Does your tank get fresh air and does it need it?

[revhtree Verified Admin]

My reef tank is down in my basement and rarely ever gets "fresh" air but does it need it? How, if any, is the PH effected? What about CO2 levels? Stale air? Let's talk about it today!

1. Do you think a reef tank benefits from fresh air? If so how much and why?

2. Do you use a CO2 scrubber or pipe in fresh air to your skimmer?


CO2 Scrubber image via @Ty Hamatake! Check out his thread "CO2 Scrubbing: An Unexpected Journey Chasing Numbers."

 

[southerntnreefer]

Totally important. I can see it in Fusion. PH will go up the minute the window near the tank gets opened. I usually sit around 8.0 to 8.1, but if the window is open 8.3 to 8.4 currently. Its lower this week, as my daughter is here visiting, so more Co2 being put in the air, but tanks 2 months from coral anyways, just starting to develop a trend to see if ill need a Recirculating C02 Scrubber or not.

 

[Mical]

My tanks with the windows closed will run 7.8-8.0 (via Apex) Windows open 8.1-8.4 . But since this is Minnesota windows are usually closed 8 months per year. We do have a whole house air exchanger and that helps but I also added CO2 scrubbers to both and with windows closed Ph runs 8.1 - 8.3 daily.

 

[stanleo]

I had a low pH a couple months ago and searched for the reason why. I found this article http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/rhf/#:~:text=A common cause of low,of acid to the tank about pH issues in a tank and did the test to determine if the reason for my low pH was gas exchange between the air in my home and the tank. It showed that with outside air, the pH is .4 higher than with just the air in the house. I now keep the window in my basement where the fish room is open and my pH is now a steady 8.2. It had dropped to 7.8. I think is very important. I am going to run a pipe to my skimmer but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

 

[lapin]

Yes fresh air is good. Co2 not so good. Oxygen good. Most things we like need to breath

I just thought of a slight down side :
When it gets very humid my tank temp climbs a lot so Its A/C time.
Im not sure if A/C counts as fresh air. Prob not.

 

[southerntnreefer]

My tanks with the windows closed will run 7.8-8.0 (via Apex) Windows open 8.1-8.4 . But since this is Minnesota windows are usually closed 8 months per year. We do have a whole house air exchanger and that helps but I also added CO2 scrubbers to both and with windows closed Ph runs 8.1 - 8.3 daily.

Weve had an oddly warm october and september here in TN so im able to thankfully. We do however get that random 70 degree day in the winter where i can open the window, but ill have to close them up here shortly and turn the furnace on. With my wife and 3 dogs im trying to get ahead of any PH issues before i put the first coral in the tank. i never get below 8.0 even at night per my apex readings, but i rather be ahead of all of this.

 

[najer]

I don't measure ph but I have an outside in airline on my skimmer and the window near the tank is locked open so a small air flow all year 'round.

 

[Vette67]

I ran a line outside to pull fresh air into my skimmer. Then a couple weeks ago, the temp in northern Ohio got into the high 30's / low 40's. My Inkbird at around 3:00 in the morning (why would it alarm during the day?) went off alarming me that my heaters had been on for 12 hours straight. I realized I was pulling cold air from outside and had to disconnect that hose from my skimmer so I didn't lose so much heat. As much as I would love to run my skimmer air intake outside, as the temperature cools off, that is less of a possibility. So during the winter months, I will just have to accept that my reef will run 7.8 to 8.0 during the days, without the ability to open windows or get fresh air.

 

[sfin52]

Question

I've thought about adding an air line to the exterior and running that through carbon. My concern is this in the middle of winter the temps can dip down to -20. Will that cause any issues?

 

[Mical]

I ran a line outside to pull fresh air into my skimmer. Then a couple weeks ago, the temp in northern Ohio got into the high 30's / low 40's. My Inkbird at around 3:00 in the morning (why would it alarm during the day?) went off alarming me that my heaters had been on for 12 hours straight. I realized I was pulling cold air from outside and had to disconnect that hose from my skimmer so I didn't lose so much heat. As much as I would love to run my skimmer air intake outside, as the temperature cools off, that is less of a possibility. So during the winter months, I will just have to accept that my reef will run 7.8 to 8.0 during the days, without the ability to open windows or get fresh air.

You could build a scrubber for less than $70 (for reactor & Media) https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-gfo-carbon-reactor-5-single.html , https://www.shopmedvet.com/product/soda-lime-3-lb-bag/anesthesia-respiratory#minicart_a

 

[WVNed]

I am pretty sure all living things benefit from fresh air.

I placed a pipe and run my skimmers and ozone system on fresh air. I havent tested my pH in many months.

8.15 Sailfert. Same as it was 5 months ago.

 

[southerntnreefer]

You could build a scrubber for less than $70 (for reactor & Media) https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-gfo-carbon-reactor-5-single.html , https://www.shopmedvet.com/product/soda-lime-3-lb-bag/anesthesia-respiratory#minicart_a

This is plan B for me. I was reading this yesterday. I loved the cheaper media options!

 

[Vette67]

You could build a scrubber for less than $70 (for reactor & Media) https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-gfo-carbon-reactor-5-single.html , https://www.shopmedvet.com/product/soda-lime-3-lb-bag/anesthesia-respiratory#minicart_a

I'm just worried I would run through the media too quickly. I pull a lot of air through my skimmer. About 10 liters per minute. So I don't know how long the media would last....

 

[JKDMan]

My tank sits in front of my fire place which is slightly leaky so it gets fresh air, however it makes my heaters work more in the winter

 

[Mical]

I'm just worried I would run through the media too quickly. I pull a lot of air through my skimmer. About 10 liters per minute. So I don't know how long the media would last....

Between my 120 and 65 I use about 3lbs of media in 3-4 mos. I also experimented with adding a tsp of ROX carbon to the media & that extended it a couple of weeks longer...

 

[Arabyps]

1. Do you think a reef tank benefits from fresh air? If so how much and why? Totally beneficial to the Ph and purging of the stale air. Where we live, doors/windows are frequently open - no mosquitos, bugs, etc. In summer things are closed but evenings open up.

2. Do you use a CO2 scrubber or pipe in fresh air to your skimmer? No.

 

[weamdog]

A little skeptical myself. Have tried everything to raise PH. Started with a co2 scrubber, that worked fairly descent. Then I started recycling skimmer air into the scrubber to try and get better life from the media (didn't make much difference). Converted over to fresh air from outside, that sent me backwards. Now I'm scrubbing the fresh air but not seeing much difference. Algae scrubber doesn't seem to be producing much oxygen either. Right now I'm dropping down to 7.96 at night. So if PH is any measurement of fresh air, my apex isn't measuring any difference.

 

[Paul B]

I don't think it is important at all. I feel if you have enough oxygen to breath, so do the fish.
I have not tested my pH in probably 30 years so I don't know what it is but I don't think pH is that important up to a point of course so I doubt fresh air will do anything beneficial.

Of course fresh air can't hurt as I want it myself but if your tank is in a place where you feel fine, so do the fish.
Mine are also in my Man cave and there are no windows. Everything is spawning and my corals are all smiling. The tank was in my basement in my last house for 40 years and I had no problems, no diseases, no deaths, no nothing except of course from jumping out or old age.

 

[Mical]

God has spoken...

 

[Redfoxtang]

I bring in fresh air through my skimmers. It does help with PH levels. As for coral growth that I cannot attest for. I’m sure it helps I guess the growth isn’t as what I would see it. I thought BRS did a test on this but I could be wrong.