Skimmer and carbondioxide.

[nicholasb]

Hi!! Was just wondering, I red today on the net, that a skimmer can reduce levels of co2 in the water, and therefore push up your p.h if it is low. I would have thought that a skimmer would add more co2, or al least add as much as it removes. Could an oversized skimmer ever lower your P.H?.
This does not realy matter to most reefers, as your P.H can be as low as 7.8, with out any problems. Mine hangs out at 8.2.
Just curious to know what any chemists think!!.

 

[Aquarist007]

Hi!! Was just wondering, I red today on the net, that a skimmer can reduce levels of co2 in the water, and therefore push up your p.h if it is low. I would have thought that a skimmer would add more co2, or al least add as much as it removes. Could an oversized skimmer ever lower your P.H?.
This does not realy matter to most reefers, as your P.H can be as low as 7.8, with out any problems. Mine hangs out at 8.2.
Just curious to know what any chemists think!!.

A skimmer is a very effective way of oxygenating the tank. It does so by displacing levels of co2 with o2
PH is indirectly proportional to co2 levels as the co2 level lowers the pH rises

 

[nicholasb]

Thanks sounds right to me.

 

[Aquarist007]

Thanks sounds right to me.

Your welcome
Btw. The pH does lower at night due to photosynthesis not occurring in absence of light. Less o2 and more co2

 

[nicholasb]

Your welcome
Btw. The pH does lower at night due to photosynthesis not occurring in absence of light. Less o2 and more co2

Just a thought. High levels of co2 in the air from human activity, can lower your P.H, so in this case could a skimmer lower your P.H.

 

[tmz]

That is correct. A skimmer provides a lot of surface area for gas exchange in a relatively small space : it accelerates the equilibration of CO2 between the tank and the air around it. It may also add oxygen from the air but that is unrelated to the CO2 level.

If the room has high CO2 ,folks often open windows , run an outside airline to the skimmer or use a CO2 scrubber attached to the skimmer air intake to reduce the CO2 entering the skimmer.

 

[disc1]

A skimmer is a very effective way of oxygenating the tank. It does so by displacing levels of co2 with o2
PH is indirectly proportional to co2 levels as the co2 level lowers the pH rises

I believe the word you were looking for was inversely proportional, not indirectly.

And you can leave O2 out of it. O2 plays absolutely no role in this. You can set the oxygen level wherever you want, it is only the CO2 that affects the pH.

 

[nicholasb]

Thanks!!.

 

[Aquarist007]

I believe the word you were looking for was inversely proportional, not indirectly.

And you can leave O2 out of it. O2 plays absolutely no role in this. You can set the oxygen level wherever you want, it is only the CO2 that affects the pH.

Tks david...gotta stop posting late at night after a little carbon dosing:lmao:

 

[Indymann99]

Your welcome
Btw. The pH does lower at night due to photosynthesis not occurring in absence of light. Less o2 and more co2

here is a graph showing Ph drop at night (lights out).
Amp 4 is lighting

 

[Aquarist007]

here is a graph showing Ph drop at night (lights out).
Amp 4 is lighting

Really great post:thumbsup::thumbsup:

The nocturnal drop in pH can be minimal if one runs a refugium with lights reversed to night

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

here is a graph showing Ph drop at night (lights out).

Next time you have a big group of people in the room with the tank (especially if there is a skimmer in the same room), watch the pH drop over time then recover when they leave. All due to the CO2 they are exhaling.

 

[Aquarist007]

here is a graph showing Ph drop at night (lights out).

Next time you have a big group of people in the room with the tank (especially if there is a skimmer in the same room), watch the pH drop over time then recover when they leave. All due to the CO2 they are exhaling.

This is why I don't have company over much....all the hot air both my fish and I have to put up with lol

 

[Yogre]

here is a graph showing Ph drop at night (lights out).

Next time you have a big group of people in the room with the tank (especially if there is a skimmer in the same room), watch the pH drop over time then recover when they leave. All due to the CO2 they are exhaling.

Yep. My daughter had a group of her friends over a couple of nights ago, and they spent most of their time in the room where the tank is. Granted, these aren't full-sized CO2 generating units, but they are pretty active, and I can definitely see the pH drop on my Apex from the evening they were down there.

 

[disc1]

One of my favorite threads ever on RC was the guy who was on vacation and logged into his apex and saw a huge pH drop. Guy calls home and catches his kids throwing a big party at his house. Busted...

 

[ReachTheSky]

One of my favorite threads ever on RC was the guy who was on vacation and logged into his apex and saw a huge pH drop. Guy calls home and catches his kids throwing a big party at his house. Busted...

:lol:

That's amazing.

 

[Yogre]

One of my favorite threads ever on RC was the guy who was on vacation and logged into his apex and saw a huge pH drop. Guy calls home and catches his kids throwing a big party at his house. Busted...

:lol:

Love it.