# CO2 tanks "paintball or regular tank"



## Emerc69 (Mar 28, 2008)

ok well im deciding on going CO2 i just want to make sure im making the right decision. so heres my situation, 

Im feeling like i want to go with a traditional aquarium CO2 tank because there seems to be more choices in regulators as well as parts. the only thing is that it seems to cost more like in the tank itself and filling it. theres also less places to fill. im thinking milwalkie (sorry for the spelling ive jus been looking into this the last week or 2.) mainly based on its price and bubble counter. 

paintball tanks are cheaper both ways tank and bottle. the regulators on the other hand dont look as profesional and i feel like im limited to what i can get. the only one i know of is the redsea reg which doesnt look great but i dont know how it preforms.

so what would be the best choice for me? my limit is $180-$200max not that i really that i want to spend that much but if i hav to i will. im more looking for best bang for the buck if i can get all i need for $120-$140 ill do that instead. what do u guys think?


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## oregon aqua (Jan 30, 2008)

imo. go for the Milwaukee regulator (ebay) and a regular co2 tank. you can adapt a standard regulator to fit a paintball tank but i would only do that if room was a concern (thats why i did it) in the long run a big tank is cheaper to fill then a paintball one because you fill less often. i wish i had room for a 2.5# or 5# tank!


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## oregon aqua (Jan 30, 2008)

p.s. you can probably hit the $150 mark if you use e-bay just buy from good vender's i got my Milwaukee reg for 79 and ive seen tanks for 60 or less shipped


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## Emerc69 (Mar 28, 2008)

oregon aqua said:


> imo. go for the Milwaukee regulator (ebay) and a regular co2 tank. you can adapt a standard regulator to fit a paintball tank but i would only do that if room was a concern (thats why i did it) in the long run a big tank is cheaper to fill then a paintball one because you fill less often. i wish i had room for a 2.5# or 5# tank!


where could i find an adapter to convert the pbtank? the thing is i can get a cheap tank or even grab a free CO2 tank from my cousin. plus fills are only $5-$7 bucks at a local pb store. the place to get fills for a standard tank is far from my house n it would cost $25-$30 to fill. btw how does the adapter setup look like? jus curious.


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## mikenas102 (Feb 8, 2006)

$25-$30 to fill a tank is highway robbery. I pay $10 to fill a 5lb tank.
The main reason people go with paintball setups is to save space. If you have the space for a regular tank go with a regular setup and not a paintball setup. The paintball fillups are only $5 because it's only a 20 oz tank at the most. You'll be filling them much more often. The standard CO2 tank will be cheaper in the long run.


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## oregon aqua (Jan 30, 2008)

mikenas102 is correct. especially about the $25-30 thats crazy overpriced id see if you can find another source!

ok this is the thread the thred for adapting your regulator

Afyounie is way better at explaining it then me and he takes a nice picture too

p.s. with this setup you would want to look for a regulator that has the inlet on the side not the back. the Milwaukee's regulator is on the back. it will look like this and the bubble counter wont work.


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## oregon aqua (Jan 30, 2008)

woops

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/do-yourself-aquarium-projects/49882-pressurized-co2-using-paintball-tank.html

here is that thread


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## Emerc69 (Mar 28, 2008)

thanks for the link man very helpful makes me want to get a standard tank(based on the fact that i wont have to fill as much). would the Milwaukee regulator fit any standard tank as in a tank ment for kegs or other CO2 beverages?


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## mikenas102 (Feb 8, 2006)

All CO2 tanks should have the standard CGA320 fitting. Any keg or soda tank will work.


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## goalcreas (Nov 20, 2006)

Got to www.aquabuys.com

here are two options, but the regulator by itself is a free ship item, so that is the price, no more
The package you have to pay for shipping (unless you call, you might get to work something out or get the cost reduces since the main part of it is a free ship item?????)

http://www.aquabuys.com/miva/mercha...o2_regulator&Category_Code=i3&Product_Count=7

or package (note the tube is not recommended for long term use, but you need to use a short run of it regardless if you are going into glass diffusers, so get some co2 proof tube and run it from the bubble counter to the check valve, put the check valve as close to where it needs to be but where you can still hide it and then from the check valve use the silicone. There is enough there to get you going and last for a while, but you should change it out sometime.)

http://www.aquabuys.com/miva/mercha...o2_kit_basic&Category_Code=i2&Product_Count=0

HTH's some


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## goalcreas (Nov 20, 2006)

Oh, go to www.beveragefactory.com for a 5lb tank, new shipped for about $64.
Cheapest I have found online.
There is a source in Phoenix that sells them for $50 when in stock and if they have re-conditioned ones they are as little as $30 so I have been told, so I have not bought from Beverage Factory dot com, but I have priced around and I have known some that have been very happy with their tank from them.


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## greenthumb (Apr 2, 2008)

The larger tanks are more practical, the refills don't cost that much more and a 10# tank will last nearly a year on a 120 gal. aquarium. Look in the phone book under carbonics and price the tank/refill. Filled tanks can't be shipped UPS. Every 5 years the tank will need to have a 'hydro' where it is visually inspected and pressure tested.


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## goalcreas (Nov 20, 2006)

Agreed, but not every tank has room for a 10lb which makes it not as practical, but for anything that has room, yes it is more practical for sure.


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