CO2 scrubber: worth getting one?

[OldReefGuy]

My PH does fluctuate abit 7.9 to 8.3 during the day....is it worth getting a CO2 scrubber to try to maintain a somewhat consistent ph level? Open windows during the day is not an option.....I'm think about getting the Ice Cap one that attaches to the skimmer venturi inlet....thoughts please

 

[reefinsocal]

I've heard they don't last long and the media needs to be constantly replaced.. Maybe someone else can speak to it.

 

[Cereal Killer]

I used one for several years.I think I got it from brs. The media can burn up quickly, so I searched around and found a chemical co source that was much cheaper. Sorry, that's all I can remember except it worked

 

[jessesoto33]

Expensive but if you buy in bulk then not so bad, I switched to algae scrubber it keep my PH pretty much 8.3 and other benefits like keeps nitrate and pO4 low and removes algae’s from display and don’t have to clean glass as much no smell easy to clean, after saying all that I have 2 Co2 scrubbers for sale with media lol on the cheap


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[jessesoto33]

Expensive but if you buy in bulk then not so bad, I switched to algae scrubber it keep my PH pretty much 8.3 and other benefits like keeps nitrate and pO4 low and removes algae’s from display and don’t have to clean glass as much no smell easy to clean, after saying all that I have 2 Co2 scrubbers for sale with media lol on the cheap


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[kidAxx]

I also preferred lighting my algae (chaeto in fuge) with stronger light and longer duration to increase pH. I’ve heard the media works wonders for some, but it did not have as much impact for me. May be the size of the tank and other variables- I also feel my corals grow very very fast even with the low swing around 7.8.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[drexel]

Long story short, no it's not worth the expense. The juice isn't worth the squeeze. Running an airline outside to your skimmer intake may help a little, but the best thing for balancing out pH swings is reverse light schedule with either an ATS or macro algae (chaeto). The other option would be to dose kalk at night.
Also, my pH goes for 7.9 to 8.2-3 and I'm completely fine with that range.

 

[OldReefGuy]

"The other option would be to dose kalk at night." - Just started doing that
Have Cheato running reverse.....and I will look at running an airline outside....

Just trying to make my corals look as kick-ass as @drexel

 

[drexel]

Your tank is right next to an outside wall, so if you don't have an issue with drilling a hole in the wall, that will help a little. Just put a diy carbon filter on the line to "clean" the air a little and to prevent unwanted critters from entering the tube/hose. Right now I'm dosing kalk at night and running a diy chaeto reactor, but the reactor is too small for what I need it to do, so I'm either going add a much lager reservoir for the macro or I'm going to make an ATS? I can make an ATS, but I don't have a lot of space underneath my tank and it requires suspending the ATS above my sump and being able to pull the screen from above to harvest the algae. I may just build a 5-10g box and plumb it next to the sump and use my Kessil H160? I'll be out of work soon, so I'll have time to build stuff.

 

[pledosophy]

I ran one, it didn't do much for me. I am less then a mile from the 605/405/22 interchange, so opening a window didn't help me much either.

Dosing kalk was the answer for me, and something I wish I started years ago.

 

[NickleCheese]

I have 250G tank, the CO2 scrubber didn't help much.

 

[OldReefGuy]

Thanks All......
Will pass on this and plumb outside line......