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.

The media could not be loaded.  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!

The Aquatek CO2 Regulator Mini is a great way to enter the world of pressurized CO2 planted Aquariums.I have a 30 gallon planted tank which started out with very sparse planting, and I was using API CO2 booster (along with frequent water changes) to increase the CO2 levels in the tank. It worked well for a while, but eventually I started having problems with algae, and once my plants grew they weren't getting the CO2 they needed.My tank isn't too big so I decided to try this product, since it runs off of paintball canisters. I couldn't be more happy with my choice.It was easy to set up, and I noticed a positive change in my tank in about a week. Greener plants, less algae, and everything was growing twice as fast. The solenoid makes this super easy to use, and by that I mean, you can literally just replace tanks and let timers due the rest. I have my timer set to start this about 10 minutes before the tank lights turn on, and 10 minutes before they turn off. Set it, and forget it.It came with a bubble counter that seemed pretty cheap, and I had ordered a different one anyway, so I never ended up using it, but I'm sure it will get the job done.Pros: Affordable, Easy Setup, Solid ConstructionCons: None I could find.

Works very well but there are a few annoyances. The needle valve is hard to work with so expect for it to take a while to get the setting you want. Another thing is that sometimes the solenoid might get stuck open as a result of dust or contaminants clogging it. No worries though, there are instructions on how to maintain and clean the solenoid on the Aquatek site. Other than those two, no complaints. It's a solid regulator for a very reasonable price.