An Easy Way to Increase Your Tank's pH with a CO2 Scrubber

[CJO]

LOL. You could probably do it on your current tank. It's working fine. Easy to do, basically no maintenance except changing out the media every month or so and a quick 0.2 bump in my pH.

CJ

 

[fsu1dolfan]

I dont have any problems with my PH but this is a pretty cool DIY CJO...ill have to keep it in mind if i ever need it. Kudos!

 

[Avp]

I would like to try this...where do you buy the soda lime?

 

[CJO]

first you need to source your soda lime. The soda lime needs to be in a pellatized form. The powder form can easily get into your system and it is quickly used up. It is also good to get they type that changes color when it binds with the co2 so that you know when to change it out. I've heard that some people get theirs from a scuba dive store, but that it is expensive. Mdb_talon mentions below that he purchased his from a dive store for around $75 for a 5 gallon bucket. I purchased mine from national airgas, a welding supply store. They call it sofnoline, which i think is a typo on sofnolime, the brand name. Some people have paid around $120 for a 5-gallon bucket. I was quoted $80, but was able to talk them down to $60. It should be enough to last me for a year or two.

If you want to just buy a smaller amount, eynonreefer sourced a 3 lb bag for $7.50 jor553 - soda lime, 3 lb. Bag in anesthesia products at med-vet international

?
Cj

 

[Cyber-Burn]

Great post! I wish I had seen the DIY reactor before I had bought one. On a side note I have been using the CO2 scrubber for about 6 months now and it has helped with my PH.

 

[Jakef150]

Will tunze 9002 works ? It's smaller skimmer

Thanks
Jake

 

[CJO]

I haven't used the Tunze myself, but as long as you have a way of attaching the hose to the skimmer's air intake, I don't see why not.

CJ

 

[CalmSeasQuest]

Will tunze 9002 works ? It's smaller skimmer

Thanks
Jake

With the 9002, you have to use the Ozone port - which doesn't draw air. As a result, you'll need an air pump to feed air through the CO2 scrubber and into the skimmer. I've used a Shego WS3 (recommended by Tunze) in that exact setup for the last couple years - It's worked flawlessly.

 

[bige]

With the 9002, you have to use the Ozone port - which doesn't draw air. As a result, you'll need an air pump to feed air through the CO2 scrubber and into the skimmer. I've used a Shego WS3 (recommended by Tunze) in that exact setup for the last couple years - It's worked flawlessly.

I needed that info too. How exactly would this be configured?

Does the C02 scrubber sit upright like a bottle or does it matter?

 

[CalmSeasQuest]

I needed that info too. How exactly would this be configured?

Does the C02 scrubber sit upright like a bottle or does it matter?

It don't think orientation of the scrubber really matters. I use a BRS canister filter with CO2 scrubber media and a bit of ROX GAC. The air pump pushes air through the media and into the Ozone port of the 9002 - very simple and very effective.

 

[caudill187]

I hooked one up to my system today. My pH had been running 7.7-7.8 after installing a Calcium Reactor. My pH went from 7.7 to 7.93 in about 2 hours! I'm wondering how long the media will last with bubble blaster pump pulling so much air. I used about 1L of media in a BRS reactor. Also wondering if particulate soda lime being pulled into my system is at least partly responsible for the increase in pH?

 

[CalmSeasQuest]

Mine (also in a BRS reactor) lasts about 6 months, but I'm running a smaller, Tunze 9002 skimmer. I wouldnt worry about any particulate matter - Your .23 increase is very close to the ~.20 that I get in a room averaging about ~540 ppm CO2.

 

[caudill187]

Mine (also in a BRS reactor) lasts about 6 months, but I'm running a smaller, Tunze 9002 skimmer. I wouldnt worry about any particulate matter - Your .23 increase is very close to the ~.20 that I get in a room averaging about ~540 ppm CO2.

Thanks. I'm thinking I should have done this a while ago

 

[rkseaslug]

Wanted to say thanks for the info. I placed an order for 3lbs of sodalime from-ShopMed.com, $7.50 for 3lb. Great site for smaller quantity. I have tried everything to raise my PH wihout any consistant success. I borrowed some soda lime a couple of weeks ago and PH is steadily going up and staying.
could not be happier.

 

[jelly]

i use sofnolime from a welders supply shop works great. but with my skimz 201 skimmer i have to change it once a week. i use a BRS reactor and fill the tube up to the top. only thing i dont like is that i have to change it every week but thats better then having low ph.

 

[CalmSeasQuest]

I've been paying $7.80 per 3lb bag - JOR553 - Soda Lime, 3 lb. bag in Anesthesia Products at Med-Vet International

 

[bluwinghawk]

nice write up have to put this in new system thanks

 

[CJO]

Glad I could help!

CJ

 

[CalmSeasQuest]

A couple of tips for CO2 scrubber users...

Most scrubber media (Soda Lime) contains a pH indicator called Ethyl Violet that will turn a light blue color to indicate the media is exhausted. There are two challenges in trying to use this color change in determining when your media is exhausted,

1. The color change is temporary. After having been exhausted, the color eventually fades back to white - appearing to be fresh media.
3. Most clear canisters have a slight blue tint to them. This makes it very difficult to see the light-blue color of the indicator. In my case (BRS canister) even fully exhausted material still appears white when viewed through the canister. It's not until the media is removed from the canister that the blue color can be detected.

I've found that a better method of determining exhaustion is simply watching your tank's pH. Mine decreases ~.20 when the the CO2 scrubber is offline.

I also add a couple tablespoons of ROX 0.8 carbon to the scrubber media to absorb any impurities that might be present in the air.

 

[lpslover]

Awesome idea. I am so going to do this. Question though: My skimmer is air pump driven. I'm assuming I could drill only one hole at the bottom of the container to create a single in and out point and use it as an inline cartridge between the air pump and skimmer. Any serious flaw in my planning here?