# hydor co2 system



## spypet (Sep 15, 2006)

I can tell you two things, neither answer your question directly;

Hydor's products are good, but not perfect, however they have 2 year warranties on their products, and they'll simply send you a replacement unit if yours has a defect.

Red Sea came out with a cheaper Co2 system that uses standard tanks and paint gun Co2 cylinders. You may want to consider that system as well before committing to Hydor.

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## magicmagni (Nov 7, 2003)

It doesn't look like it, but if you are running say a bubble a second the 74g cartridge it comes with should give you about a month. If you add a solenoid to the unit I'd imagine that you can almost double that.

If you want one that works on the paintball type tanks the red sea unit has that option.


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## robsphee (Jan 23, 2006)

Thatpetplace.com sells it for 159.99 and they want 19.99 per co2 cartridge. I think it is way too expensive for what it is.


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## spypet (Sep 15, 2006)

ebaY resellers have all these new products for nearly a quarter less than normal web sight sellers.
personally, I'm happy with DIY, but would invest in a full size Co2 setup should I ever get a big tank.
I think RedSea and Hydor are stupid not to go to China and get the price point under $100.
That would open up a whole new population of aqua hobbyist to Co2 injection methods,
as well as convert the majority of DIY'ers into using safe cheap easily found paint gun canisters.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

What stands out in the hydor ad is the very low bubble rates they use to show a long life for their CO2 cartridges. My experience with a 29 gallon tank shows that the bubble rates they show are about 1/4 or less of what you would actually end up using. So, the cartridge lives they show are about 4+ times too long. That makes this very uneconomical, in my opinion. However, I don't know how their diffuser works. It does look interesting.


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## fshfanatic (Apr 20, 2006)

spypet said:


> I think RedSea and Hydor are stupid not to go to China and get the price point under $100.


I am sure that with the current markup in Pet supplies, and knowing that people generally "Pay whatever they have too" that the actual wholesale cost is very much below $100. It is the local retails making all the money, not the manufacturer.


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

Hydor products never really seem to catch on in North America for some reason. Yeah, the inline heaters do well (Hydor is suprisingly the only manufacturer as far as I can tell), but none of their other products seem to take off. I don't know if it is a quality issue or just poor advertising strategies.

The CO2 set up you mentioned is pretty slick, but does have its draw backs. I would imagine the small CO2 cylinder wouldn't last as long as many of us are used to. Replacing it every one or two months would get tiresome and pricey after some time. Same thing with a paintball canister. Going every month or so for a refill would be a real pain to me.

I can't see the effort involved as being that much more convienient than a DIY rig. It sure isn't cheaper! Whether or not a company decides to manufacture a product cheaply in China or another part of the world, DIY will always be a feasible, inexpensive alternative to pricey, gimicky CO2 injection methods.

Before you buy, 66north, consider the size of your aquarium, the amount of CO2 you anticipate needing and the cost of replacing the Hydor cartriges in money and time. Look at the cost in time and money having to get a similarly small paint ball canister filled as well. Also examine the cost and convienience of a DIY set up. THEN have a look at the cost of purchasing a full CO2 system. Only then will you be able to decide whether or not The Hydor system is worth purchasing.

Mike


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## 66 north (Oct 28, 2004)

Thanks for the opinions, I guess it is pretty new. One of the stores we have in Toronto has recently started stocking it, but I had no idea what the price would be. Well actually I figured it was expensive but was hoping it would be surprisingly cheap. 

I'm looking for something for a frameless 10 gallon tank on my desk. Basically I want it to look nice, I currently have a Hagen system doing the CO2 but same old story I'm starting to find it a hassle dealing with yeast mixes. 

I saw this a while back and thought it was great, pretty much what I want. 
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/diy/27883-nano-co2-ada-style-regulator.html

I have a friend who is a pneumatic fitter and says he can get everything but that little regulator. There's a couple of brewery places in town that that I should have a look at.


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## magicmagni (Nov 7, 2003)

If you decide to build your own the most spendy things will be the little regulator and solenoid if you decide to use one. For myself I really like using this little regualtor and it allows me to run higher C02 levels than DIY yeast and it's more consistant. I replace it every two months on my ten gallon and I can live with that.

If you go with the Hydor you may want to look into the disposable paintball type cylinders for it. They are a lot cheaper, although they may have gone with a different threading like the ADA one.


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## MutantRam (Jun 28, 2009)

I own the Hydor 74g system. First off, I have a small planted tank, 18gallons gross. I thought I could easily get by with 4bpm and get about 6 months use from teh 74g disposable. Like the other guy said, no flipping way. After gettting some education I am up to about 60bpm. Not sure what I need right now. I have to do some measuring to tweak it.

Hoppy mentioned the diffuser. It is overrated. At 4bpm, I would rarey see any bubble coming from the diffuser. At 60bpm, it looks okay, but it does not spin bubbles all over the tank. In fact, I will likely swap this thing out for a glass diffuser. The Hydor diffuser takes up a big footprint, requires electricity to run the pump, and routine cleaning of sponge and impeller. It's over rated.

Hydor actually makes two models. The 74g unit and another unit that has a real regulator with adapter for 74g unit and paintball canisters. I'm kicking myself now for not paying the extra 50 bones for the dual option. 

I bought this unit for about $100. It is the best price I could find on the Internet. At Petblvd. They are out of stock now though. Plus they did not have the dual regulator package. Hydor website shows the two different systems.


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## MutantRam (Jun 28, 2009)

So I just double checked. The Hydor Advanced system has a regulator with adapters to fit 74g bottle, paintball bottle, and standard CO2 bottles. Kick self hard, now. ouch. Looks like I'm gonna buy it anyways.


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## Left C (Nov 15, 2003)

Can you get the adapter that will adapt your system to paintball cylinders or regular CGA-320 cylinders? If not, maybe you can sell it.

Then, instead of purchasing another Hydor, Red Sea, etc., you could get a nice regulator from GLA, SuMo, Rex Grigg or even build your own. Then get a diffuser or reactor of your choice. One of those regulators would probably last a lifetime.


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## NateFank (Jan 2, 2009)

hey i have the hydor co2 advanced system with the paintball bottles it works ok, but the adapter they have doesnt fit normal co2 bottles which sux, but its an ok set up


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