Best Regulator + Solenoid ?

[severn]

hi

just looking for any buying advice or experiences with the following regulators/solenoids ...aquamedic . jbl or deletec...or any others ?

there also seems to be to be some reasonably priced ph contollers on e bay ...
ph controller
any thoughts on the these ??

cheers
Jon

 

[sophos9]

Hi, I have a Deltec setup which apart from leaking when I bought it (it did warn me in the instructions but I did not heed it) has been great. If you buy the set, budget to replace the CO2 line and diffuser sometime has they are poor

Solenoids are much of a muchness, all probably manufactured from the same plant

I dont have first hand experience of PH controllers but am looking into them myself, seem to be the perfect way keeping CO2 saturation at a constant so will look forward to hearing more on this thread!

HTH

 

[Themuleous]

Hi Jon

Regs

JBL - the worse of the lot, difficult to get fine adjustments of the needle vale. It also has a tendency to 'shift' out of place changing the rate.

Aquamedic - excellent reg, although I have recently had problems with mine leaking, no matter how much I tightened it. Think it must have been a flaw in the o-ring.

Other - I can highly recommend this reg. I have two, both of which are excellent and very reasonably priced. I did have to DIY my latest one as it stopped working but it was ultra easy to do and its working perfectly now. Am sure it was probably just a one off.

Solenoids

Ive only ever used one -> this one, it works well was a bit tricky to attach to the reg but I got there in the end, and to be fair it would work just as well attached to the tubing. I have however decided against using them, Ive CO2 24/7 on both my tanks and never had any problems. I guess they are a useful addition if you have the money and will save you quite a bit of wasted CO2 (at night) but they aren't essential. If its a solenoid or more/better light, get the light every time.

pH controller - never used one and only know of a few people that have. An expensive and unnecessary addition IMHO. You have to be vary careful with the probe and be sure it doesn't come out of the tank or you'll gas all your fish. I would say its the very last thing on the list when setting up a planted tank, spend the money elsewhere. If you have the money free, then as Sophos says it will help get a very stable CO2 level, although would think a water change could through things out very easily.

Sam

 

[severn]

thanks for your replies...

my experience of aquamas was not good...maybe largely due to my inexperince seting it up or possibly that my equipment was faulty ..

2 weeks after i set it up i came back from work and fish were dying due to the co2 going mad and pumping out like crazy..
i took the system to taunton aqaurium centre...the co2 bottle had frozen and it seems the regulator was missing the washer that connects to the bottle [i guess i must have lost this..]
they showed me the aqua medic regulator that they sell...it felt really good..seemed to be alot more heavy and solid feeling.
my real point is that when i set the system it was giving out about 1 bubble per second and then it badly malfunctioned in some way.

safety stability and relaibility is really what u need with co2 systems..for one reason or another obviuosly i didnt get this ..
im considering trying to get the co2 bottle replaced...not sure if i have a guarentee with this ?

im still considering a co2 system especially since i spent all the money in upgrading my lighting etc.
thats why it would be great if more people could give me feedback on their experinces with the variuos types of equipment...

cheers
jon

 

[sophos9]

Jon, check out this post...

CO2 Adjustment

Anything like this?

 

[severn]

very interesting...if i take the plunge again i will consider the tubing...

overall as u can gather im not totally happy with the quality of the gear i got in general ..i had to attach the solenoid to the regulator by co2 tubing becuase it wouldnt connect any other way...

suffice to say that if i try the co2 route again i wanna know i am using quality gear...i nearly lost £250 worth of altum angels last time...uhmmm


cheers
Jon

 

[sophos9]

Jesus, that's rough!

Not trying to sell the Deltec unit, just my observations as a customer. The kit comes with the reg, solenoid, thumb wheel and non return valve already connected. The instructions told me to test the set-up for leakages however I did not do a thorough job and lost 2 full bottles out of it!

After sorting the leaks, replacement tubing and diffuser I'm absolutely happy with this set-up, its stable and most importantly just works!