Pressurized cO2 for 10 gallon.

DoNotDeclaw

So I've been wanting to get a cO2 system for my 10 gallon heavily planted tank. I'm really not happy with the yeast cO2 system and I want to get a pressurized system. Are there any good places to read about them? And any reccomendations on what I should get? Top priority is ease of use, quietness, and reliability. Cost is secondary, but I'm willing to splurge if I can get what I want.
Thanks

Mikaila31

Why do you think you need pressurized CO2? DIY yeast should be plenty for a 10 gallon if done correctly. Pressurized is overkill IMO. They are easy to use once you learn how, which is the hardest part of pressurized CO2. None make any noise that I am aware of, except a single click when the optional solenoid goes on/off once a day. A pressurized system is only going to have an effect over DIY if you have good light and do a complete fertilizer regime. Given the size of your tank, a paintball system is an option. These though are much more limited then the full canister ones. From what I have seen of mine they lack quality of the larger ones... The normal systems though you are looking at a 5 pound tank minimum since filling the 2.5lb ones can be a real pain and expensive. Keep in mind the system, even with a small 5lb CO2 tank, is quite large. Ease of use and cost kinda go hand in hand. You can make a paintball system with a single gauge for under $100 I believe(quite cheap). It of course requires quite a bit of understanding as you must assemble it. Premade systems often will run $150-200 for a cheap/decent system last time I was looking. A good quality full sized system with solenoid it will cost over $200. You generally can't buy a system as a complete kit because they simply are not sold that way...

I can certainly help you with finding a good system if that is what you want, I run both a paintball and normal canister system. I would just make sure it is what you want. Though pressurized takes away the work of the yeast system it certainly add work in additional and more consistent fertilizing and trimming. There is also a risk to fish in the case of improper use of a pressurized system. They can be lethal to fish if you run CO2 too high.

Rex Grigg's has pretty good short answer breakdown on CO2- here

Jwest

maybe add another diy co2 system or use bigger containers?
just out of curious what lighting are you using. im heading off to college next fall and want to setup a heavily planted tank and blah blah blah

Mikaila31

The biggest thing I would look at with getting maximum efficency with DIY is diffusion method. It really doesn't matter how much CO2 is going into the tank if your diffusion rate is low. Increasing CO2 will have some effect and can make up for poor defusion. Often improving diffusion will have much more effect. That goes for DIY and pressurized.
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SinCrisis

Well the question was what system to use, i would look into the new fluval systems. Upkeep is expensive, but ive heard good things about them. The fluval CO2 mini20 should be enough for a 10g system but if you need more theres a fluval co2 88 system.

Mikaila31

Those are the kinda systems I would avoid at all costs actually. They are not refillable. The initial prices on them make them VERY tempting, but they will cost you a LOT more in the long run then a proper system. The 88 system uses disposable canister that hold 88 grams of CO2. This honestly is almost nothing as far as CO2 goes. Petsolutions.com sells these refill canisters for $14 each! Which is an absolutely insane price. 88 grams is about 3 ounces of CO2. Average cost for CO2 is around 20 CENTS an ounce for small tanks.

To compare I will use my redsea paintball pro system. Its not a even comparison but will show running costs well. This system has a solenoid valve and dual gauges for starters so fancier then new fluval systems. Its on amazon ATM for $178 including a empty 20oz paintball CO2 tank (567grams). Though mine has served me well for over 3 years there are better quality, cheaper, DIY options IMO... Anyway I use this on my 20 gallon. It lasts 2-3 months on each tank. When empty I take the tank to any place that fills paintball tanks. It costs $4 to fill that tank with 20 ounces or 567 grams of CO2. Your 88gram "replacement" cartridge will cost $14. My $4 refill is equivalent to over 6 of those little cartridges. Those 6 cartridges will cost $80 if you are lucky. In less then a year your overall costs are going to be WAY higher then mine and they won't lessen... Usually system like the fluval ones are completely custom and I doubt it would work with any standard paintball tanks. It would be a great deal if the threads and pin were standard, so you could use a refillable tank with it, but I highly doubt they are.

Similarly I can fill my 5 pound(2000+ gram) cylinder for $21 two or 3 times a year for my 55 gallon. All in all a proper CO2 system is expensive to buy initially, but cheap and hassle free to maintain. Those extremely cheap name brand CO2 system always have disposable cartridges that cost a ton to use. If you truly want to use pressurized CO2, its best to just bite the bullet and buy a proper system. They are quiet rugged things actually and the main parts like regulator, needle valve, bubble counter, CO2 tank are generally long lived. Only things I have ever had fail are check valves and really old algae clogged diffusers. CO2 systems are used for carbonating with home breweries, any soda/pop fountain has a CO2 tank and regulator behind it as well. The regulators on these systems are no different then those in a aquarium system, except they are much cheaper....

SinCrisis

yea but he said that money was not an issue...

Mikaila31

Then he should get a Rex grigg's setup with a 5lb tank if money is not an issue. The main parts will likely last a decade or more and it will only need to be refilled every year or two. If he wants a money hole to throw money into then the fluvals are a good choice.

SinCrisis

well usually smaller tanks want a smaller footprint for their equipment? a 5lb tank is kinda overkill. cheaper in the long run but unless its a small tank on a large stand, its gonna be hard to hide.