CO2 Media

[Gerald Anderson]

Hey guys, what's the deal with the BRS CO2 media supply? I'm almost out and have been watching for a couple months. Some hit one day a few weeks back but I was out of town and couldn't pick any up. Is this a long-term supply issue, is there a restock date on the horizon? Obviously this is an important product for those of us with newer, well populated, houses. : D

Gerald

 

[pluikens]

Back in the spring, it seemed like either the scrubber itself or the media was out of stock. I managed to get a scrubber by subscribing to the alerts and I've only ever used Soda Lime from Med-Vet: https://www.shopmedvet.com/product/soda-lime-3-lb-bag/anesthesia-respiratory I bought a few 3 pounds bags to justify the shipping cost but I'm considering the 5-gallon bucket from MedVet when I need to reorder.

I fear that stock will become even greater of an issue when BRS releases an update to their YouTube video about how pH affects coral growth and more reefers want to hit that 8.3.

 

[hatfielj]

Yeah, it's far cheaper to order scrubber media from elsewhere anyway on a per pound basis.

 

[mckinney0171]

i haven't found a good source of the same media that BRS uses. there are places out there that sell it to hospitals and vets offices. but, it seems kind of strange to be ordering from there for my fish tank. and the media they sell isn't the same type of pelletized media with color change from what i can tell. glad that i have a bunch of extra stock in my garage since it seems they are now out of stock.

 

[3mm3]

@pluikens thanks for the link! Just ordered 5 gallons.

 

[pluikens]

@pluikens thanks for the link! Just ordered 5 gallons.

Nice! I believe that 5-gallon jug weighs about 37 pounds so it's a great deal. I consider myself a big supporter of BRS but for a consumable, that's not in stock, I have no problem going elsewhere when the price difference is so great.

 

[3mm3]

Nice! I believe that 5-gallon jug weighs about 37 pounds so it's a great deal. I consider myself a big supporter of BRS but for a consumable, that's not in stock, I have no problem going elsewhere when the price difference is so great.

I have never used this specific media. Do you like it's performance? I normally use intersorb but it was out of stock where I usually buy from.

 

[rob safron]

The stuff from med vet is great. Been using for years now.

 

[pluikens]

I pull air from outside and then run it through this media. I can go about a month before having to change it in my BRS scrubber. I don't have a way to measure CO2 so I can't speak to its efficacy other than my 24 hour pH average dropping a tenth or two on my Apex when the media is exhausted. I feel like I'm really fighting the CO2 levels in my house that affect the pH in my tank through surface agitation. Even outside air through the scrubber into my skimmer running 24/7 doesn't get my pH above 8 when my windows are closed.

 

[CNDReef]

If you create less surface agitation, youlll reduce the co2 exchange a bit there

 

[pluikens]

If you create less surface agitation, youlll reduce the co2 exchange a bit there

I understand that and the fact that you're helping to address the tank issue, but at that point, I'm encouraging the tank to interact less with the air surrounding it for better health/growth of the tank inhabitants. I'll probably go the route of testing the CO2 levels in my house because if they're at unsafe levels that they negatively affect the tank, I should consider all the inhabitants of my house including my wife and kids and address the indoor air quality issues.

 

[CNDReef]

I understand that and the fact that you're helping to address the tank issue, but at that point, I'm encouraging the tank to interact less with the air surrounding it for better health/growth of the tank inhabitants. I'll probably go the route of testing the CO2 levels in my house because if they're at unsafe levels that they negatively affect the tank, I should consider all the inhabitants of my house including my wife and kids and address the indoor air quality issues.

Totally agree with your statement my friend.

 

[Gerald Anderson]

Back in the spring, it seemed like either the scrubber itself or the media was out of stock. I managed to get a scrubber by subscribing to the alerts and I've only ever used Soda Lime from Med-Vet: https://www.shopmedvet.com/product/soda-lime-3-lb-bag/anesthesia-respiratory I bought a few 3 pounds bags to justify the shipping cost but I'm considering the 5-gallon bucket from MedVet when I need to reorder.

I fear that stock will become even greater of an issue when BRS releases an update to their YouTube video about how pH affects coral growth and more reefers want to hit that 8.3.

Somehow missed this reply originally. Just order 3lbs to give it a try. Big fan of BRS, but can't risk not having a backup in such situations.

@Toomanyfish - If you're in a home (or anywhere but outside?) you're not going to have more oxygen in the tank than the ambient air, so you definitely DON'T want to reduce surface agitation, you'd want more gas exchange (for a somewhat-closed environment consuming O2 and creating CO2).

@pluikens It's all about the ph. I can go 4-6 weeks too, but it's a smaller tank (RSR 170). That's with a full-size reactor.

Thanks all!

Gerald

 

[CNDReef]

My understanding is if you reduce surface agitation in a high co2 environment and have your skimmer pulling air either from a scrubber or outside, the co2 from the environment won’t easily get into the water.

 

[Gerald Anderson]

My understanding is if you reduce surface agitation in a high co2 environment and have your skimmer pulling air either from a scrubber or outside, the co2 from the environment won’t easily get into the water.

Gotcha, yeah, if you're pulling from a higher O2 to skimmer in a high CO2 ambient environment I suppose you could argue for reduced surface agitation. Haven't looked at it like that before, thanks! The one caveat, I suppose, would be to pay attention to skimmer size, if it's a smaller skimmer you may have trouble getting enough total gas exchange. Still, valid point.

 

[Herby’s reef]

The stuff from med vet is the same stuff. I am an anesthesiologist and we use this in our machine. Soda lyme is all the same. It is used in medicine and vet offices for giving anesthetics so that the pt can rebreath anesthesia gasses without co2 building up.

 

[pluikens]

The stuff from med vet is the same stuff. I am an anesthesiologist and we use this in our machine. Soda lyme is all the same. It is used in medicine and vet offices for giving anesthetics so that the pt can rebreath anesthesia gasses without co2 building up.

The only thing I want sure about was the "special zeolite" mentioned by BRS but I figured it would be desirable for it to last as long as possible for medical purposes too so it probably just wasn't mentioned. If you buy it from a dive shop for rebreathers it seems to be about twice the price as for medical purposes too. Seems like the hobbyists have to pay more regardless of the hobby.

 

[Reefltx]

I have never used this specific media. Do you like it's performance? I normally use intersorb but it was out of stock where I usually buy from.

It’s good. I have the 5lb bucket, last me about 1yr on a 100g system

 

[scott11106]

That is seriously cheap for three pounds, why fl does the price increase 10x when you go to 5lb?

 

[3mm3]

That is seriously cheap for three pounds, why fl does the price increase 10x when you go to 5lb?

its 5 gallons