AQUATEK CO2 Regulator Mini

Really nice, no issues. I've been running this controller on a 24oz paintball tank I purchased on Amazon for about 10 days now. I filled my paintball tank with CO2 at a nearby Army/Navy/Survival type store for about $7. This is my first time running CO2 and I noticed two things which may explain why some folks seem to have problems adjusting the needle valve/bubble output of this unit... The first 8 days of operation I was using really short regular clear tubing, like less than 16" total, and when I turned the needle valve dial the tiniest bit, I saw immediate reaction to change in bubbles either increasing or decreasing depending on which direction I turned the valve. Two days ago my "CO2 proof tubing" delivered, so I swapped out my short crappy clear tubing with this nice co2 proof tubing that is about 6' long so I could rehome the paintball tank out of the way. Now when I turn the dial I have extremely delayed reaction to change in bubbles. Of course regardless the needle valve is very sensitive, so the smallest turn does make a change to bubbles, but now it's more difficult to adjust because the tubing is so long it just takes a while for the pressure change in the long length of tubing. YMMV however I'm pretty certain the folks complaining about delayed reaction (like 30-60sec) for bubbles to change after turning the dial are upset because they have long tubing. This is an excellent controller, the solonoid works well, and it truly is set it and forget it. Of course I check my bubble counter multiple times per day and it's stable. So far my HC carpet in only 10 days has grown significantly and pearls every day under Finnex 12" Planted+ which is probably classified as medium lighting on my 7g cube.

I purchased this in February of 2017 and it's still going strong after one year of continuous use. I have this connected to a 20oz Tippman and 24 oz Tippman CO2 tank. From my understanding these tanks were originally designed for paintball use, but I now use both of my tanks for injecting CO2 into my planted nano aquariums. No adapter was needed as per the design of the Aquatek regulator. I have it connected to a timer. My CO2 tank comes on one hour before my lights come on and I have it turned off one hour before the lights go out. I currently have my lights on for eight hours. Per my aquarium light set up this seems to work out just right to keep happy and healthy water and plant conditions. I did have to use plumbers tape to seal up some air leaks. I used soapy water in a small spray bottle, over a sink, with light to little misting, to locate these leaks. Once I found the leaks I used plumbers tape and I tightened down the fittings. So far so good. I have an Aquatek three way spliter and two lines are connected to diffusers. The 20oz tank lasts about four weeks, while the 24oz tank lasts about six weeks. I feel that is reasonable for my application and it only costs me just under six bucks to fill my tanks at a DICKS sporting goods store. I purchased two tanks so I can always have a spare tank readily available while I get the second one filled up. One thing I was disappointed to see is that the price has increased from when I purchased my regulator. I bought mine, $89.99, over a year ago (I just want to be clear about that) and the price has increased. I'm all for a business making more money or seeing a return on investment. That just seems to be a little bit of a big bump. However, I am very satisfied with how my regulator has performed up to this point. IF I should have my regulator break, I would definitely buy another one even with the increase in price. It just works for me and it's easy to use. I hope this review helps those who are wanting to purchase this for their own use. I purchased this item with my own money and Aquatek did not reimburse me for this review. 01/23/19. Unit is still going strong. Very happy and recommend unit to anyone looking for a budget friendly regulator. 03/20/21. This thing is still working! Great product and hope this review helps someone make a decision on weather to buy it!

After trying two different small c02 cartridge systems (the kind that take 45 or 90 gram disposable cartridges), I decided to spend the $ for a real C02 regulator system for my 5 gallon heavily-planted nano (though it would work just as well in a larger tank.) The only drawback to using this paintball system is the initial start-up cost, but compared to those disposable cartridge systems, this is actually far more cost-effective over just a few months. Total set-up for this with all of the needed components was around $125. C02 disposable cartridge systems that I tried cost $50 (Ista WaterPlant) & $70 (Fluval) for the initial purchase, but I was going through a cartridge every few weeks at $10-15/pop, not to mention the cartridges that were completely wasted by leaky mini regulators and impossible-to-accurately-control valves. Filling my 20oz paintball C02 canister cost $3.50 at Sports Authority and will last for months. So it's actually far more cost-effective to pay for a good system like this up front than buy all those landfill-bound disposables. My Aquatek Mini worked flawlessly right out of the box. Gauges are easy to read, there is no leakage, and the control valve is smooth and easy to set at your desired bubble rate. Do be aware that in addition to the regulator, you also need to buy a paintball canister, Co2-compatible gas tubing, and a diffuser. This regulator came with a bubble counter that is working just fine for my application. The tank and regulator are small enough to tuck into the bookshelf that my tank sits on, so the equipment is hardly visible.

I decided to go with this regulator after reading the poor reviews of the smaller Fluval systems. It is a really simple device but the directions could have been a little more expansive. It is just a single page that did not expand on possible additions to the solenoid like a timer system. I have only been running to system a couple days, and the needle valve seems a little stiff and hard to turn, but when I got my flow rate to where I wanted it, I did not get any drift, which is important because I leave it on when I leave for work. Overall a good product for the price

Edited after about 1 year of use: So the regulator started getting a little wonky about 3 months ago. It sounded like the solenoid was switching on and off, but CO2 was not flowing. Working pressure checked, tank pressure checked (it was a full tank), checked all connections, checked a second full tank, tried a different electric outlet. Nothing. I was about ready to order another when I noticed some bubbles one morning. So now the CO2 was flowing, but the regulator was not completely shutting down the CO2 flow when the timer was off. After some fiddling and replacing o rings, things started working OK again. Fast forward 2 weeks ago, now I am getting flow, and it goes on and off with the timer, but I can't adjust the flow...?The little knobb adjuster is broken. Now it occurs to me this may have been the problem all along. I fiddle a bit, but nothing works. I was leaving on vacation, so I left it as-is, ordered a new CO2 regulator mini for when I got back, and left. Well I come back and there is no CO2 tank, the tank is still showing full and working pressure gauge shows pressure, but no bubbles. So I open up the new regulator to find there is no pin in the regulator where you connect the paintball canister. So, there is no mechanism to contact the CO2 tank valve and release CO2. Lo and behold, I find a tiny little brass fitting loose in the box, and this brass fitting scres into the regulator. So I do that with much difficulty because it is a 2-pin style fastener, not a regular screw you can use a screwdriver with. So I try attaching the CO2 tank again and nothing. Regulator reads 0 pressure, and releases no CO2 flow. So, based on my experience, I am cutting my losses an going with a reputable company. I'd rather pay $200 and get a good regulator with a 3 year warranty than pay $90 every 9 months, because clearly these are not built to last and have zero quality control in the build process.

Have purchased two of these for controlling CO2 in Aquascaped aquariums. The valve is pretty much shut or open. There is very little room to adjust the flow and requires constant adjustment but it is SO difficult to do. Just barely touch it and you have either opened the flood gates for CO2 or turned it off. Very frustrating. The on/off with the plug-in works great, but that is the best part about it.

I purchased this Aquatek regulator about a year and half ago ( Feb. 20, 2014). After I hooked it up i found a 20 ounce paintball tank was only lasting about 3 months. I had always thought that it should have lasted longer but never really thought of it further. Recently my plants in my 40 gallon tall aquarium weren't looking so lush as they had been. Upon checking the CO2 canister I discovered that it was completely empty even though I had recently filled it at a local sports store. So, I new there had to be a leak somewhere. I checked the fittings on the bubble counter, etc. I checked the tubing itself to make sure my cat had not chewed it. Couldn't find anything amiss. Then I thought what the gas utility company does when looking for a gas leak! So, I sprayed soapy water on the fittings around the canister... the needle valve was foaming and so was the volume pressure gauge. Classic leak detection!!! Unfortunately, Aquatek only gives a 90 day warranty on their products and I was long past that date.My advice to anyone who purchases this regulator is to test it for leaks with soapy water as soon as you get the valve operational. If it leaks then send it back until Aquatek sends you one that doesn't leak. Since I was out of warranty I decided that I would repair it myself. I backed out all three valves. I found that the valves were not tightened down completely. Most likely so they could be aligned horizontally so you can read the needle without having to tilt your head. Also, I found metal shavings from when the hole was drilled through the gauge during manufacturing. Normally a QUALITY manufacturer would have these metal pilings ground or brushed off. Two or three seconds this would take. I am not sure if these metal pieces adversely impact the seating of the gauges or not. So, I sanded those pilings off, cleaned up the metal threads and applied a mechanic's clear liquid compound to seal the threads.Once I put the gauges back into place I let the regulator dry overnight to set up the threading compound.The gauges are not aligned in a horizontal position so it's a little harder to read but they don't leak, so far. And they are tight ! I wish I had known about this earlier when the regulator was under warranty. I advise anyone who buys this product to check for leaks as soon as you install the valve and the system is pressurized. At $140 retail I expect a higher quality of craftsmanship. Would I buy it again? Maybe... but I would do the soapy water test as soon as I got it hooked up! The pressure adjustment gauge is small and really hard to adjust. You have to turn it in micro turns otherwise you have too many bubbles or almost none. Aquatek needs to improve this, too. UPDATE: December 16, 2016. I recently had to refill the CO2 paintball tank AFTER 14 months! I was refilling the tank monthly before I repaired the leaks from this regulator. Enough said !

The mini regulator works very well. Although it is made for paintball tanks it can be used with regular co2 tanks. I have it on a 5lb tank and it works great. <---( you will need Teflon gaskets/ washers, I got mine from the local Airgas store. I used two of the white ones and wrapped some Teflon tape around the threads) no leaks the fine tune knob works great very sensitive I must add. I'm very happy with my purchase. Will be buying another unit for my other 55gal. I had trouble getting my paintball tank filled at the local sportsman store their equipment wasn't working so that's why I looked into the industrial tanks. Also supplied by Airgas the tank was $65 and to swap will be $29. Plus this would last longer than the paintball tank. And I won't have to worry about weather they can refill or not. Just swap for a full tank and I'm back up and running! I would recommend this regulator if you don't want to spend a lot of money. Put it on a digital timer and it stops the flow and starts automatically. The picture of the Teflon washers is what you need for use with industrial tanks.