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indyram · September 2nd, 04:19 PM

I bought a piranha marker from a friend about 5 years ago. I haven't been able to play and am now just starting again. From what I cant tell everything is stock except there is a fat expansion chamber and an evil bolt. I would like to add a gauge for the tank pressure and for the regulator pressure. I would also like to do the smaller things like the air valve, maybe a flush cocking bolt, and barrel. I don't play a whole lot right now so upgrading to HPA is probably gonna wait for a year or so. I have looked at a lot of websites and the posts in the PMI area here. What I'm not real sure about is whether or not the regualtors, bottom lines, ram air, and such are universal or specific to each model. Thanks for any help.

**Trbo323** · September 2nd, 04:29 PM

well since you are running CO2 a guage on the tank will tell you nothing, CO2 is stored in a liquid state in the tank and so there is always around 800 psi in the tank reguardless of how much liquid co2 is in there. this is why there are no co2 tanks with guages, they would read around 800 psi untill the last few shots. as for upgrading your fish, the only things i would recomend are a barrel (J&J ceramic, $30, make sure its "spyder threads") an on/off asa if you want, they make it much easier to get the tank on and off, i am partial to the CP minis (last i checked around $30) and if your feedneck does not hold your hopper all that well get a clamping one, feednecks are threaded so you will need one that will fit the threading specific to your marker, im sure someone on here can tell you which threading that is. beyond those the marker is not worth dumping tons of money into since you can get something better for less money than it would take to upgrade this thing. your two best upgrades are a good forcefeed hopper (look into the VL eye force) and a HPA tank since those can go onto whichever marker you get next. so you can really dump money into those if you wish, also it may be time to upgrade your mask if your not using one with a thermal lense already, dont go cheap on a mask, its the single most important piece of equipment you can buy

indyram · September 2nd, 04:40 PM

Thank you. I wasn't sure if a regulator for CO2 would help to know how much was left or not. Are the regulator/expansion chambers universal on the threads? For upgrading from what I have seen the evo is the way to go, or would another model or brand be a better bet?

**Trbo323** · September 2nd, 05:17 PM

definatly go a different brand, all the fish are stacked tube blowbacks (STBB for short) so getting another fish is not really an upgrade, as fa as the expantion chamber/reg if you have the expansion chamber i wouldnt waste any money on a reg, chances are whatever you get next will have one stock anyay. threading on the reg/expantion chamber is standard asa threading as far as i know.

as for what to upgrade to, well if you are going to have HPA look into the smart parts ion XE (do NOT get the normal ion) or if you want to upgrade before getting a hpa tank there is also the smart parts vibe that is very similar to the ion but is safe to use with co2 (you should install a anti-siphon tube in your tank however) it just will depend on your budget as to what to get next

i started out with a fish as well, and now about 5-6 years later i have more gear than i know what to do with....

indyram · September 2nd, 05:27 PM

Thanks for your help.

**Trbo323** · September 2nd, 05:49 PM

no problem

**TheAznInvazn** · September 2nd, 09:01 PM

Uh, for the CO2 pressure;
CO2 can reach up to around 1200psi, and as you start shooting, the pressure begins to drop as you use up the CO2

I use a gauge on one of my ASA's to see how much CO2 I have left, and another right above my reg to see what pressure I'm shooting at

indyram · September 2nd, 11:22 PM

I have looked at quite a few ASA's online and most of them have on/off, but I didn't see any with a gauge or with a port for a gauge. What are you using?

**TheAznInvazn** · September 2nd, 11:25 PM

Any asa with two output holes in the sides

**Trbo323** · September 3rd, 03:18 AM

how can you possibly tell how much co2 is in the tank if the guage always says the same thing except for those final handfull of shots?

**TheAznInvazn** · September 3rd, 10:12 AM

Because the pressure doesn't stay the same
There is no reg on a CO2 tank like there is in HPA tanks, so unregulated CO2 goes to the HPR and then gets its first stage of regulation

A full CO2 tank has an output of about 1200psi, and gradually drops as you shoot
By putting a gauge on the ASA, you can determine the tanks output pressure, and thus estimate how much is left in the tank

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