CO2 media

[BestMomEver]

Hey guys! I have a question about y’alls CO2 media. In the past, I used the TLF brand. I saw y’all had some media at a great price so I ordered it. I could never see a result from it and it never turned purple. I spoke to someone there and he said it might take longer for it to turn as it was designed to last longer. I waited a few weeks and finally removed it. It looked exactly as it did when I put it in. So, I went back to TLF and everything has been great. I recently placed an order and decided to try your media again. The price is great and I wanted to make sure I didn’t get a bad batch the first time.

It’s been five days and the media has not turned purple and my pH has slowly dropped from 8.2 to 7.78. Is there something I’m doing wrong? I am not doing anything differently with your media than I did with the TLF media. I don’t want this bag to go to waste but I may have to order the TLF brand again. Suggestions?

 

[joseserrano]

I also find it difficult to see the color change

 

[Joshua Mummery]

i use BRS media with their simple co2 scrubber and get purple media in about 3-4 weeks.

 

[BestMomEver]

i use BRS media with their simple co2 scrubber and get purple media in about 3-4 weeks.

I usually see a color change with the TLF media in a day or so. I’ve never seen the BRS media change. That would be ok if the pH stayed stable but when I use the BRS media, the pH steadily drops. I woke up this morning to a dozen messages from my Apex saying my pH is low. It’s so frustrating. I feel I’ve wasted money and I’m sure my tank doesn’t care for the instability.

 

[Joshua Mummery]

what scrubber are you using? I hooked my up backwards and saw a drop then realized it was wrong. once i fixed it i saw a change immediately

 

[Pete_the_Puma]

Also had trouble seeing the color change.. I was wondering if it was maybe a function of not having enought water in the scrubber? (They recommend adding a tablespoon or so...)

 

[Brew12]

Also had trouble seeing the color change.. I was wondering if it was maybe a function of not having enought water in the scrubber? (They recommend adding a tablespoon or so...)

This is what I was thinking, also. I couldn't get the media to work without a fair amount of water in the bottom of the reactor.

 

[BestMomEver]

what scrubber are you using? I hooked my up backwards and saw a drop then realized it was wrong. once i fixed it i saw a change immediately

I'm using just a plain old scrubber fed into my skimmer. It’s been operational for a year or better. When’s disconnect the scrubber to change the media, I leave one of the hoses attached (it’s hard to describe) which leaves no way to run it backwards. Even though I’d feel like an idiot, I kinda wish that was the problem as it would be easy to fix.

Also had trouble seeing the color change.. I was wondering if it was maybe a function of not having enought water in the scrubber? (They recommend adding a tablespoon or so...)

I have run mine with water and without. I see no difference in performance. Of course, it’s incredibly humid here. I typically have no issue maintaining moisture of any kind. Still, when I realized I was having the same issue, I took the media out, cleaned the scrubber, added a teaspoon of water and refilled it. Nothing.

@Bulk Reef Supply can you help?

 

[Joshua Mummery]

i had to hook my intake air line from my skimmer to the out on the Co2 scrubber for it to work.. I disconnected it once and hooked it up and saw a steady drop until i re watched the brs video and realized i hook up the scubber incorrectly

 

[Bulk Reef Supply]

We did change where we get our media a few months back and will admit that the color change is less pronounced than the previous media. For that reason, looking at the pH in the tank to determine if the media is depleted might be a more reliable way to go. Typically we've found that the moisture aspect plays a huge role in performance. Out of curiosity, do you notice the 1 tbsp of water disappear quickly? Sometimes you can even tell when the water in the scrubber has evaporated by looking at the pH of the tank.

How long the media lasts is going to be very dependent on the CO2 levels in your home, but we've been seeing about a 1 week lifespan of the media on average. I might try swapping it and adding the water right away to see if you get the pH to spike back up. If you see a spike upwards then slowly fall from there over the next week, that's an indication of the media being past it's useful life.

 

[Brew12]

When I used it I added around a 1/4 cup of water and found that I needed to add more water at least once or twice before I needed to replace the media.

 

[Scurvy]

I found the water in my reactor was drying up within a couple of days so I rigged up this little contraption and its working great. I cant rig the input to my skimmer lid as others are doing lately so this was my best bet.

Admittedly my media is the older type with a good color indicator. Haven't tried the new stuff get.

 

[Joshua Mummery]

I found the water in my reactor was drying up within a couple of days so I rigged up this little contraption and its working great. I cant rig the input to my skimmer lid as others are doing lately so this was my best bet.

Admittedly my media is the older type with a good color indicator. Haven't tried the new stuff get.

details a must... container and attachments... i have been thinking of doint the same thing

 

[Scurvy]

details a must... container and attachments... i have been thinking of doint the same thing

It is just a small plastic jar I had laying around Any air tight container would work. Drilled two holes in the top and used RODI bulkheads.

1/4" Push Connect Bulkhead Tank Adapter

The ¼" push connect bulkhead tank adapter is a great solution for connecting ro tubing through hard-walled barriers, such as sump walls or container lids/caps. These come with a plastic nut to secure the bulkhead to the container wall, but do not have a gasket. These are designed for above-water...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Added an elbow/stem on intake but not required and a little RO tubing to submerge the intake and attach to scrubber. Here's a better view.

 

[Joshua Mummery]

It is just a small plastic jar I had laying around Any air tight container would work. Drilled two holes in the top and used RODI bulkheads.

1/4" Push Connect Bulkhead Tank Adapter

The ¼" push connect bulkhead tank adapter is a great solution for connecting ro tubing through hard-walled barriers, such as sump walls or container lids/caps. These come with a plastic nut to secure the bulkhead to the container wall, but do not have a gasket. These are designed for above-water...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Added an elbow/stem on intake but not required and a little RO tubing to submerge the intake and attach to scrubber. Here's a better view.

Awesome... I thought so but im a visual learner..thanks man