Do CO2 scrubbers work?

[XNavyDiver]

My pH NEVER gets above 8. It stays at 7.8- 7.9 and was wanting to get it to a steady 8.2-8.3.
Is this important? Or just a waste of money?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Somehow I've managed to have tanks all these years without one or testing my ph obsessively.

 

[Velcro]

They absolutely work. There are several factors at play though. Here are a few:

1)Skimmer intake (usually given as liters per hour)
The higher the skimmer intake, the more air pulled through the media per given amount of time. The equates to more CO2 scrubber as well as faster consumption of the media.

2)Air exchange with the room
If you have a lot of surface agitation and air movement you are increasing the exposure of your tank to the high levels of CO2 in your home. The more this happens, the lower the pH of your tank.

I've found a method that works REALLY well for me. I use a lifereef skimmer which recirculates air from the skimmate cup into the venturi intake. Lifereef is designed like this to keep the venturi in a humid environment to prevent clogging with salt creep. I placed my media right in this recirculation so that the media is fed the humid air from the skimmate cup. This makes it so theoretically you are having to scrub way less CO2 since you are only pull the CO2 that is in skimmer vs constantly pulling high CO2 room air. I have noticed a HUGE decrease in media use this way. The second benefit is that CO2 media gets exhausted wayyyy faster when it's dry, so you are always keeping it humid in there with this method.

 

[Velcro]

Somehow I've managed to have tanks all these years without one or testing my ph obsessively.

That's okay, but there's plenty of evidence that SPS grows a bit faster when it doesn't have to spend all of its energy maintaining the ideal pH.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

That's okay, but there's plenty of evidence that SPS grows a bit faster when it doesn't have to spend all of its energy maintaining the ideal pH.

I know. I'm pretty much always at 8 or more. Some of my acro/sps growth is just stupid good.

 

[XNavyDiver]

They absolutely work. There are several factors at play though. Here are a few:

1)Skimmer intake (usually given as liters per hour)
The higher the skimmer intake, the more air pulled through the media per given amount of time. The equates to more CO2 scrubber as well as faster consumption of the media.

2)Air exchange with the room
If you have a lot of surface agitation and air movement you are increasing the exposure of your tank to the high levels of CO2 in your home. The more this happens, the lower the pH of your tank.

I've found a method that works REALLY well for me. I use a lifereef skimmer which recirculates air from the skimmate cup into the venturi intake. Lifereef is designed like this to keep the venturi in a humid environment to prevent clogging with salt creep. I placed my media right in this recirculation so that the media is fed the humid air from the skimmate cup. This makes it so theoretically you are having to scrub way less CO2 since you are only pull the CO2 that is in skimmer vs constantly pulling high CO2 room air. I have noticed a HUGE decrease in media use this way. The second benefit is that CO2 media gets exhausted wayyyy faster when it's dry, so you are always keeping it humid in there with this method.

That's interesting about your skimmer. I'm not sure I can do that with mine, short of making modifications to the original design.

 

[XNavyDiver]

I know. I'm pretty much always at 8 or more. Some of my acro/sps growth is just stupid good.

Thus my inquiry. I don't test my pH either, but the apex does and it stares me in the face every time on Fusion...mocking me.

 

[Velcro]

That's interesting about your skimmer. I'm not sure I can do that with mine, short of making modifications to the original design.

It would be extremely easy to do.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Thus my inquiry. I don't test my pH either, but the apex does and it stares me in the face every time on Fusion...mocking me.

That's why I never want an apex. I have enough stuff to worry about. Maybe the next gen will be called the mother in law.

 

[XNavyDiver]

It would be extremely easy to do.

Do tell! [emoji106]

 

[southern186]

So your saying the more surface agitation there is the lower the ph is going to be in the tank?

 

[Velcro]

So your saying the more surface agitation there is the lower the ph is going to be in the tank?

Yes, the more surface agitation the faster CO2 will move into the water and the less effective removing CO2 via media will be.

 

[roberthu526]

They work in raising your tank PH. But how much benefit it provides to the corals are not certain in my own experience. That being said I do have CO2 scrubbers on my system currently.

 

[southern186]

Got cha that maybe why I'm having trouble with my ph. I'm having to dose kal in ato everyday to maintain a 8.0-8.1

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

So your saying the more surface agitation there is the lower the ph is going to be in the tank?

Yes, the more surface agitation the faster CO2 will move into the water and the less effective removing CO2 via media will be.

It does depend on the amount of co2 in the home.
If the home is low in co2 , agitation increases ph.

 

[Velcro]

It does depend on the amount of co2 in the home.
If the home is low in co2 , agitation increases ph.

Yes, I'm just assuming high co2 in home because of the topic. All surface agitation does is make the tank and home come to a dissolved co2 concentration equilibrium faster.

 

[Velcro]

If you are holding alk at a reasonable concentration, really the only things no that will cause pH to be low would be co2.

 

[southern186]

Yea my alk stays at 8.4-8.9 at the highest

 

[southern186]

Trying to get ph stable to try some acro

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Yes, I'm just assuming high co2 in home because of the topic. All surface agitation does is make the tank and home come to a dissolved co2 concentration equilibrium faster.

Agreed.
Keeping in mind there are organisms and processs in the tank creating co2.