Co2 scrubber questions

[USMA36]

My house is sealed up pretty tight year round. Thus causing my ph to average about 7.79. I have a 90 gallon tank and a sump total water volume around 110 gallons. Question 1 how long can I expect a canister of co2 media to last using the BRS scrubber and their medical grade media? another more difficult option is venting skimmer to the outside. Tank is on second floor so drilling a hole wouldn't be easy to hide. I'd have to drill through house and vinyl siding which I am not thrilled about doing as the it's the front of my house and I feel it would look pretty obvious. Drilling through window trim, again not easy to hide. Any tricks to hiding the airline? I live in the northeast. Cold as hell for a good part of the year. Will drawing that cold air in have an effect on my skimmer or aquarium? Last question which is method is more effective?

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

Have you considered putting the air line into the attic? I'm assuming your attic is well-ventilated, so that should work fine. Now I don't live in a cold area, but we do get occasional freezing temperatures. I have found that cold air has little effect on aquarium temperatures.

Can't answer on the scrubber media. Sorry.

 

[Jimbo662]

I tried the BRS canister / media which did help. It consistently kept my PH between 8.0 and 8/2. The only issue I had was it restricted airflow into the skimmer which affected how it ran.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

The time the media lasts will depend on the air flowing through it (and the CO2 level in that air). I doubt that many people quantify that well.

 

[USMA36]

Have you considered putting the air line into the attic? I'm assuming your attic is well-ventilated, so that should work fine. Now I don't live in a cold area, but we do get occasional freezing temperatures. I have found that cold air has little effect on aquarium temperatures.

Can't answer on the scrubber media. Sorry.

Thanks. I didn't even think of the attic.

 

[bhavy]

I found a resolution for a longer air line that restricts flow to skimmer. I ran a 1" pvc pipe about 15' to outside air. On the end of the pipe near skimmer I put a bushing (downsizer) with nipple for hose to connect to which then runs to skimmer . The restriction in a long line that's 3/8 or 1/4" is because there is not enough volume of air available for the skimmer to over come the distance. So making the line a 1" line there is plenty of fresh air volume available to the skimmer. So run a 8' piece of pvc straight into the attic with a nipple to connect the skimmer to.
Hope that makes sense!

 

[bhavy]

My media lasts about 2 weeks on my 200gal

 

[nervousmonkey]

You can buy cheaper soda lime from Med Vet International. Also helps to add about a tbsp of water to the foam at the bottom of the canister. Seems to preserve the life of the media, or make it last longer. Why I have no idea, just heard from other reefers and tried it. Works for me.

 

[jwshiver]

My pH was running about the same as yours until I added the BRS canister with CO2 scrubber and now have an average pH of 8.02 according to Apex. I have to change the media every 7 days. That is with three people and a dog exhaling in the house. When we go on vacation my pH has much lower swings and raises a little higher than normal during the day and stays relatively steady due to the lack of added CO2. When the weather allows me to open the windows the pH can raise to 8.2. My next project is to run an air line outside when my wife isn't home so I can drill through the wall. As the saying goes, It is easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.

 

[nervousmonkey]

Wow, every 7 days? How big a skimmer do you have? Or how much air draw is pulling over that media? That's a lot of media to go through, worth it but a lot!

 

[jwshiver]

Wow, every 7 days? How big a skimmer do you have? Or how much air draw is pulling over that media? That's a lot of media to go through, worth it but a lot!

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