CO2 Scrubber Not "Scrubbing"

[Dolomiteclay]

Earlier this week, I got a CO2 scrubber and after installing it my pH hovered around 8.1-8.2 for a few days. This was exactly what I wanted and I figured I had solved my low pH problem. (It was around 7.85 to 8 before)

I emptied the skim cup on Friday and I noticed that the pH was a little lower yesterday (8-8.1). I get up this morning and it's back down to 7.9.

I know this is a function of my apartment having higher CO2 pressure than normal, but I thought I had the problem solved when the scrubber worked for the first two days. I'm starting to question whether I have it installed correctly or if I loosened something up upon emptying the skim cup.

I have attached a picture and any suggestion/tip would really help as I can't seem to get this right

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[IMG]http://i358.photobucket.com/albums/oo27/dolomiteclay1/IMG_2501_zpsov2tnaiw.jpg~original[/URL][/IMG]

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[ca1ore]

Scrubber is installed on the skimmer airline? Perhaps the media is exhausted already?

 

[Dolomiteclay]

It could be, but I haven't had the media in there for even a week.

 

[LelandF.]

It's likely exhausted. Many people have had that problem, and it gets expensive changing it out. I'm about to run a separate airline outdoors for my skimmer. Lighting my refugium 24hrs a day has helped, and I'm adding kalk slurries every morning to combat it as well.

Good luck,
Leland

 

[jason2459]

You should be able to see the color changing as it gets exhausted.

 

[Dolomiteclay]

I haven't seen any color change at all and most of what I have read would suggest that it should last longer than 2 days.

 

[jason2459]

Doesn't sound like it's pulling air through it or it's bad media. That's a pretty clear container and you shouldn't be able to miss the color change.

 

[oseymour]

I live in an apartment in NYC with my wife and 2 young sons. That's a lot of Co2 in the apartment - especially in the winter when we can't open the window - my PH hovered around 7.9.

I don't worry about it - I ended up causing a lot more issues trying to "solve" a PH problem. I saw that a lot of featured tanks here hover around 7.9 too.

Dripping Kalkwasser was the only solution that kept my PH up but I abandoned that after a while too.

 

[jason2459]

7.8 to 8.0 should be an ok range to be in. At those numbers make sure to keep Calcium and Alk up to proper ranges as well. Lime water is a great way to boost or maintain all three.

 

[Dolomiteclay]

My Ca hovers around 380-420. I dose kalkwasswer through my ATO. My alkalinity is 13.4 which I know is high, and I have finally gotten my Mg to be in the 1300 ppm range.

If the scrubbing capacity for the CO2 is exhausted after two days then I can certainly see how this might be more trouble than what it is worth, and I may just ditch the CO2 scrubber all together.

 

[jason2459]

I would check to make sure the air draw is coming from that reactor and that the tubing in the reactor is in place. It may not be application for that reactor but you should at least see some of the media changing color. Since you have it set to pull air up the tube then you should see the top of the media changing color first as the air is pulled down the body of the reactor. Check the tubings and air draw and swap out the media.


Here's mine setup last week and it's about 90% exhausted. It's soda lime from Medvet.

 

[Dolomiteclay]

I certainly don't have any color forming like that at all.

 

[jason2459]

I certainly don't have any color forming like that at all.

It's potentially able to revert back from that violet color but not with in 2 days.

 

[Dolomiteclay]

I tightened everything up the best I could on Sunday, and today the pH was up 8 this morning and was as high as 8.1 on Monday night.

 

[jason2459]

Keep checking to see if the soda lime shows any color change it should show a change by now.

 

[Dolomiteclay]

Well it still hasn't showed any change that I can see, but the pH is staying at 8 in the morning and 8.1 before the lights go down. I havne't changed anything else, so I'm guessing it is doing something.