CO2 scrubber

[pascal32]

Tom - is this the right stuff?

http://www.airgas.com/browse/productDetail.aspx?Category=450&product=MOP120020-00

 

[pascal32]

I'm just more curious at the moment with the overall thread and the experiences in general. Currently I see no need for me to use a scrubber.

-Blurry,how much media did you use in the 3 weeks ,I remember seeing it hooked up but didn't notice how much was in the canister?

I got mine from the filter guys since I was ordering DI and was short on time to run to airgas and make my own reactor which is what I should have done.

The site says 1 gallon does 6 cartridges, so about 1/6th of a gallon which is a little over 2 1/2 cups.

I'm feeling this - I swear the Dinos came to a screeching halt when this went on line. Since its faded it seems that they are starting a comeback.

BTW - thanks for the lighting suggestion - the tank has took off since I changed the light schedule, growth is ridiculous & color is coming back strong. groeth has gone up so much I'm dosing almost twice what I was before - up to a 150ml/day rec 1 two part. the caps are growing like crazy and coraline is setting in everywhere!

 

[tmz]

Yes, the sofno lime is the right stuff . I'm getting a steady .2 increase as well. I changed a liter of media after 5 weeks . It was still 40% white. I've left the other one going for 5 weeks now. So I would say for a skimmer drawing 1500gph of water ,one liter of sofno lime in my house air will last about about 6 weeks perhaps as much as 2 months.. At $4.50 per liter it's not very expensive.

 

[pascal32]

Cool. I called airgas and the sofnolime will be here early next week

Thanks!

 

[mr.maroonsalty]

I'm seeing it in medical supply catalogs for ~$2.50 # Do you have an idea what the volume of a # of this material is?

 

[pascal32]

I'm seeing it in medical supply catalogs for ~$2.50 # Do you have an idea what the volume of a # of this material is?

the 5 gallon bucket lists a net weight of 37 pounds.

5 gallons/37 lbs = .135 gallons/pound
.135 gallons/pound * 16 cups per gallon = 2.16 cups/pound

prince wise @ 2.50/pound:

$2.50/# * 37# = $92.50 for 37#

cost is higher than buying the 5 gallon pail through airgas.

 

[tmz]

I paid $81 plus tax for the 37 lb /5 gallon bucket from Airgas, ie $2.19 per lb plus tax. It might be worth it for some to buy it in smaller sizes. I could not find a vendor with a reasonable price for smaller amounts. On line hobby vendors go about $40 to $50 per gallon.
Robert,do you know of vendors who sell in smaller quantities @$2.50?

 

[mr.maroonsalty]

I see it here: http://www.shopmedvet.com/product/soda-lime-3-lb-bag/anesthesia-products I haven't searched much. My other is a vet; she said they keep it by the bucket.

 

[tmz]

Nice , Thanks for the link. I bet many folks would prefer the 3lb size even if it's a little more expensive rather than going for 37 lbs at once.

 

[NyReefNoob]

couldn't you also just use a air pump with a air stone ?

 

[naprestsleep]

The idea is to lower the co2 in the air being used. You could use an air stone and pump on a scrubber but it's just as easy to install the scrubber on a skimmer.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

how about an update on this, Tom

how about an update on this, Tom

have you increased the amount of media being run in order to further raise pH?

have you fine tuned your methodology at all?

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

great stuff! I love the idea, slightly concerned as to the repetitive costs. Looking at the $90/5 gallons compared to on-line prices does help. thereefguys are coming in at $54/gallon - that puts you at almost %70 lower!

please keep us posted! I'll probably jump on board as soon as there is more data on lifespan of the media.

I'm interested in lifepsan reports as well. I imagine they'll vary according to CO2 levels in different environments.

Also... has anyone in Rochester found a place to purchase this stuff?

 

[pascal32]

I've been running with a filterguys canister with media cartridge (about 1/6th of a gallon which is a little over 2 1/2 cups) seems to last about 3 weeks for me. I really should start keeping notes, I used to and stopped for no good reason other than laziness.

I can tell when the cartridge is running low by the PH. I usually replace when there is still a little bit of white left.

either of these stores in rochester should be able to get you bulk media. If you work for a company you might be able to get a discount on top of the already nice pricing

this falls under medical, so you might want to call the medical branch

Distance: 4 miles
Name: Airgas East
Phone: (866) 718-0685
Fax: (585) 254-4168
Address: 1144 Lexington Avenue,
Rochester, NY 14606
Facility Type(s): Retail Store
Get Directions

Distance: 8 miles
Name: Airgas East
Phone: (866) 718-0685
Fax: (585) 436-8907
Address: 77 Deep Rock Road,
Rochester, NY 14624
Facility Type(s): Fill Plant
Branch
Specialty Gas Lab - Regional
Medical Branch
ISO 9000
Retail Store
Get Directions

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

thanks for that info

 

[apt220]

This is a good thread and although I am not from your region, I found it after doing a search. I just want to share my soda lime consumption experience.

I used a CO2 scrubber for over month now on the intake of my skimmer. It really helped bring my pH up to 8.4 before the lights turn off and it would stay over ~8.26 by morning. Before the scrubber, my pH used to max out at about 8.1. I have a 100g with a 40g sump and I top off with kalkwasser.

I burned through the stuff pretty fast though. About 1.5 lbs for me lasted for six days which is when the pH wouldn't max out as high. I am one guy in a 1 bedroom apartment who is gone 9.5 hours per day for work with the windows closed 24/7.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

dang!

dang!

thanks for sharing that. Looks like I'll go through a lot!

I might need to use "plan B": get rid of the rabbit and dog

 

[pascal32]

This is a good thread and although I am not from your region, I found it after doing a search. I just want to share my soda lime consumption experience.

I used a CO2 scrubber for over month now on the intake of my skimmer. It really helped bring my pH up to 8.4 before the lights turn off and it would stay over ~8.26 by morning. Before the scrubber, my pH used to max out at about 8.1. I have a 100g with a 40g sump and I top off with kalkwasser.

I burned through the stuff pretty fast though. About 1.5 lbs for me lasted for six days which is when the pH wouldn't max out as high. I am one guy in a 1 bedroom apartment who is gone 9.5 hours per day for work with the windows closed 24/7.

wow - that's a lot. What kind of skimmer are you using? can you post a picture of how you have the scrubber set up?

I'm running about 1/6 th of a gallon every 3 weeks, so to give "safe" numbers, at this rate I would go through just over 4 gallons a year - so $6.60 a month at the full retail price.

Mine is set up like this:

 

[apt220]

Yeah seriously, I'm not sure why I go through so much so fast. Personally, I think I have a high baseline cellular metabolism. Also, I fidget a lot and I can eat lots of food and won't gain much weight. But anyway...

I run it essentially like you and the OP--just not as pretty. I just made the soda lime chamber out of those half-gallon containers at Walmart and drilled a bunch of holes in the bottom. I covered the bottom with the black sponge stuff and poured the soda lime on top. The skimmer pulls air from the top.

Here are some pics:

My skimmer is a reef octopus xp-2000 cone and it is a straight BEAST so I don't know if that is contributing to the fast consumption rate.

 

[pascal32]

wow, thats a lot of media. when it purples, how much is changing color? Is the color throughout, or does the air have a preference and only affect a small portion of the media?

I'm curious as I run a fraction of that amount and i still have spots which stay white which indicates the air has a path of least resistance. Could you try putting a "tube" in there from say a 20 oz soda bottle?