# Planted Tanks > Beginners' Corner >  where to buy CO2 set cheap ?

## Hipponianhzh

planning to get a co2 set . where can recommend to buy ?? good price also . :Jump for joy:

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## marcusth

CO2 set can be bought through marketplace here or NA(provide 1 for 1 exchange)....

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## felix_fx2

You can go for used ones from market place. The price for 2l is not a huge difference but connivence is strong factor. Waiting 3-7days for refill quite bad experience.

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## Hipponianhzh

> CO2 set can be bought through marketplace here or NA(provide 1 for 1 exchange)....


bro .. where is the market place ? GIVE me link ..

edit: refrain from using sms lingo. The next time the post will be removed.

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## felix_fx2

It is the aquarium ad section. You should have read only access when your a new member.
For details you can check the fourm rules &amp; FAQ.

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## VSGenesis

Want cheap, diy. I have both set up. Not difficult. First set up probably cost less than 20 bucks

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## DanDan89

> Want cheap, diy. I have both set up. Not difficult. First set up probably cost less than 20 bucks


so cheap? yeast CO2?

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## VSGenesis

It depends on you entirely. There's the pressurised, diy and the tablet (i avoid the tablet)

I have used both pressurised and diy. All you need are,
Water bottle/s
Bubble Counter
CO2 Tubing
Check Valve
Sugar
Yeast
Water
Diffusor (Glass not Atomiser)

Now, I am only using this to test and back up if my pressurised Co2 runs out.

To find out how to make one, just google it or go youtube. You can also search it in this forum or find the moderator by the name of Shadow and go to his blog.

For pressurised you need to purchase 4 items. The tank, co2 tubing, diffusor, check valve, bubble counter and regulator. (I believe NA sells in package price) For new, expect to spend. You have to. It's a one time purchase and not a recurring cost except of course refilling the tank and that would be possible month/s later. 

If you go for this, decide 
1) a tank that you owe (means you have to go top it up and wait for a few days to have it refill and then collect it) or 
2) one to one exchange. Nature Aquarium seems to be the LFS I've been recommended to if I want to do this. This saves a lot of travelling.

For CO2 and Filtration, you should be asking for which one is the best for your tank and value for the money and not which one cheaper.

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## DanDan89

i know there are different tank.. been searching for NA tank which i see alot in the forum. But i could not find out what NA is. is it Nature Aquarium?

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## des-cindy

> i know there are different tank.. been searching for NA tank which i see alot in the forum. But i could not find out what NA is. is it Nature Aquarium?


bro, i also not very sure, can any bros here explain what is a na tank??? :Confused:  thanks :Smile:  anyway here the address of *Nature Aquarium (Nature, NA)*
*Blk 1, Thomson Road, #01-340, Balestier Hill Shopping Centre, Singapore 300001*

*Contact Person:* Mr Chan
*Tel*: 6255 6051
*Hours*: Mondays to Saturdays opened till 8pm, Sundays till 5.30pm

*Type*: LFS 
*Specialises in*: Moss, CRS, equipment 

*How to get there*: Nearest MRT stations are Novena and Toa Payoh. Opposite Thomson Medical Centre
*Map:* http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UT...,0.007296&z=17

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## alvinchan80

> bro, i also not very sure, can any bros here explain what is a na tank??? thanks anyway here the address of *Nature Aquarium (Nature, NA)*
> *Blk 1, Thomson Road, #01-340, Balestier Hill Shopping Centre, Singapore 300001*
> 
> *Contact Person:* Mr Chan
> *Tel*: 6255 6051
> *Hours*: Mondays to Saturdays opened till 8pm, Sundays till 5.30pm
> 
> *Type*: LFS 
> *Specialises in*: Moss, CRS, equipment 
> ...


If i am not wrong, NA tank means its CO2 cylinder provided by NA...

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## des-cindy

Oh i see, its the Co2 cylinder tank... i thought it a nano tank... thanks bro... confuse solved... :Jump for joy:

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## Hipponianhzh

guys . i bought at NA 3 weeks ago .. i bought the taiwan brand . not bad . worth . no really a need for the gemany brand .

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## felix_fx2

> guys . i bought at NA 3 weeks ago .. i bought the taiwan brand . not bad . worth . no really a need for the gemany brand .


You will like it more when your in a rush to go home. Watch tv/play games.

Some other lfs the wait time for refill quite long or you have to make a return trip.

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## s0n1c87

> guys . i bought at NA 3 weeks ago .. i bought the taiwan brand . not bad . worth . no really a need for the gemany brand .


Hi. how much did u spend on the CO2 set at NA?

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## qngwn

> Want cheap, diy. I have both set up. Not difficult. First set up probably cost less than 20 bucks


haha i just did up my DIY co2. used up half a packet of sugar..
was wondering if in the long run, will the cost of sugar be more expensive than CO2 with solenoid?

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## VSGenesis

> haha i just did up my DIY co2. used up half a packet of sugar..
> was wondering if in the long run, will the cost of sugar be more expensive than CO2 with solenoid?


Err...not done the maths. I did it because of the satisfaction. I dont intend to make it a permanent thing. I made a mistake in getting the co2 tank. I have to wait for it to be refill and collect days later. Biotope according to a friend, can refill on the spot.

Anyway, well done on your diy co2! =) wasnt it fun? The sugar i "stole" one packet when my mom came home from the supermarket. =x

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## qngwn

> Err...not done the maths. I did it because of the satisfaction. I dont intend to make it a permanent thing. I made a mistake in getting the co2 tank. I have to wait for it to be refill and collect days later. Biotope according to a friend, can refill on the spot.
> 
> Anyway, well done on your diy co2! =) wasnt it fun? The sugar i "stole" one packet when my mom came home from the supermarket. =x


well, cos i'm using a small bottle, so like 3/4 of it is being occupied by sugar.
Overtime, you should see the sugar level decreasing right?

Anyway, i'm planning to get a CO2 with solenoid, but only the 1 to 1 exchange ones like NA or Seaview..
and need to find a place to put as well, would also mean that i might have to buy a cabinet to store it to make it look nice..

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## ralliart12

> You will like it more when your in a rush to go home. Watch tv/play games.
> 
> Some other lfs the wait time for refill quite long or you have to make a return trip.


Is NA the only LFS that provides _immediate one-to-one, on-the-spot exchange_ for (empty) CO2 tanks? Do their tanks have some special design or something, i.e. is it silver with black wording?

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## VSGenesis

@ ralliart12 
To my knowledge, Seaview has it too but please ask. They have two type. The green one and the silver. Choose the silver and ask them. That's the one which is one to one. Or go Biotope refill immediately.

@ qngwn 
Small bottle? 500ml? Base on measurement it's 2cups of sugar for a 1.5l How did you manage to dissolve the sugar; 3/4 is a lot. The more yeast; the higher the CO2 is produce. More sugar; longer it will last.

Personally for a DIY, I find it's good for 3 weeks. The first two weeks was good. After that the bubble count drops. I think I still prefer using one bottle rather than two. 

DIY First Setup: Probably cost about $20
1.5L Bottle
Bubble Counter
Check Valve
CO2 Tubing
Distributor
Sugar (Wife/Mother sure bake right - Make tea and coffee daily)
Yeast (Wife/Mother sure bake right)
Baking Soda (Wife/Mother sure bake right)

Recurring Cost
Sugar @ 3 Weeks Once?
3Kg Fairprice Sugar @ $4.20
2 Cups Sugar is 500grams (correct me if I am wrong please)
So you get 12 cups from a 3kg Fairprice Sugar.
(Yeast and Baking Soda should last for sometime)
Hidden Cost: Don't have. Wife/Mother goes groceries can ask to add into grocery list. Or can walk 5 mins to shop.

Pros: Satisfaction and cheap
Cons: Can't control the bps. Can't shut it down at night unless you remove it. It's not sightly unles you find ways to hide it at the back of the tank. Ants might come. Your wife or family think you've been drinking when it's time to redo the mixture.

CO2 Tank with E.Solenoid First Start Up: Probably cost about $250 (Est)
CO2 2L Tank
E.Solenoid
Bubble Counter
Check Valve
CO2 Tubing
Distributor


Recurring Cost
2L CO2 Tank @ 2 Months? say if you use 2 to3 bps. (Est)
Est refill $20 (don't argue on the price "lah" its indicative. You know I know. Hehe)

Hidden Cost: Transport cost. Have car; it's transport cost also. Car don't run on water. Use water also got cost okay. 
Pros: Easy to use. Using splitter can supply to 2-3 tank. Can control time to switch it on/off. Can control bps output. It's pressurised so all distributor can use. Inline no problem.
Cons: No car, you carry to the lfs. Take MRT with big bag or carry tank around like nobody business get stop by staffs there, have fun explaining. If yours is not the one to one, have fun coming back to lfs once it's refilled. Oh ya have fun basically carrying to and fro. 

Seaview move out I die "lah" It's so near to my house. I can even eat roti prata on the way back. Tao huey there is second best to Selegie some more.  :Crying:

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## ralliart12

> @ ralliart12 
> To my knowledge, Seaview has it too but please ask. They have two type. The green one and the silver. Choose the silver and ask them. That's the one which is one to one. Or go Biotope refill immediately.
> ...


Actually I already have a CO2 canister. The reason I wish to change, is because I saw somewhere in this forum that the canisters from NA, are much nicer looking (_can anybody verify this?_) , i.e. silver with black fonts. & if NA can offer on-the-spot one-to-one "refill", all the better. Seaview (seletar farmway) is slightly more inconvenient for me to travel to, compared to NA (Thomson Road).

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## dc88

You can "shutdown" DIY CO2 at night using a dedicated powerhead connect to a diffusor (either a commercial one or a DIY one) and control the powerhead with a timer so that it turns off at night, the DIY CO2 will vent off thru the powerhead inlet to the water surface and not diffuse into the tank water at night.
Pls see this example :
http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...160#post678160

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## felix_fx2

> Actually I already have a CO2 canister. The reason I wish to change, is because I saw somewhere in this forum that the canisters from NA, are much nicer looking (_can anybody verify this?_) , i.e. silver with black fonts. &amp; if NA can offer on-the-spot one-to-one "refill", all the better. Seaview (seletar farmway) is slightly more inconvenient for me to travel to, compared to NA (Thomson Road).


Who said NA cylinder nicer? I find them looking normally haha. But NA Logo nice heee. 

NA will only offer 1-1 exchange to their own tanks. It's a swapping of cylinders.
Location: Thomson road, opposite Thomson medical.
Nearest 2 mrt station: toa payoh, novena.

Bioplast is the only lfs that will topup any tank for you on the spot. This is the best part I like about there. 
Nearest mrt: book Keng.

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## ralliart12

> Who said NA cylinder nicer? I find them looking normally haha. But NA Logo nice heee...


Al right, perhaps I should quantify, if the NA cylinders are indeed as per my description, personally, I'd like them more than the canister I currently own. I'm _not_ saying everyone else should feel that they (the NA cylinders) look nicer.




> ...But NA Logo nice heee...


As a matter of fact Felix, are you able to dig out any old photos of NA cylinders? I forgot where I saw it; & a simple Google search ain't giving me anything.




> ...NA will only offer 1-1 exchange to their own tanks. It's a swapping of cylinders...


What's the largest cylinder size to _comfortably_ & _subtly_ carry around on _public_ transport?




> ...Bioplast is the only lfs that will topup any tank for you on the spot. This is the best part I like about there. 
> Nearest mrt: book Keng.


But even topping up on the spot takes _slightly_ more time than an 1-to-1 right?

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## qngwn

largest cylinder size.. depends on how often you go to the gym  :Smile:  if you carry 20kg dumbells like you brush teeth, then 5kg should be a prob.. else for me, the smallest (2kg) is actually quite a weight already, but still managable on public transport.. i took bus that time. not sure if MRT allows you to bring it in..

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## felix_fx2

> Al right, perhaps I should quantify, if the NA cylinders are indeed as per my description, personally, I'd like them more than the canister I currently own. I'm _not_ saying everyone else should feel that they (the NA cylinders) look nicer.
> 
> As a matter of fact Felix, are you able to dig out any old photos of NA cylinders? I forgot where I saw it; &amp; a simple Google search ain't giving me anything.
> 
> What's the largest cylinder size to _comfortably_ &amp; _subtly_ carry around on _public_ transport?
> 
> But even topping up on the spot takes _slightly_ more time than an 1-to-1 right?


Around 7-10 kg for 2 litre filled. (heavy enough IMHO)
If you want picture, drop me a pm in fourm or d3 with your number. 

For On the spot refill, you can buy your own prefered cylinder. Many people like a personalized cylinder (when they can afford of course) so wait a while is ok. 

For swapping, I see a few cylinder types NA uses. Nothing special. But swapping cylinders indeed is fastest.
Loved it when I was in a rush that day.

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## ralliart12

> ...Many people like a personalized cylinder...


May I know what's a "personalized" cylinder?

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## felix_fx2

Your own one. Can be from lfs. Can be bought from other sources.

Most times I see aluminum ones.

Some bro want their own cylinder but want fast top up. So you know where they will go  :Razz:

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## ralliart12

> Around 7-10 kg for 2 litre filled. (heavy enough IMHO)
> If you want picture, drop me a pm in fourm or d3 with your number...


I actually went down just down to take a look (& feel) for myself. 3 versions caught my eye: a 0.94-liter, a 2-liter & a 3-liter. The 0.94-liter version is definitely the nicest, i.e. full silver & shiny, but I'm _unsure if_ it's in the "1-for-1" exchange program. The 2-liter cylinder has a black main body with the _tapered upper_ region a solid _grey_. Colour-wise, it looks nicer than the 3-liter version, which has a black main body with a dull _silver_ tapered upper region (I suspect the tapered upper region is _unpainted_). Unfortunately, I didn't purchase any new cylinder, as while the NA one's are definitely nicer, they aren't _that much_ nicer to make me buy one on the spot.

To be honest, I would have purchased the 2-liter version _if it wasn't so short & stumpy_; as I like its color theme the most. But on the other hand, _the much more slender 3-liter version is just slightly too heavy for hand-carrying around_.

I asked Mr. Chan if I can purchase one from him & spray-paint the exterior by myself, then I realized when doing the next one-to-one, I wouldn't be able to get back my "customized" cylinder. I also found out that re-filling cylinders that are not purchased from NA, takes around 1 week's turn-around time, according to Mr. Chan.

_Actually, I'm very perplexed about one thing, my existing cylinder is taller than NA's 2-liter version, but it is significantly lighter than NA's 3-liter version, so I do not know the capacity of my existing one._




> ...Bioplast is the only lfs that will topup any tank for you _on the spot_. This is the best part I like about there. 
> Nearest mrt: book Keng.


_Felix, may I know how long does it take for Bioplast to fill up say, a 3-liter cylinder?_ I realized (today) that I can go to-&-fro NA & bioplast via bus service 21; so I can probably deposit the cylinder at Bioplast for topping up while I go shopping at NA. If I adopt this workflow, I can probably go spray paint my own cylinder.

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## felix_fx2

Never topup at bioplast before.
All the way NA.

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## qngwn

Well, will you be placing your CO2 tank outside or on the inside? If you really want nice one that you can refill yourself, I would go for an ADA tank /: if not then all of it will look the same. Else, if you want the convenience of NA, yet with your customised look, you can always create a sleeve for it, like wearing clothes. I did that for mine last time  :Smile:

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## ralliart12

> Well, will you be placing your CO2 tank outside or on the inside? If you really want nice one that you can refill yourself, I would go for an ADA tank /:...


What's an "ADA tank"?

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## qngwn

> What's an "ADA tank"?


Sorry I means ADA CO2 tank. You can try googling, and you should end up oogling..  :Smile:

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## ralliart12

> Sorry I means ADA CO2 tank. You can try googling, and you should end up oogling..


Actually I did, & it appears ADA only started _selling_ their _non_-mini-sized CO2 towers for their 20th anniversary celebration this year?

Scroll down

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## qngwn

> Actually I did, &amp; it appears ADA only started _selling_ their _non_-mini-sized CO2 towers for their 20th anniversary celebration this year?
> 
> Scroll down


Yes they are so.... I just wanna buy and display them.

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## ralliart12

> Well, will you be placing your CO2 tank outside or on the inside?...


I do not have a cabient, hence my CO2 cylinder will be exposed.




> ...Else, if you want the convenience of NA, yet with your customised look, you can always create a sleeve for it, like wearing clothes. I did that for mine last time


Mind sharing how do you go about creating the sleeve? Is it form-fitting? Currently, my next move is to spray the cylinder to a custom colour of my choice. But I'm unsure if I will get back the _exact same cylinder_ when I send it for re-filling (the conventional wait-n-week refilling; not the one-for-one exchange by NA)...

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## ralliart12

I'm intending to spray-paint my cylinders. Anybody knows if _aluminum_ cylinders can be sandpaper-ed down for spraying? I saw someone did it with his steel cylinders before (using sandpaper to sand away the original coat) but unsure if there will be any danger to sand the aluminum surface...

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## diazman

Best if you want to sandpaper the tank, it be empty  :Laughing:

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## 5stars

How much does Nature Aquarium charge for a new or used full CO2 set? I'm interested in getting a pressurized CO2 system.

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## VSGenesis

@ 5stars, call them or head down to their store and ask. I find prices +- is not much difference everywhere. It's a matter of convenience only. NA is one to one exchange. While most lfs requires a few days to be refilled and then you will need to come back to pick it up.

1) CO2 Tank 
2) Solenoid
3) Check Valve
4) Diffusor
5) CO2 Tubing

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## felix_fx2

NA does not tell prices over the phone.

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## 5stars

Does anyone know where to buy 2nd hand complete CO2 set (2 litre tank, regulator, solenoid)?

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