canister and this regulator that is designed to screw right on top paintball size tanks.

Has an electric solenoid so i can plug into my timer and have it shut off over night. I'm very happy with it. It's amazing how much more green everything got after I found a good flow rate.

amazon. They sell the aquatek mini setup.

I bought the 20oz bottle from a paintball store and I can't remember where I got my airline tubing.

AQUATEK CO2 Regulator Mini https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008TJCPSY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_9nWmzbHHP82B9

I got it back in April and it seems amazon doesn't carry it anymore. I run 2-3 bps and everything seems great

What's your budget looking like? Have you sourced co2 in your locality? - that could change advice too or from a paintball tank setup vs swapping at an airgas vs co2 refills at a brewery supply place.

​

Here are some places to start.

Greenleaf Aquariums

amazon link to an example of a paintball regulator

Write up about co2 by Dennis Wong - an excellent read which may answer more of your questions

A lot of people like this- link paintball c02 regulator

Honestly though, you’re better off getting an aluminum 5 pound co2 cylinder with a decent dual stage regulator- I have the one from co2 art and it’s been great to me link

I'm looking into it now though, and this is the best alternative product I could find.

I don't really want that giant tank sitting on my office desk though. What I like about the Fluval kit is that the tanks are sold at my Petco and on Amazon, they're cheap, and space efficient.

Everyone makes this solenoid stuff sound easy, but geez is it getting to be a pain. Hopefully I can figure this out before I have to spend another $100.

Sure I am using the Aquatek Regulator Mini with a Paintball tank from Dicks Sporting Goods (which also sells refills for 5$ a pop). I use a standard ceramic diffusor.

Ferts are Thrive liquid all in one and GLA's dry fert EI package (you can see them to the right of the aquarium). The only reason I have both is because I suspect that Thrive led to a Staghorn algae outbreak back in April - leading me to pick up the GLA dry ferts. I've recently gone back to Thrive and no SHA so far).

If you are using your Paintball tanks there isnt much "DIY" you can do. You'll have to get a regulator to inject the CO2 into your fish tanks.

Something like this.

https://smile.amazon.com/AQUATEK-OF-CALIFORNIA-Regulator-Mini/dp/B008TJCPSY/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1491578117&sr=8-10&keywords=paintball+regulator

Of course you will have to get the tank refilled with C02 when empty.

If you want to do a DIY CO2 setup chekc out this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JzvfHO31Ug

Filter: Corner Hamburg Matten Filter Sourced from Stephan Tanner of Swiss Tropical. Contact: He is awesome to work with and contact.

Jetlifter (Part of the HMF) uses air from a Tetra Whisper 40 Air pump.

Lighting: Finnex Stingray

CO2 Setup: Aquatek Reg , Standard 20 oz paintball co2 tank, Co2 Diffuser from Co2art, and random co2 grade tubing. No bubble counter as of yet.

Hardscape material: Dragon (Ohko) stone and manzanita wood.

Substrate: SL Aquasoil

Plant list: Hygrophilia Pinnitifida, Downoi, Monte Carlo, Fissidens Fontanus, Blyxa Japonica, Velvet 3 color buce, Little Red Star Buce, Krivbass Buce, Little Apple Buce, and Dark Skeleton King Buce.

Petri dish was one I got off of amazon.

Frosted Glass film off of amazon as well.

I guess if you want to know there is a bag of ceramic media hiding behind my filter.

Annnnd there you go the entire list of stuff in my tank.

I am like you, and have done DIY until very recently. Spend the money. You won't regret the purchase. I was only slightly over 100 bucks on mine, but it was worth every penny to be rid of the hassle. The only issue with the valve I'll recommend is that you can't go over 1500 PSI even though the bottle I'll recommend is rated for 1800. Make sure to mention that when you get the bottle filled. The regulator is only rated at 1500. Here is what I bought.

CO2 Regulator
CO2 Tank
CO2 Diffuser

So yea, some tips. Don't fill tank over 1500 PSI. Make sure green knob is all the way in off position and it's not plugged in when you screw on the regulator. Screw on the regulator ALL THE WAY. Plug regulator in, slowly open the green knob. This assumes you have all the tubing hooked up. The bubble counter is super handy :) It only costs me 5 dollars to fill up the tank at Dicks sporting goods store. So after the upfront cost, I can run multiple tanks with a splitter off this, for a 5 dollar every few months fee. Totally worth it for the consistent bubbles and lack of hassle from DIY. If you get a timer, you can plug your regulator and light into it and you can control when the CO2 and light come on. You just need to trust us man, 130 bucks for this is worth it... so worth it. The bubble counter comes in the regulator I linked. The only things you'll need to buy other than what I posted for a 100% system is silicon tubing to link it all up, and maybe some suction cups. I didn't list this because that's a few dollars at most on Amazon. Don't listen to the 300 dollar crowd, my system is sub 150 and works just as well as theirs.

Would highly recommend a system.

> The only thing with this is it seems like it would be way to bulky to have huge CO2 tanks for a 15 gallon column aquarium. We got the column because it saves space, and it has the cabinet under there which has storage but with all the supplies I have I feel like a tank would just be too much. Do you have a link to a set up like this so I can see what you mean?

Well you can go as big or as little as you want. Here is a video of tiny setup.

 

-The mini-regulator from the video (BONUS: It comes with an empty Co2 tank)

-Bubble Counter / Check Valve / Diffuser. 3 in 1.

 

Manual Co2 will work for you, its just that in my opinion a legit setup, even a small one like this, is far less hassle.

Here is the desktop version of your link

It was in my shopping list - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008TJCPSY/ref=wl_it_dp_v_nS_ttl/188-7116644-8649134?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2DZCVVNVUGMVT&coliid=I1IL4PKH6YI15K

> aquatek mini paintball regulator

http://www.amazon.com/AQUATEK-OF-CALIFORNIA-Regulator-Mini/dp/B008TJCPSY

this one?

This is the regulator I use: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008TJCPSY?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s03
The CO2 tanks are about $20 and $6 to refill. One tank lasts me a couple months at 2 bubbles/second.

I could be wrong but I don't think that "on/off" gauge is going to cut it. You are going to need a regulator so you aren't blasting CO2 into the tank. If you are going with paintball tanks, then you should look into this: http://www.amazon.com/AQUATEK-OF-CALIFORNIA-Regulator-Mini/dp/B008TJCPSY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448758582&sr=8-1&keywords=aquatek+mini

That will take the place of the on/off gauge, needle valve, and bubble counter/check valve.

Another thing, that airline tubing is not for CO2. You need dedicated CO2 tubing: http://www.amazon.com/AQUATEK-CO2-Proof-Tubing-16-Feet/dp/B008UCOFJW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448758655&sr=8-1&keywords=aquatek+co2+tubing

Finally, in my opinion, having CO2 is going to be a waste of money without also investing in a better light. A clamp on CFL is not going to cut it when you are running pressurized CO2. You will need a good light and you will need to be dosing ferts, otherwise you will be wasting money on the CO2 since the plants will be needing all three factors (nutrients, CO2, good light) to be in check. If you have any limiting factors (like your light/no ferts) you will not get the results you want.

Aquatek Mini Co2 Regulator

As far as plug-and-play CO2 systems go, with your budget this seems like a reasonable deal. It's really only missing check valves. Of course, you'll need to factor in the cost of a proper CO2 tank too.

Aquatek (through amazon) sells a couple reputable regulators. One fits paintball tanks, but is a teensy bit more expensive, and the other fits regular CO2 tanks. With these, you'll need to supply your own diffusers and hosing as far as I can tell. There's tons of other regulators that might be higher quality.

So do you mean I should buy something like this: http://www.amazon.com/AQUATEK-OF-CALIFORNIA-Regulator-Mini/dp/B008TJCPSY/ref=pd_sim_199_6?ie=UTF8&refRID=18HCGC5909W4WWMJN2RG and a co2 tank to go with it?

Thanks bud,

The lily pipe looks like this: http://www.co2scape.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/lily-pipe-hsl-13-set.jpg

Perfect mix of the old version lily pipe and poppy style for the 12 gallon long.

The regulator: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008TJCPSY/ref=pe_216640_127421270_em_1p_0_ti

The regulator flow knob is very sensitive, so a light touch is needed for BPM adjustment.

The 2215 is the one you should go for. I notice that the flow isn't powerful enough even with the 2215 for the ripples to reach 3/4 the length of the tank, so no dialing down needed.

Low iron is the way to go. Not as clear as my ADA mini S, though. That Amano got it right with the glass on those ADA's.

If you're dead set on using your paintball tank you can pick up regulator kits online. The homebrew method using yeast is cheaper by comparison though.

You'll probably want to get a diffuser and bubble counter while you're at it too.

On the complete flip side of things, are you sure you need a CO2 system? If you're just looking to give your plants a little extra growth you could always use "liquid CO2" such as Flourish Excel instead of getting super complicated.

I would recommend getting like a 5lb CO2 tank. It's cheap to fill and you will have much better results. This regulator is made by aquatek and it's never failed me before. And if it ever does break the company is really good at replacing it for free. They make regulators for bigger CO2 tanks as well.

The kit comes with a bubble counter and tubing. You just need a diffuser.

Purchase

• http://www.amazon.com/AQUATEK-OF-CALIFORNIA-Regulator-Mini/dp/B008TJCPSY/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1380759544&sr=1-1&keywords=AQUATEK+paintball

• http://www.amazon.com/Fluval-Ceramic-88g-CO2-Diffuser-Ounces/dp/B004GCO35G/ref=pd_sim_petsupplies_3

• Also --> Grab a tank at your local paintball/sporting goods store.

I think I'm just going to spend the money on this. It's a lot easier.

http://www.amazon.com/AQUATEK-OF-CALIFORNIA-Regulator-Mini/dp/B008TJCPSY