IceCap Co2 scrubber installation

[Dr. Reef Verified Sponsor]

Here is an update after a few weeks.
Unit has been working just fine. Keeping pH in 8.2ish range.

At some point I noticed that I had a lot of moisture on the bottom of the canister. Enough to start touching the bottom of the media.
So I removed the intake tubing from skimmer cup and let it suck ambient air rather than moist air from skimmer.
After 2 to 3 days the water went evaporated and canister ran dry.
As soon as moisture was dry pH started to drop. I was out of town for couple of days and when I came back I notice media was dry canister was dry and media had changed color from pink to white.
I figured maybe media has expired so I want online and ordered more media.
Meanwhile I thought canister is dry so let me plug the tubing back to skimmer. So I did.
Next day woke up to higher pH readings and small amounts 9f water on the bottom of the canister and some media looked pink again.
I know this is just 1 incident but I am assuming that without moisture media dries out and exhausts faster.
As soon as moisture was added media regained it's absorbing properties and start keeping pH higher.
Attached are my pH chart over the last week.

This is last 24 hrs. You can see pH go much higher by just adding moist air.

 

[Raul'O]

You are supposed to add 1-2 tablespoons of RODI to the bottom of a Co2 Scrubber.

Where did you find that? I’ve been running mine without water and my ph is bee around 8.2-8.3! Anyway how are you supposed to get the water down there if the hole on the top is too narrow, the media would be all wet and messy

 

[Dr. Reef Verified Sponsor]

Its been a few weeks since I updated.
I had to resort to 2 jumbo co2 scrubber system as my co2 levels in the garage are very high.
Also I couldn't control how much moisture was entering the ice cap co2 scrubber and thus after a few days the water would start to touch the media and after a week or so half thr media would be under water.
So I changes the configuration. I took out the media from Ice cap scrubber and used it as a water collection canister and attached 2 brs jumbo scrubber after it. Now I have 0 moisture in brs scrubber but some in ice cap.
PH has been steady between 8.2 and 8.3

 

[Nordy]

the problem is the media doesn't get any moist air since dry air is feeding in from the outside

I tried the outside and did not see any improvements, going to try middle

its absurd icecap did not include any instructions anywhere

I got no instructions either. Bought an ice cap Kalk mixer. No instructions. If you’re a genius, nice! For the hobbyist who spend a lot on a product, devote all they got into the hobby to succeed, add a few pro tips ice cap! Put a QR code to scan with setup instructions. I’ve purchased ice cap a lot over the years, but I’m ticked you gotta email them, find a YouTube video, or go through a lot of posts online to get your results. I have my medium ice cap CO2 connection on the outside port, should draw air through the middle, scrub it with the skimmer air intake pull. Some RODI water in bottom chamber. Media changes color, less than expected for PH increase. My two cents is, it isn’t worth 2 cents.

 

[Amstar]

I have a motorized ball valve --will pull in air when my PH is within range that I want. When its outside of range it switches and pulls air back through the srubber

I have my tube on the outside of the scrubber -- no water ever in the scrubber (should I?) -- and with my apex controlling the motorized ball valve my PH stays between 8.29 and 8.4

so overall -- tube from skimmer to motorized ball valve -- tube then goes off to the side that pulls in air from the room (sometime this week I will run it so pull air from the outside (going to drill through part of the dryer vent mount (not the dryer vent hose) but the mount to outside -- then I have a tube that runs from the 3rd valve on the ball valve to the scrubber to pull air through the scrubber when needed

not sure if I want to change to the middle port or add water with my PH staying within that range and my media changing colors --- would switching and adding water make any difference in media consumption

 

[Nordy]

So my port connection to scrubber needs to be in the middle?

 

[kevinf]

So my port connection to scrubber needs to be in the middle?

Yes, it should be in the middle. My small co2 scrubber going strong. Its really helping out.

 

[Dr. Reef Verified Sponsor]

Port on the side (not in the middle) is attached to a small tubing that runs down from top to bottom of the container. (Indicated in Red in the pic), It can be left open to draw air from the ambient air in the room or you can attach it to your skimmer that has air scrubber port. (Pic below)

You Leave that port open or attach it to this type of lid. If you leave it open then you need to add some water every now and then through that port which will accumulate on the bottom of the reactor. (Blue color in pic) Wather will travel down the tube to the bottom without touching the media.

If you attach it to a skimmer cap/lid (like above) it will ad moisture automatically. Caution: In my experience it continues to add moisture and water levels start to increase, To a point where water is touching or mixing with media. So you may have to watch water levels and either remove the tubing from the lid or add a solenoid and have 2 ways for air to get into the reactor, Will need to program your controler when to open which type of air, moist from skimmer lid or ambient air etc.

Once you have the input scared away, media is filled in the middle of the reactor and a tube from the middle of the reactor (Green in the pic) carries that air back to skimmer or tank or in my case to the venturi input of the skimmer pump.

This should be the way IceCap scrubber needs to be setup.

If you were to swap the ports and make the air go in from top middle port, it will travel down the media making media wet and moist, making it useless after a few hours to days and then travelling back up the tube and out by the side port. That is not the correct way, Air needs to travel down and drop the moisture on the bottom of the conister before travelling up through the media and out to skimmer.

 

[Peair]

Its been a few weeks since I updated.
I had to resort to 2 jumbo co2 scrubber system as my co2 levels in the garage are very high.
Also I couldn't control how much moisture was entering the ice cap co2 scrubber and thus after a few days the water would start to touch the media and after a week or so half thr media would be under water.
So I changes the configuration. I took out the media from Ice cap scrubber and used it as a water collection canister and attached 2 brs jumbo scrubber after it. Now I have 0 moisture in brs scrubber but some in ice cap.
PH has been steady between 8.2 and 8.3

You have a pretty tricky setup going there as long you don't have any problems and it stays steady between 8.2 and 8.3, everything should be ok for awhile, I use the medium IceCap CO2 scrubber with their media and a Hydros PH probe to monitor on a 55 gal, and the PH is usually steady around 2.20 range till I have a complete media color change, I am going to start changing the media around 85% and see if it stills stays steady.

 

[Peair]

And I tried the air port tube on the side and in the middle also to see if it would make a difference, for I did not see much of a difference at all, right now I have it in the middle and everything seems to to working fine.

 

[goosemans]

Never used water in a co2 scrubber. I tried water once and it made it perform worse

 

[G_D_Ironside]

Just got this scrubber today and hookup was incredibly easy. I’m not sure what all the confusion is about.

A quick study of the unit shows that the intake air must travel down the plastic tube, underneath the media chamber, where the water goes. (I put in 30 ml of RODI water, to bring the level just below the tube line.

From there, the air travels up into the media chamber, through the sponge to help diffuse it, and up into the outflow port, and into the skimmer.

Sure, they should definitely include instructions, but setup is nowhere near as complicated or confusing as people are making it.

 

[Backtolifemassage]

Just got this scrubber today and hookup was incredibly easy. I’m not sure what all the confusion is about.

A quick study of the unit shows that the intake air must travel down the plastic tube, underneath the media chamber, where the water goes. (I put in 30 ml of RODI water, to bring the level just below the tube line.

From there, the air travels up into the media chamber, through the sponge to help diffuse it, and up into the outflow port, and into the skimmer.

Sure, they should definitely include instructions, but setup is nowhere near as complicated or confusing as people are making it.

The confusion is that the hoses are not labeled.

 

[AZ_Reefer]

Do you guys know if this is hooked up properly especially the skimmer part? Don’t really see any changes and not sure if it’s working properly. Thanks everyone!

 

[Sophie"s mom]

Yes! That is exactly how I have mine hooked up

 

[AZ_Reefer]

I just don’t understand why it’s not working…

 

[Troylee]

I just don’t understand why it’s not working…

Is it brand new? I know the ice cap media sucks it doesn’t change color when it’s exhausted! I found the cheaper stuff on Amazon works great and does change color.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

What do you mean when you say it’s not working? Is it not helping to raise your PH? Did you put a small amount of water in the chamber u dear to media?

 

[AZ_Reefer]

What do you mean when you say it’s not working? Is it not helping to raise your PH? Did you put a small amount of water in the chamber u dear to media?

I did put a small amount of water underneath and no it’s not raising pH. Really scratching my head

 

[kevinf]

I did put a small amount of water underneath and no it’s not raising pH. Really scratching my head

How long have you waited? I have mine connected on the outside port. I tried the middle, the outside port was better for my pH