CO2 chamber for $26 or less

[hobbyist]

There are many great forums on building CO2 chambers, and they should definitely be explored and given their due credit. Here are some links (certainly not all) for more ideas:
http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...hlight=chamber
http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...hlight=chamber
http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...hlight=chamber
http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...hlight=chamber

I took ideas from those forums, and built my own, but I was able to do it for $5.17 including tax (I had a CO2 canister already).
Dry ice is an option, and runs from $1-2 per pound, but does not store well, and will slowly disappear, and since every cent counts to me, I decided not to use it. It definitely works on a larger scale, but I am breeding on a very small scale.
The maximum price i've heard of from any paintball store or from wal-mart to fill a 14 or 20 oz canister is $5. I get mine filled for $3, and that should last me for at the very least 40-50 uses, depending on how large the container you use is (mine is small).

Here is what I did:
First, obtain a CO2 canister- most places have a courtesy fill when you buy it. You should be able to get one fairly cheap- just look around for someone selling their old paintball equipment- or $20 is typical pricing at walmart or any paintball store (used is cheaper, but still safe)
Most CO2 canisters now can be bought with a valve release, as shown below.

I bought some 1/2 in. OD polyethylene tubing for $.09 per ft from Lowes or home depot- I bought 3 feet. Cost me .27 cents.
Picture of tubing is shown attached to the next step.

Here is the elusive piece below. This costs $5.08 at Lowes/Home Depot and is the most expensive part of my set-up. It is a compression Coupling from the plumbing section. They can be ordered online. The coupling that fits paint ball canisters is an "A-19 Compression Coupling 1/4 " OD x 1/2" FIP w/insert"

It fits so well that it is completely airtight (with a #35 O-ring that should be on the canister)

If you take it apart, it will have 3 pieces. The pictures below are self-explanatory. It fits the tubing perfectly, and is flawlessly airtight because of the compression band.





The only thing left to do is attach it to whatever container you are using- just drill a hole with a 15/64 in. drill bit- and it will fit in snugly enough you won't have to use any sealant or glue. I used an aquarium-like tube I have lying around (to conserve CO2 volume, and is right size for mice).
And voila, the finished product....


This can be attached to any plastic container, or tupperware (provided its big enough to hold your live feeders)- it doesn't have to be completely airtight- but if it does leak air somewhere, make sure that spot is the top of the container, as the air will leak out and not the CO2 (which is heavier than air).
So there is a CO2 canister that costs $6 over what you're willing to pay for a CO2 canister- easy and cheap to refill, but most importantly- completely airtight on the canister end.

Hope this helped someone!

[hobbyist]

huh... guess the pictures didn't come out the right size. My apologies about this- I have larger sized pictures in my gallery, but they didn't show up as large here

[MDB]

very nice I am breeding on a somewhat larger scale about 100asf rats, actualy just starting this week. I will defintely try this for people that order frozen. thank you it was very helpful