# CO2 regulators



## ChillinCrazy (May 11, 2016)

Hello forum, 

New to the forum but have been a lurker for a year or so and pressurized CO2. I'm looking to get a regulator but I'm not sure which one to pick up and I'm not trying to spend a ton of money so I'm looking for a budget one. I have found these on eBay tell me what you guys think. If none of these please let me know which ones you recommend. 

Thanks in advance


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## monkeyruler90 (Apr 13, 2008)

I've heard the Aquateks are not reliable long term, they often fail and they have very bad customer service

the Milwaukee are supposed to be pretty good, although a bit touchy to fine tune and they are not as constant as some of the higher end models. 

how handy are you? would you be willing to build your own?


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## Filet-O-Fish (Mar 26, 2015)

ChillinCrazy said:


> Hello forum,
> 
> New to the forum but have been a lurker for a year or so and pressurized CO2. I'm looking to get a regulator but I'm not sure which one to pick up and I'm not trying to spend a ton of money so I'm looking for a budget one. I have found these on eBay tell me what you guys think. If none of these please let me know which ones you recommend.
> 
> Thanks in advance


Through my personally experience, my advice would be to get the best Co2 regulator that you can afford. It will definitely save you much frustration and further spending in the long term.

You can try this company in the UK. Affordable shipping charges and best off all, very good after service.

CO2 Regulators & Solenoids | Aquarium Accessories | CO2Art.co.uk

Cheers.


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## audioaficionado (Apr 19, 2011)

Wow! Prices sure have gone up since 2012.


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## Convict with convicts (Feb 26, 2016)

I'm in the states.... I rock with aquateks... No problems as if yet.... Heard people with a lot of problems from the off-brand Chinese junk... Milwaukee I have also seen work well long term. Just make sure you buy the correct 110 volt/220 volt model to your country... And the correct fitting for your co2 tank you plan on running .... I use an aquatek mini. It's specifically made for a paintball canister.... Costs me 4$ a refill and can buy a box of tanks off Craigslist for 20 bucks lol...I'm all about doing this on a budget as well. And I'm definitely not competent enough to pull off building my own lol. But spending the extra 20 bucks on a good reg will save you a ton of headaches down the line.


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## Kwidjaya (Mar 24, 2016)

So, which regulator is the best ?


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## ChillinCrazy (May 11, 2016)

monkeyruler90 said:


> how handy are you? would you be willing to build your own?


A little I have no idea how hard it would be.

Bump: @Darkblade48 Sorry I didn't know eBay links are not allowed.

Bump:


Filet-O-Fish said:


> Through my personally experience, my advice would be to get the best Co2 regulator that you can afford. It will definitely save you much frustration and further spending in the long term.
> 
> You can try this company in the UK. Affordable shipping charges and best off all, very good after service.
> 
> ...


What do you think of this one?

http://www.co2art.co.uk/collections/regulators-solenoids/products/aquarium-co2-regulator-dual-gauged-solenoid-magnetic-valve



Convict with convicts said:


> I'm in the states.... I rock with aquateks... No problems as if yet.... Heard people with a lot of problems from the off-brand Chinese junk... Milwaukee I have also seen work well long term. Just make sure you buy the correct 110 volt/220 volt model to your country... And the correct fitting for your co2 tank you plan on running .... I use an aquatek mini. It's specifically made for a paintball canister.... Costs me 4$ a refill and can buy a box of tanks off Craigslist for 20 bucks lol...I'm all about doing this on a budget as well. And I'm definitely not competent enough to pull off building my own lol. But spending the extra 20 bucks on a good reg will save you a ton of headaches down the line.


I was thinking about the Aquateks the most, good to know you don't have any problems with yours. I do have a 10 LB CO2 tank ready too go, just have to find a decent regulator for cheap.


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## Doogy262 (Aug 11, 2013)

I have two milwaukees and only problem is taking time to fine tune the needle valve or change it out for a better one like ideal.One is two years and the other is 1,1/2 years.Better out there bur for a budget it is a good starter.


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## ChillinCrazy (May 11, 2016)

Doogy262 said:


> I have two milwaukees and only problem is taking time to fine tune the needle valve or change it out for a better one like ideal.One is two years and the other is 1,1/2 years.Better out there bur for a budget it is a good starter.


Thank you, I have been reading good reviews on Milwaukees.


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## payluder (Feb 3, 2016)

I just got a email from co2art in the UK for limited time if you order the standard dual gauge regulator you will be upgraded to the new premium version for free.

Link to the standard version

Aquarium CO2 Regulator with two Gauge and Solenoid Magnetic Valve | CO2Art.co.uk


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## ChillinCrazy (May 11, 2016)

payluder said:


> I just got a email from co2art in the UK for limited time if you order the standard dual gauge regulator you will be upgraded to the new premium version for free.
> 
> Link to the standard version
> 
> Aquarium CO2 Regulator with two Gauge and Solenoid Magnetic Valve | CO2Art.co.uk


Awesome, I see they have free worldwide shipping. How does everyone like there products?


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## payluder (Feb 3, 2016)

From what I read on this forum they are much more reliable than both Aquateks and Milwaukee but some people did have problems with their dual stage regulator. At least their customer service is great so if you have issues they will help fix it or replace it. This promotion are brand new design so you wont have much feedback on them but you can send them a email and ask questions.


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## audioaficionado (Apr 19, 2011)

I bought a used Victor oxygen regulator on ebay and changed the tank fitting to a CO2 fitting.


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## ChillinCrazy (May 11, 2016)

So between the Milwaukee $99.99, Aquatek $79.99, and CO2art $62.99 (plus $30 for shipping so I can get it at a decent time), what do you guys recommend. Keep in mind with the CO2art I am in the USA FL. 

Thanks

Bump: Tying to stay under $100 for the reg


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## Nlewis (Dec 1, 2015)

ChillinCrazy said:


> So between the Milwaukee $99.99, Aquatek $79.99, and CO2art $62.99 (plus $30 for shipping so I can get it at a decent time), what do you guys recommend. Keep in mind with the CO2art I am in the USA FL.
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Bump: Tying to stay under $100 for the reg


You should try and post in the WTB section and see if anyone has one for sale from this site. 

I built my own regulator setup about 3 months ago and am happy with how it turned out. With that I also spent around $300 doing so, but it was fun for me. 

I believe the issues with the aquatek and the Milwaukee regs stem from the cheaper needle valves they use. 

In the end I think you would be better off to save your money and buy the best one you can afford. Also pm AlanLe and see what he can build you.


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## audioaficionado (Apr 19, 2011)

A complete kit makes it easy, but if you can build it from custom parts, it will be exactly what you want.


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## RyRob (May 30, 2015)

Although I have never built a regulator, I have done a tremendous amount of research on what we in the aquarium community use them for and ended up buying a gla-gro1 about 3 months go and a 5# tank from a local airgas supplier. Through my research, I've come to the conclusion that if you can drive a screw into a board with a screw driver, you can pretty much assemble a co2 regulator. 

Search online for brewing supply companies that have a "new old stock" section. You can usually find cornelius/taprite regulators (the same that gla uses) for around $30-$40 that have a high and low pressure guage with a cga-320 stem/nut. Then just get a decent solenoid (if you even wanted one, budget wise, you could always add one down the road) and a metering valve. Both of which just basically screw together with some fittings, just pay attention to left or right handed threads. You can also DIY pretty decent bubble counters for really cheap. I've seen people online use glass eye dropper tubes and test tubes for inline bubble counters. Gla also sells a nice inline glass one for 28 bucks I think.

You can get paintball tank adapters for them too if your budget doesn't warrant the cost of a full sized co2 tank.

Going this route may be a little over your $100 range even with skipping the solenoid and also depending on the metering valve and fittings and other add-ons, but IMO, you would have a more reliable and well built regulator than most if not all of the sub $100 regulators on the market.

You would also educate yourself on something that you didn't know about before and get a better understanding on how the regulator works and what it does. I've never minded spending a little more money (whenever possible, I understand trying to stay on a lower budget and that it isn't always possible thus, plan b) when I knew I would be learning something usefull in the end.


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## monkeyruler90 (Apr 13, 2008)

audioaficionado said:


> I bought a used Victor oxygen regulator on ebay and changed the tank fitting to a CO2 fitting.


which model did you get? 
How much did it go for?


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## audioaficionado (Apr 19, 2011)

Victor - VTS 450D $40 ebay 2012










By the time you add up everything it came to $300. I was using fermenting wine yeast for CO2 several months before I got a pressurized system.


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## No.92 (May 1, 2016)

What is the average price everyone is spending on regulators? I did a quick search on Amazon yesterday and found prices exceeding $300. I can get a tank for $110 or so but $300+ for a regulator is expensive. Granted, I only want to buy this once and not have to deal with it again so it has to last. I was told brands like Victor, Matheson, Fabco in the other thread about pressurized co2.


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

No.92 said:


> What is the average price everyone is spending on regulators? I did a quick search on Amazon yesterday and found prices exceeding $300. I can get a tank for $110 or so but $300+ for a regulator is expensive. Granted, I only want to buy this once and not have to deal with it again so it has to last. I was told brands like Victor, Matheson, Fabco in the other thread about pressurized co2.


Unless you like the "exotic" you can get a brand new 2 commercial 2 stage (need the O2 to CO2 CGA swap for an addl $10 or so)

Smith Series 30 Two Stage Oxygen Regulators - 35-125-540

Brand new CO2 2 stage regulator for under $200 approx.
That said used 2 stage regs on flea bay are probably averaging $50
for the more common ones..
BUT this is time dependent... Can average a lot cheaper or more depending on "stock" and sellers...

you can get tanks here, new or recerted..
15# re-certed aluminum tank:
https://beveragelements.com/beverag...ders/15-lb-co2-cylinder-aluminum-recertified/

$64.95


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## audioaficionado (Apr 19, 2011)

After the tank and regulator, you'll also need needle valve and check valve, plumbing parts. There are some good threads here on how to source and put a custom kit together. It'll take some patience to get the best prices. Or you can just get a prepackaged kit. If you want all the best parts, you'll have better luck piecing it together yourself.


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## Kubla (Jan 5, 2014)

I went with a "Deluxe" Aquatek with integrated cool touch solenoid. I got it from Amazon for $89.99. I put it in service March 2014 and have had zero issues. Not the best metering valve, but since the whole thing cost less than some metering valves that's to be expected.


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## No.92 (May 1, 2016)

Kubla said:


> I went with a "Deluxe" Aquatek with integrated cool touch solenoid. I got it from Amazon for $89.99. I put it in service March 2014 and have had zero issues. Not the best metering valve, but since the whole thing cost less than some metering valves that's to be expected.


There are some scathingly bad remarks on the Deluxe model and it only has 3.5 stars. I wonder if it is a hit or miss?


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## monkeyruler90 (Apr 13, 2008)

co2art has a sale on dual stage regulators, also they have free shipping to the US


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## Kubla (Jan 5, 2014)

No.92 said:


> There are some scathingly bad remarks on the Deluxe model and it only has 3.5 stars. I wonder if it is a hit or miss?


That could be. I just needed something inexpensive to get by for a while and so far it's been working. Certainly not a rock solid rig and the needle valve will drift, but it's been very serviceable. I've run out of CO2 several times. I did experience one dump at the end of a tank but it wasn't bad and I didn't lose anything.

I'm wondering if this might not work as well on a smaller tank where more precision is required. I'm putting quite a bit of CO2 in as it's a 92 gallon tank. Pretty much a steady stream of uncountable bubble. I don't really have experience with it operating at 1 or 2 drops a second.


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## No.92 (May 1, 2016)

What do you guys think of this CO2 regulator?






Anyone have experience with it?


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## rebelbuck1993 (Sep 3, 2014)

save your money and get a true regulator U.P.Aqua have problems just like aquatek, they are cheap regulators that have alot of issues on needle valves or solenoids stick, get this Smith Series 30 Two Stage Oxygen Regulators - 35-125-540 and refit the nut to cga320 or a GLA regulator or best option is a AlanLe custom.


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## No.92 (May 1, 2016)

rebelbuck1993 said:


> save your money and get a true regulator U.P.Aqua have problems just like aquatek, they are cheap regulators that have alot of issues on needle valves or solenoids stick, get this Smith Series 30 Two Stage Oxygen Regulators - 35-125-540 and refit the nut to cga320 or a GLA regulator or best option is a AlanLe custom.


Ok thanks for the advice. This does bring the "buy-in" cost for pressurized CO2 to a whole new level.


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## psych (Jan 7, 2013)

No.92 said:


> Ok thanks for the advice. This does bring the "buy-in" cost for pressurized CO2 to a whole new level.


It sure does. I've been following this thread and others like it actively. I've had a 40B for going on two years now and it has been planted for much of that time. Last year I got a planted+ and actively started trying to understand fertilization resulting in moderate success. Personally, I feel like this is the next step and, if I do it right, I'll only have to do it once. Over the years I've spent much more than $200 (likely more than this!) on fish and plants, and if this purchase will help me get a more lush looking tank and enjoy the hobby even more I'm all in.

This, in combination from potential cost savings and headaches of going the DIY route on a larger tank, all seem to make it worth it.

I don't think CO2 will be some magic fix and I've seen lush, beautiful tanks done without it (don't know how), but it does seem to add a little extra something to the planted world.

Anyway. My 2 cents. Sorry to distract from the conversation.


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