Thoughts? Good or Bad Idea

[reefiniteasy]

What are your thoughts @Randy Holmes-Farley ?

 

[Tiki_Reef]

I did this with recirculating my co2 scrubber into the skimmer lid that worked, but I was always afraid about cup overflow, went the way of drilling a hole outside and run the skimmer intake that way now I have to use a solenoid to keep it below 8.4.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Recycling the air has pros and cons, and I'm not a fan of it.

The pro is the potential for media to last longer and maybe work better in the more humid air, which also may (or may not) have less CO2 when it enters the media chamber.

The con is reduce oxygenation of the aquarium at night. IMO, oxygenation at night can be a significant benefit of a skimmer.

 

[reefiniteasy]

Recycling the air has pros and cons, and I'm not a fan of it.

The pro is the potential for media to last longer and maybe work better in the more humid air, which also may (or may not) have less CO2 when it enters the media chamber.

The con is reduce oxygenation of the aquarium at night. IMO, oxygenation at night can be a significant benefit of a skimmer.

Thank you Randy. In his post their is no media. He is just going cup to intake. So in this case there is no benefit? How is he getting the effect of rising pH recirculating the air with no scrubber?

 

[Derrick0580]

Seems like co2 scrubber media would be more beneficial than just feeding a skimmer it’s own air in a circle.

 

[Dan_P]

Thank you Randy. In his post their is no media. He is just going cup to intake. So in this case there is no benefit? How is he getting the effect of rising pH recirculating the air with no scrubber?

Same question.

My knee jerk response for the lack of the nightly dip in pH is that respiration is being starved of oxygen by recirculating the skimmer air, i.e., skimmers are important for oxygenation at night, and therefore, a lower production of CO2. So, he needs to monitor oxygen levels as well. As for some aquarium run fine without skimmers could just mean the successful ones we hear about are not not overstocked.

 

[Dan_P]

Same question.

My knee jerk response for the lack of the nightly dip in pH is that respiration is being starved of oxygen by recirculating the skimmer air, i.e., skimmers are important for oxygenation at night, and therefore, a lower production of CO2. So, he needs to monitor oxygen levels as well. As for some aquarium run fine without skimmers could just mean the successful ones we hear about are not not overstocked.

My other thought is that the recycling of skimmer air slows the equilibration of the tank water CO2 with atmospheric CO2 and maybe oxygen is not greatly affected and respiration goes merrily on.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thank you Randy. In his post their is no media. He is just going cup to intake. So in this case there is no benefit? How is he getting the effect of rising pH recirculating the air with no scrubber?

OK, then that seems a poor idea to me. it is just avoiding any aeration by the skimmer.

If the home air has higher CO2 than the tank does (which may often happen during the day in a photosynthesizing tank, and maybe even at night in a very high CO2 home), then avoiding aeration keeps the pH from being driven down by the home air.

Sounds like its setting up a problem for O2 at night to me.

 

[Dan_P]

OK, then that seems a poor idea to me. it is just avoiding any aeration by the skimmer.

If the home air has higher CO2 than the tank does (which may often happen during the day in a photosynthesizing tank, and maybe even at night in a very high CO2 home), then avoiding aeration keeps the pH from being driven down by the home air.

Sounds like its setting up a problem for O2 at night to me.

Oxydator to rescue! Right?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Oxydator to rescue! Right?

I would be interesting to see some accurate measurement of whether the oxydator appreciably raises O2 in a typical reef tank. I've mostly only seen people assert that it does, not show any reliable data.

 

[Dan_P]

I would be interesting to see some accurate measurement of whether the oxydator appreciably raises O2 in a typical reef tank. I've mostly only seen people assert that it does, not show any reliable data.

I wonder if @Lasse has made this measurement. I think he uses one to boost the oxygen level but I don’t remember if he measured the “boost”. Calculated yes.

 

[Lasse]

I have no figures according H2O2 addition from an oxidator but rather much from adding H2O2 directly into the water. As a tool at power shutdown´s in many of the fish farms I worked with - we could measure rise in saturation from below 50 % to over 100 % in a matter of minutes when we added H2O2 manually to the water. We add around 1/2 a litre 30% into a 12 L bucket and after that portion it out in the tanks and during time.

I also logged the saturation in a tank there we with a dosing pump ad 3% H2O2 (57.6 ml/day divided int 96*0,6 ml), The night saturation rise around 20 % compared with before. The tank was a 500 L tank connected to around 6000 L system. It was not closed - there was circulation in it but no skimmer in the tank - however two skimmers in the whole system..

I would love to measure the difference of oxygen saturation in my home aquarium both with and without my oxidator. I may be able to borrow a measurement unit in the future, with that equipment i will have 4 sensors. 1 in the skimmer (and oxydator) apartment in the sump 1 in my sumps return apartment, 1 in the DT and 1 in my refugium. we will see how it works out.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[fryman]

I don't understand why Ryan saw such a huge impact on pH just recirculating the skimmer without media. I run my skimmer this way right now and when it's on this doesn't affect pH any detectable amount.

I'm guessing he must have had a rel. high CO2 level in the room that was the original source of air to his skimmer. So now he's removed any influx of that high CO2 room air. But I don't see why this flattened the day/night pH cycle.

I'd also be concerned about O2 levels, as Randy said. If I'm understanding this right he has very little influx of outside air now. So he's relying on photosynthesis in the tank to supply O2 for the fish.