Pony bottle

[spearfisherman55]

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[akscubainst]

All new stuff probably about $400

Rough prices.
Tank $100
Reg $200
pressure guage $50
Bands $50

Personally, I would just work on diving more and being more relaxed in the water. Befor you know it your consumbtion will come down.

Dave

 

[StSomewhere]

All new stuff probably about $400

For that kind of jack, you could just buy a bigger tank like an E8-130.

 

[Stirling]

I am new to diving. I have only been certified for 10 months now, I only made 17 dives. I use too much air. Does anybody know about how much it will cost to get a pony bottle setup and what you need. I want between a 19cf and 30cf bottle. I want to be able to strap it to my main tank.

I don't use a pony bottle, and I'm not sure that I would recommend it, either - but to answer your question:

A Luxfer 30 cf tank will cost about $130, and a Luxfer 19 about $105-120 (these are "DiveBooty" prices that I just grabbed off the internet, not the result of shopping around).

You will need a separate regulator for the pony bottle, as well - and of course you can spend a lot or a little for a regulator. If you attach only one secondary stage to your pony bottle, you will not have a backup regulator for your pony - for people who only intend to use the pony bottle as an emergency air supply, a single secondary stage may be appropriate. If you are planning to use it regularly as a part of your air supply, a single secondary stage means that you will regularly be diving without a backup regulator for the last part of your dive(s). So you may want to consider adding another secondary stage to the pony bottle, as well.

To attach the pony bottle to your tank, you can use a bracket and strap (I have seen these for as much as $80-90 - for example, http://www.aquaexplorers.com/pony_bracket.htm), but there are other ways to carry and sling a pony bottle for less money. If you look at how the pony bottle is mounted to another tank, you will see it either rides off to one side or the other of the "main" tank, or sits on top of the "main" tank and adds substantially to the height of your profile. If you sling it under one of your arms, there can be some issues there, too.

So - after reviewing the cost and the logistics of carrying a pony bottle, you might want to consider some other options. For example, you can just dive with a larger tank, which saves you the cost and hassle of additional regulators and mounting hardware (and attaching and removing it), and will probably give you a leaner profile, and can get you the same 100+ cubic feet of air that you would get from a 19 or 30 cubic foot pony bottle (and for less money spent on fill the tanks). Depending on how much weight you dive with now, diving with a larger steel tank might simplify some of your other gear issues, too, because of the difference in buoyancy full and empty (as compared to aluminum 80s and pony bottles).

That last paragraph assumes you might want to consider a single larger tank, which you could probably dive with your existing BC. Depending on what kind of BC rig you have now, you could also consider switching to doubles.

Finally, of course there are other ways to work on air consumption, if you really think you're using it up too fast. As far as I'm concerned, if you're actually breathing it, it isn't being wasted, and I wouldn't worry about it too much - but if you think it's cutting unreasonably into your diving time, the first thing I would consider is a larger single tank. And then more experience and relaxing will help you to cut down on air consumption, although if you're a big person you can expect to use more air than a smaller person would.

 

[teknitroxdiver]

So, instead of solving the problem, you want to cover it up with a stage bottle?

I suggest that before you go and spend a bunch of money, give yourself time to adjust to being underwater, and your air consumption will go down. And then there will be no need to dive with a stage.

A stage tank, you ask? Yep. A pony bottle is something to add redundancy in case of an emergency. By adding it as a stage bottle, you do not add redundancy, in fact you add danger due to the fact that you have not yet been trained to deal with multiple gas sources.

There's nothing wrong with carrying a pony bottle. It's a good idea. But, give it time and gain skill and you won't have to resort to closing the barn door after the horse is out.

 

[UWSojourner]

You may also want to try a sling bottle (carried up front).

I've tried both methods and the sling has been a much better option for me. Until you've tried both, you may want to wait on spending the $'s.

 

[spearfisherman55]

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[Hoosier]

I don’t think he used the term, Pony, correctly. Pony bottle is mostly referred as the air source for the deco diving and emergency exit. In your case, the main objective is just to extend your bottom time with the additional air source. Am I right? If then, as other members commented, your need is to have one big tank or double configuration.



It is a common path that many divers get through.



1. Double configuration:

Like akscubainst addressed, you need to have a Tank, Reg, SPG, Bands, and Manifold. Its cost is easily over $500. But, there is one spot you can save some money here. If you don’t mind using a “cheater bar,” you don’t need to have additional Reg and SPG. You can save almost half of the cost. However, there are many opinion about a cheater bar so that the safety issue is your call.



2. One big tank

You don’t need any additional gears and it is a simple configuration, but it can be pricy and bulky depending on which tank you choose.



So, which way do you like better?



How did I know this? I have already tried both options listed above.

I am new to diving. I have only been certified for 10 months now, I only made 17 dives. I use too much air. Does anybody know about how much it will cost to get a pony bottle setup and what you need. I want between a 19cf and 30cf bottle. I want to be able to strap it to my main tank.

 

[teknitroxdiver]

Sure doubles or a big tank are good. But this guy has SEVENTEEN DIVES. He doesn't need a stage bottle. He doesn't need double tanks. He doesn't need an extra-large tank.

He simply needs experience. Remember your air comsumption on your 17th dive? At that point you're just getting decent at buoyancy, just being getting to where you can reduce your constant fidgeting with gauges and inflators and such, and start seeing outside of your mask.

I urge you to wait. See where you're at at 50 dives, at 100 dives. If at 50 you still feel like you have horrid air consumption, consider a larger tank. Not doubles. At 50 dives you are nowhere near ready for the added mass, gear, weight, and worry of two tanks, two regulators, and twice as much mass.

 

[spearfisherman55]

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