To drill or not to drill

[ChrisfromBrick]

Have a basement tank and CO2 media is used up ridiculously fast. Thinking of drilling hole through basement wall brick to outside (window is far away) just to run a fresh air line directly to skimmer. Will this alone raise my pH by roughly .3?

Is this a bad idea? Is trying Kalk a better option? I dont see myself wanting to keep buying scrub media as it is not cost effective.

My goal is to grow my corals as fast as I can. I would say that without media, my ph sits at about 7.8 down there.

 

[DanyL]

Will this alone raise my pH by roughly .3?

Take a cup of water and test the PH immediately after, than put the cup for a few hours outside and test again.
Although there are other influencers in the tank, that’s approximately the expected the gain you’ll see.

Is this a bad idea? Is trying Kalk a better option? I dont see myself wanting to keep buying scrub media as it is not cost effective.

It’s not a bad idea at all, but it’s permanent changes to your house and not everyone is willing to do so usually.

Kalk is a great option if your Alk/ca consumption is good.
You can either do a saturated solution (usually needs big drum for big tanks and making a new batch quite often, if not daily), or using a kalk stirrer, which while doesn’t take a lot of space and is less hassle - you will need to change the media periodically due to a decline in potency over a few weeks.

Another option would be to look at what you’re doing right now? If you’re dosing sodium bicarbonate, you could switch to carbonate which would bump your PH quite a bit.

Another option is to start using sodium hydroxide as your Alk supplement - it’s basically the same as kalk (Calcium hydroxide), but minus the calcium.
The benefit of using it in place of kalk is the fact that it’s far, far more soluble - no drums or daily batch making needed. On the flip side you need to handle it with caution (gloves, goggles, long sleeves, etc).

I had similar problems with my frag tank and I switched from bicarbonate to carbonate and finally to hydroxide - my ph went from around 7.7-7.8 to 8.3-8.4.

But you really need good Alk/Ca consumption to use any Alk/Ca based solutions - otherwise it’ll limit you.

 

[FUNGI]

Do you have a furnace in the basement? If so, you can use the fresh air inlet from that. However, drilling thru would make running the air line easier...however, you are not going to see some incredible jump in your PH.....
did you try air re-circulating mod to the skimmer to help decrease CO2 media depletion?

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

Do you have a furnace in the basement? If so, you can use the fresh air inlet from that. However, drilling thru would make running the air line easier...however, you are not going to see some incredible jump in your PH.....
did you try air re-circulating mod to the skimmer to help decrease CO2 media depletion?

I didnt try this yet but i may buy one of the reef octopus lids that might fit my old skimmer. Otherwise i have to research how to do that. Thanks so much for your input.

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

Take a cup of water and test the PH immediately after, than put the cup for a few hours outside and test again.
Although there are other influencers in the tank, that’s approximately the expected the gain you’ll see.



It’s not a bad idea at all, but it’s permanent changes to your house and not everyone is willing to do so usually.

Kalk is a great option if your Alk/ca consumption is good.
You can either do a saturated solution (usually needs big drum for big tanks and making a new batch quite often, if not daily), or using a kalk stirrer, which while doesn’t take a lot of space and is less hassle - you will need to change the media periodically due to a decline in potency over a few weeks.

Another option would be to look at what you’re doing right now? If you’re dosing sodium bicarbonate, you could switch to carbonate which would bump your PH quite a bit.

Another option is to start using sodium hydroxide as your Alk supplement - it’s basically the same as kalk (Calcium hydroxide), but minus the calcium.
The benefit of using it in place of kalk is the fact that it’s far, far more soluble - no drums or daily batch making needed. On the flip side you need to handle it with caution (gloves, goggles, long sleeves, etc).

I had similar problems with my frag tank and I switched from bicarbonate to carbonate and finally to hydroxide - my ph went from around 7.7-7.8 to 8.3-8.4.

But you really need good Alk/Ca consumption to use any Alk/Ca based solutions - otherwise it’ll limit you.

great point. I don’t have sps yet so doing an alkalinity based solution could be disastrous.

I figure a finger sized hole through the wall will and about 10 feet of tubing will not be a crazy mod for the home. I am going to try re-circulating via my skimmer cup before I do that though. thanks for the suggestions

 

[FUNGI]

Make sure tubing is twice the size of your skimmer hose.....otherwise such a long run will restrict/lower air low....

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

Make sure tubing is twice the size of your skimmer hose.....otherwise such a long run will restrict/lower air low....

how would i reduce it when it comes back to the skimmer- a coupling?

 

[FUNGI]

correct. OR, as I did, the one from skimmer just happened to fit right inside my tubing, so I put it in about 4".....and sealed with silicon.

 

[FUNGI]

I didnt try this yet but i may buy one of the reef octopus lids that might fit my old skimmer. Otherwise i have to research how to do that. Thanks so much for your input.

 

[FUNGI]

or if you have extra $$$$$

Reef Octopus CO2 Scrubber Skimmer Lid

This special lid is designed to precisely fit a range of Reef Octopus skimmers with the intent to use it in conjunction with a CO2 Scrubber (RO-C2T-90) to increase the longevity of the CO2-absorbing media.

www.coralvue.com

 

[FUNGI]

for teh hose, you can also just get a reducer barb for a couple of $

 

[DanyL]

great point. I don’t have sps yet so doing an alkalinity based solution could be disastrous.

If you don’t have any consumption at the moment, and you’re planning to stock it with LPS/SPS - you’ll likely be able solve the low PH problem solely by dosing a high PH Alk supplement in the future.

So it might indeed be worth waiting with making permanent holes in your wall, because you may only need it temporarily, until you have Alk/Ca consumption in place.

I figure a finger sized hole through the wall will and about 10 feet of tubing will not be a crazy mod for the home.

It’s different for each and everyone of us.
I would much rather solve the problem elsewhere than to make holes on the outside walls - but if I didn’t have an alternative, I would probably do so in a whimp.

About the 10 feet tubing - as already been mentioned here, you should use a wider tubing to lower the resistance, otherwise the Venturi will struggle pulling the air through a tube of this length.
Another option is to use a small air compressor at the end of the tubing to pull air from the outside and inject it right into the air intake, this works quite well from what I’ve heard.

I am going to try re-circulating via my skimmer cup before I do that though.

This should tremendously lower your media consumption and may even improve the current performance of your scrubber.

You don’t need to get expansive new lids that may or may not fit your skimmer - there are 3D printed inserts you can place between the the cup and the lids that would work just fine.

You can either design one yourself or purchase one that fits your skimmer from someone like FishOfHex or other online vendors that offer them.

Good luck!

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

If you don’t have any consumption at the moment, and you’re planning to stock it with LPS/SPS - you’ll likely be able solve the low PH problem solely by dosing a high PH Alk supplement in the future.

So it might indeed be worth waiting with making permanent holes in your wall, because you may only need it temporarily, until you have Alk/Ca consumption in place.



It’s different for each and everyone of us.
I would much rather solve the problem elsewhere than to make holes on the outside walls - but if I didn’t have an alternative, I would probably do so in a whimp.

About the 10 feet tubing - as already been mentioned here, you should use a wider tubing to lower the resistance, otherwise the Venturi will struggle pulling the air through a tube of this length.
Another option is to use a small air compressor at the end of the tubing to pull air from the outside and inject it right into the air intake, this works quite well from what I’ve heard.



This should tremendously lower your media consumption and may even improve the current performance of your scrubber.

You don’t need to get expansive new lids that may or may not fit your skimmer - there are 3D printed inserts you can place between the the cup and the lids that would work just fine.

You can either design one yourself or purchase one that fits your skimmer from someone like FishOfHex or other online vendors that offer them.

Good luck!

incredibly helpful! thank you!

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

If you don’t have any consumption at the moment, and you’re planning to stock it with LPS/SPS - you’ll likely be able solve the low PH problem solely by dosing a high PH Alk supplement in the future.

So it might indeed be worth waiting with making permanent holes in your wall, because you may only need it temporarily, until you have Alk/Ca consumption in place.



It’s different for each and everyone of us.
I would much rather solve the problem elsewhere than to make holes on the outside walls - but if I didn’t have an alternative, I would probably do so in a whimp.

About the 10 feet tubing - as already been mentioned here, you should use a wider tubing to lower the resistance, otherwise the Venturi will struggle pulling the air through a tube of this length.
Another option is to use a small air compressor at the end of the tubing to pull air from the outside and inject it right into the air intake, this works quite well from what I’ve heard.



This should tremendously lower your media consumption and may even improve the current performance of your scrubber.

You don’t need to get expansive new lids that may or may not fit your skimmer - there are 3D printed inserts you can place between the the cup and the lids that would work just fine.

You can either design one yourself or purchase one that fits your skimmer from someone like FishOfHex or other online vendors that offer them.

Good luck!

Hi- is FishofHex a member here? Not seeing him. I'd like to reach out.

 

[DanyL]

Not sure if he’s a member here or not, but he is a vendor with an online store and a YouTube channel.

When the recirculating idea gained traction he was the first to invent a simple 3D printed attachment for skimmers that don’t require drilling, and he covered probably most of the skimmer models available to the hobby.

So it’s likely that you’ll find an attachment for your skimmer ready to purchase, but he’s also accepting custom orders where you ship your lid and receive it back with a custom attachment.

Skimmer Scrubber Attachment

fishofhex.com

 

[FUNGI]

Its a pretty easy DIY:

 

[Solo McReefer]

"Gulp"

Gawd, he is so annoying

Drink your GD coffee before the camera is on. I'm sure you give great infos, Devin. But I will never know, because you tripped my disgust reflex at the beginning of your video

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

Its a pretty easy DIY:

i actually have little holes on my skimmer lid around it in that same spot that i will widen with a wider bit. The hose fitting can be found at home depot i assume? Should be super simple

 

[FUNGI]

i actually have little holes on my skimmer lid around it in that same spot that i will widen with a wider bit. The hose fitting can be found at home depot i assume? Should be super simple

cover the rest of the holes with silicon/tape etc as you want the lid to be air tight....yes, home depot lowes etc etc

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

cover the rest of the holes with silicon/tape etc as you want the lid to be air tight....yes, home depot lowes etc etc

thats what I figured. Silicone.

Thanks- i know not rocket science but yea...