BRS CO2 Scrubber

[shaywood]

Purchased a CO2 scrubber which was installed on December 25th. I noticed the soda lime is already blue. Would it be normal for it to turn blue so quickly?

 

[ca1ore]

Certainly possible, yes. I experimented with a DIY scrubber a while back and rapid media exhaustion was a problem; that, and it made almost no difference. WoT if you ask me.

 

[cpllongjk]

Yea people really under estimate how much CO2 is in their homes and how quickly the media gets exhausted.

That said, if you run an air line extension from you skimmer to the outside air somehow you will see cheaper and almost the same results.

For instance, my tank pH fluctuates throughout the year depending on season. During the spring/summer/fall months when I can open up the house and vent the CO2 my tank has proper pH of 8.1-8.3. However, in the winter months I cannot open the window the pH goes from 7.8ish to 8.05 max. And please keep in mind this is with me running my skimmer using fresh outside are all the time. If I were to take the fresh air off the skimmer the pH would drop I'm sure.

 

[shaywood]

I had run a line outside but found the distance really impacted skimmer performance. The CO2 scrubber has worked great at increasing PH. Just wasn't sure about depleting soda lime so quickly.

 

[mcgyvr]

Yep.. entirely possible..

 

[ca1ore]

I had run a line outside but found the distance really impacted skimmer performance.

Did you 'upsize' the tubing? Pipe friction works just as well for air as it does for water. When I ran my skimmer line to the outside, I used 5/8" ID hose.

 

[GreenTankCorals]

I struggled with the pH after moving into a newly built, well sealed house. I was able to install a one inch, pvc pipe to bring the outside air to the skimmer. The distance between the skimmer and the outside is about 40 ft. My pH now stays above 8.1. The outside end of the pvc has an audible suctioing sound.