FZONE Pro Dual Stage Aquarium CO2 Regulator CGA320 for Aquarium Plant Tanks

I have been involved in the aquarium hobby for several decades, but this is the first time I have ventured into the use of CO2 injection for a planted aquarium. I have a 55 gallon freshwater tank that is heavily planted and moderately stocked with fish. I have adequate lighting and add fertilizers to the tank, but needed a source of carbon to facilitate plant growth. After extensive research into various options, I decided to use CO2 injection from a standard 5# CO2 tank, FZONE regulator and a ceramic diffuser. I chose the FZONE Pro Dual-stage regulator for a number of specific reasons. 1. This regulator comes with a standard CGA320 connector that screws onto standard CO2 tanks like the 5# tank I chose. Should you wish to use this regulator with smaller tanks such as paintball tanks, Soda Stream tanks, or even disposable tanks, adapters are available to do so. However, for a 55 gallon tank and larger, standard CO2 tanks are more cost effective. 2. The regulator comes with two stages of regulation and two gauges to monitor tank pressure and delivery pressure. Furthermore, the delivery pressure is adjustable. The dual stage regulator keeps the delivery pressure constant and avoids the possibility of a end of tank surge of CO2 which can harm livestock in the tank. Thus, I do not have to monitor tank pressure on a daily basis. Many regulators come with two gauges but are only a single stage of regulation. Some mini regulators come with only one gauge. Some regulators come with a non-adjustable delivery pressure. 3. The regulator comes with a solenoid that operates on a 12v DC power supply. That is safer than a 120V solenoid when you are working near water. If the power supply does fail, it is easily replaced as 12 VDC power supplies are commonly used for a variety of applications. I have the power supply plugged into a timer such that the CO2 comes on 2 hours before my lighting in the morning and turns off 1 hour before the lights turn off. That insures the plants have an adequate supply of CO2 during the high-growth period, but CO2 does not build up to excessive levels at night when plants cannot consume it. The solenoid does cut off the CO2 flow completely when the power is off. 4. The regulator comes with not just one, but two needle valves and accompanying bubble counters with check valves built in. These appear to be precision machined valves that provide precise control over the CO2 flow. They seem to be quite stable in that when the CO2 comes on in the morning, the flow rate is the same as it was the previous day. I have mine set for about 90 bubbles per minute, but you might need more or less depending upon your tank size, water chemistry and plant requirements. I am only using one of the needle valves, but you can connect a second tank, or reserve it as a spare in case the first one fails. The check valve insures that tank water does not back up into the needle valve and regulator when the CO2 flow is stopped at night. This avoids one potential maintenance issue. 5. When I had my CO2 tank filled, the supplier provided a couple of nylon washer. However, I found that these washer were not thick enough to provide a good seal between the tank and the regulator. The thicker washer provided with the regulator worked perfectly. 6. I have not had the unit long enough to verify its long term durability, but considering I should only have to refill the CO2 tank every 4-6 months and I do not have to make routine adjustments to the needle valve, I predict that the system will last a long time. The most likely maintenance issues may be the solenoid and power supply; both of these are easily replaceable should the need arise. 7. Lastly, the system seems to be fairly priced. Most dual-stage regulators are significantly more expensive than the FZONE. Since I have not used CO2 injection previously, I did not want to spend $200-300 for a regulator alone. I do recommend this unit to anyone with a 40 gallon and larger tank who wants to begin using CO2 injection. For tanks smaller than 40 gallons, this is probably more system than is required, but it suits my 55 gallon setup quite well.

This is my first time putting a co2 system together and this is my first co2 regulator. The price is reasonable and I didn’t want to go with a high end product since I didn’t know what I’d deal with until all parts got in front of me. The installation part is easy and everything ran smoothly until I found the solenoid valve had a leakage and couldn’t stop the bubble popping in the bubble counter. I thought about returning the product and upgrading to a higher end regulator that is twice expensive and only comes with one bubble counter, but it felt like a hassle to do all that. So I decided to give their customer service a try. I emailed them my order number, the problem I encountered, and attached a short video as evidence. They responded fast, sending me tutorial how to take the solenoid apart and examine the parts. After doing that and putting the parts back together, the problem persists. After confirm with them that didn’t help, they quickly sent me a new solenoid valve component. The replaced component works perfectly. Problem solved. Very friendly and helpful customer service, don’t afraid to reach out.

I’ve had the FZONE Pro Series CO2 regulator for a while now, and as a first-time CO2 user, it was actually really easy to set up and get running. Connecting it to the tank was easy, and dialing in the bubble rate wasn’t hard either. I like how easy it is to adjust and how stable it stays once it’s set. Being able to run multiple tanks is a big plus for me since I have five tanks. Some use CO2 and some don’t, and you can definitely see the difference in plant color and growth. Overall, it is a solid and reliable CO2 regulator, and I haven’t had any issues with it. Good option if you’re new to CO2. In the photos below, the tank with the black sand and rocks is the one running CO2—that’s what it looked like when I first set it up. The tank with the corys doesn’t use CO2, and you can definitely see a difference in the plant color (even though one has tannins and the other doesn’t). The photo with my betta is a bit older since he’s passed, but it still shows how big the difference can be between tanks with and without CO2.

I have been using the FZONE Pro Series Aquarium Dual Stage CO2 Regulator for over four years and have been largely satisfied with its performance. The integrated bubble counter and multiple flow adjustment levers are particularly convenient features that enhance its usability. The quality of the mechanical components is good and they maintain a solid seal after several years. However, I did encounter an issue with the solenoid. After some time, the unit became finicky to turn on, requiring the adapter cables to be in a particular position to hear the click sound, indicating power. Eventually, the red power wire for the solenoid became disconnected, likely due to twisting over years of normal use. This resulted in the solenoid failing to activate. To resolve this, I opened the plastic housing of the solenoid and reconnected the loose red power wire. This quick fix restored the unit to full functionality. It's worth noting that when I initially purchased the regulator, I experienced solenoid issues within the first month. The seller was responsive and promptly provided a replacement, which has been in use since then. Overall, I am pleased with the regulator's performance and features. However, potential buyers should be aware of the possibility of solenoid wiring issues over time. Careful handling of the wiring connections can help prevent such problems. Fortunately repairing the issue in my case was pretty simple. I would rate this product 4.5 out of 5 stars.

"Incredible regulator! Rock-solid stability for a planted tank." ​I am thoroughly impressed with this dual-stage regulator. Setup was straightforward, and the build quality feels heavy-duty and professional. The most important part for any planted tank is CO2 stability, and this unit delivers—zero end-of-tank dump issues, and the needle valve allows for extremely precise bubble-rate adjustments. If you're on the fence about upgrading your CO2 system, this is definitely worth every penny. Highly recommended!

This is the second regulator I have purchased from FZONE. The bubble counter is quite sensitive so you can dial in exactly how much flow you'd like with your tanks. The regulators work well, and the company has great customer service when you have a question or concern. I also appreciate that many of the components are replaceable as needed, and it's a well-made, durable product.

This product is trash. I did a dark start and could have had fish day one but decided to wait a few more weeks to ensure the tank was in order, and I am glad I did. After one week the solenoid stopped working, meaning the co2 kept coming and never shut off! I noticed the next morning and my drop checker was pure yellow. ALL MY FISH WOULD HAVE DIED. After wasting days tinkering with it and trying to fix it I gave up and ordered a replacement. While I waited for it to arrive I had to manually close/open the valves and re adjust the bubble counter on my co2 each day twice a day at exact right times to try and maintain some sort of consistency in my tanks. My new plants that were trying to adjust suffered. Once my replacement arrived, I installed the new one, turned it on and drove to the store to return the bad one, guess what? 2 weeks later the new one is having the same issue! Not only is the solenoid junk but I noticed the bubble rates are inconsistent, even when it was working one day its 1 bps the next day its 1.5 or .5. I am done with FZONE. I am returning this junk and going to a pay the extra money for a premium GLA brand. Had I known the time sink and frustrations I would easily have paid the extra 100 bucks for a premium brand to rid myself of this headache.

There are a number of regulators out there for the aquarium use and they tend to fall into one of two categories: affordable and very expensive. The expensive ones ($400+) are usually the ones made by hobbyists who really know what they are doing. They use top of the line regulators and needle valves. The needle valves alone on those can cost more than this entire system. Those are hands down the best...but at the end of the day do they perform better? Not necessarily. This model from FZone gets the job done effectively. It delivers the CO2 your tank needs and offers the protection and convenience the more expensive ones provide. I would recommend this one to all but the most picky and discerning. What do I like about this one? -the manifold design is great for adding multiple aquariums and using one CO2 tank and regulator. This design makes it much easier than using splitters on other regulators. -It looks nice and is good quality. More on that later. -it is fairly reliable. The bubble rate and CO2 levels are consistent even after cycling on/off -The price is right! It is nearly identical to others out there. Many of the components are likely from the same factory. What is bad about it? -needle valves are terrible. Very hard to adjust CO2 rate. It works, but is hard to dial in. It need to barely apply pressure and I don't even detect it turning to fine tune it. Its probably a 1/100th of a turn or less to go from 30bpm to 60bpm. I am using it on a 5 gallon tank that needs 35-40 bubbles per minute (bpm). I did get it dialed in, but the needle on this has a high Cv factor. The Cv factor determines the flow rate. On the $100 needle/meter valves you can turn the dial a complete turn and go from 10bpm to 60bpm, maybe even less. Some of them top out around 120 or 180 bpm (2-3bps). A quality meter/needle valve with markings would be AMAZING and the single best upgrade. I may just do this on mine, its worth it. -the gauges are not the right range. The tanks we use are around 850PSI when full. We run 20-30PSI working pressure. The gauges should be 0-2000 for the tank and 0-100 (or less) on the working side. Gauges are most accurate around the 50% range. Both ends of the range are not accurate. With the pressures we use, these gauges are working in the less accurate range. So 25PSI today may not be 25PSI next time you have to adjust it. -The solenoid could use less power. It runs at 4.3 watts. My FZone mini runs at 1.3Watts. -The solenoid needs a light to indicate it is on (open). This was great on my my mini. I could easily see if it was open or closed. So thats it. Its a very good value and gets the job done. I would definitely pay more if they had a new version with good meter/needle valves with low Cv and gauges that are designed for the pressures used in aquarium CO2. However, at the end of the day I can get it dialed in and have it working for weeks/months and my plants and livestock won't care.

Benutze es um zwei Aquarium mit CO2 zu versorgen. Steht einem Namhaften Hersteller nichts nach. Alles dicht,gute Einstellungen, Optik 10 von10 und super Verarbeitung. Wirklich mal richtig empfehlenswert. Mit diesem Druckminderer macht man nichts falsch. Danke für das tolle Produkt. Gerne wieder

La verdad es muy util, bonito, funciona bien. Lo recomiendo de momento. Si pasa algo actualizare en un futuro.

Bom produit on réglé bien le numéro de bulle

Day 1 review: - Product construction and materials feel like excellent quality. I would be surprised if it wasn’t durable. - Easy to use and set up, no assembly required. - I only needed one of the manifolds, so I was able to remove the extra one which was helped keep things compact. The only issue was that there were two male pieces in between the solenoid and the last manifold and it took a couple tries to remove the extra one. - The main issue I had so far was that the solenoid wasn’t shutting off the flow at first. I had to take apart the solenoid, clean it out, and stretch the string a bit. That fixed it. I shouldn’t have had to do that though. - Also the needle valves are ultra sensitive, but once you’ve got the bubble rate set you shouldn’t need to touch it. - Everything else is good, and the biggest benefit with this regulator is that it’s dual stage, which means there is little-to-no risk of gassing your fish when the tank runs out. Will update if anything changes. Update 1, Day 3: The solenoid issue has returned and I sent a support request. Update 2, week 2: FZone support responded quickly and were genuinely helpful. They helped me troubleshoot the problem briefly, and when that didn’t fix the problem, they quickly sent me a new solenoid. They gave me multiple options for shipping, and even offered to compensate for the inconvenience. The item arrived sooner than expected. It is probably the best customer service experience I have had on Amazon. The new solenoid works properly and I am very pleased with the final product. Updated to 5 stars.

The initial unit failed to stop the flow of CO2 through the de-energised solenoid valve seat. Fzaqua were prompt to engage, but cleaning advice made not difference and unit replacement as I requested, was lost in translation, taking a week to eventually resolve a series of misunderstandings. Anyway, the replacement unit worked perfectly out of the box, and Fzaqua were prompt to initiate a refund. In summary, a good, value for money product, but I seem to have been unlucky to receive a faulty one initially, but customer services were very fair and attentive, when misunderstandings were resolved. I would recommend the Fzone dual stage regulator based on price, build quality and customer service.