THE BEST WAY to implement a CO2 scrubber!

[Ryanbrs]

What this thread has: A way to implement a CO2 scrubber into your system in the most efficient way possible.

What this thread doesn’t have: Pictures of a clean skimmer.

I finally had a chance to shoot some pictures of my skimmer/CO2 scrubber setup, since I had the system out of my sump for some maintenance.

With the rise in popularity of CO2 scrubbers seemingly growing by the day, I decided to make a write up of what I think is the best way to implement these devices. While the reactors are very effective at removing CO2 from the air that passes through them, there are a few considerations that have a heavy influence on how quickly the media is depleted.

Firstly, the media must be protected from drying out. When the media dries out, it is no longer capable of neutralizing CO2. Secondly, the concentration of CO2 entering the scrubber has a huge effect on how long it will be able to function before needing to be replenished.

Protecting the media from drying out traditionally was done by adding a tablespoon or so of water to the bottom of the reactor. The idea is that this water would keep the flow of air relatively humid prior to hitting the media, which would prolong its life. In my experience, this was short lived. The water that was added to the reactor would be quickly depleted and the media would dry out. This is not a huge deal if you are okay with adding new water to the reactor every few days, but this wasn’t really an option for me.

To my knowledge, the only solution for reducing the amount of CO2 pulled into the reactor was to plumb the intake to the outdoor air. The amount of CO2 in the air outside the home should be pretty low to begin with, so it’s questionable as to how much benefit there really even is to have a CO2 scrubber before the skimmer intake in a situation where you are able to easily plumb the intake to the outdoors. The problem specifically for me with plumbing an intake outside is that I have neighbors living relatively closely to my home and I know they use a fair amount of chemicals for insects and grass. I’m not interested in chancing an air intake in that environment

The good news is, I have a solution for both of these issues. Lifereef skimmers are especially great candidates for this implementation because of the way their venture is plumbed. A major downfall to older style pump-drive venturis such as the lifereef is that if it is fed dry air, there is a very probable chance that the venturi will clog with salt creep. Lifereef solves this issue by being plumbed so that the venture pulls air from the skimmer cup. The skimmer cup is humid by nature, so it only makes sense to pull air from this source to keep the venture intake air moist, thus preventing the salt creep clogging. What is great about this relating to a CO2 scrubber is that you can place it inline between the skimmer cup and the venture so that it is fed nothing but humid air. This has completely prevented premature drying of the CO2 media, with significantly prolongs it’s lifespan.

The other major benefit to placing the reactor inline between the skimmer cup and the venturi is that you are basically recycling the air inside the skimmer. This means that the amount of CO2 being introduced to the media will be quite low compared to room air. The setup is extremely efficient as far a longevity of the media is concerned.

Now for the pictures! This is my setup… very simple. A single BRS media reactor filled with soda lime from shopvetmed.com (the best price I can find). Airflow travels from the skimmer cup, through the media reactor and into the venture. Doesn’t get much more simple that that .

This works great with a lifereef skimmer because they require a large pump to begin with, so there is no worries about bogging things down as far as air intake is concerned. I do understand that other skimmers are not set up with this type of plumbing from the skimmer cup, but I have heard of people drilling their cups and adding a hose barb in a similar fashion. I don’t think that air constriction will be a concern with most skimmers since the media isn’t densely packed, and allows for a pretty easy airflow through it.

I hope that this helps you all with implementation of a CO2 scrubber in your aquarium!

What an interesting idea. nice

 

[TX_Punisher]

I use a similar setup, but instead of a solenoid valve I use a motorized valve. The problem for me with a solenoid is that it stays energized all the time that it's open or closed (depending on the design). For a valve that will only be in the energized state for a short time, this isn't an issue. But in my setup, the valve may be called on to maintain either state for many hours continuously. Many solenoids get quite warm or even hot in this situation, and although I have no proof, I am concerned about premature valve failure or system electrical issues.

A motorized valve is neat because, when you first supply it with power (plug it in), it turns the ball valve to either open or closed, and then stops using power. When you remove power from the valve (unplug it), it automatically goes back to the other position. It doesn't use energy continuously, and stays cool.

I like the motorized ball valve idea. Not a lot of
Room in the Red Sea sump areas but maybe I can attach it to the back of the stand.

Now I need to figure out how to wire it up and program the Apex

 

[markstubb]

Should be easy. either get a 120v or 24v version and hook it to the appropriate port. You can get DC24v connectors from neptune that are just pigtails

 

[jd371]

I'm new to this and need some pointers. My pH has been 7.6 - 8.0 even with an airline to the outside ( 4' run behind the tank to the outside ). I ordered the media and it should be here tomorrow and I already have a BRS reactor that I no longer use for GFO. I plan to use the existing line from the outside to the input of the reactor and then onto the skimmer, will this work ?

 

[Velcro]

I'm new to this and need some pointers. My pH has been 7.6 - 8.0 even with an airline to the outside ( 4' run behind the tank to the outside ). I ordered the media and it should be here tomorrow and I already have a BRS reactor that I no longer use for GFO. I plan to use the existing line from the outside to the input of the reactor and then onto the skimmer, will this work ?

The media will dry out quickly unless you and more water to the bottom of the reactor every few days.

 

[jd371]

The media will dry out quickly unless you and more water to the bottom of the reactor every few days.

Gotcha, so you need to keep the media moist for it to last.

 

[Velcro]

Gotcha, so you need to keep the media moist for it to last.

Yes sir

 

[rkpetersen]

I like the motorized ball valve idea. Not a lot of
Room in the Red Sea sump areas but maybe I can attach it to the back of the stand.

Now I need to figure out how to wire it up and program the Apex

That's how I have it mounted in my Reefer 450. It's not super heavy and a combination of clips and industrial strength velcro hold it to the wall very securely.

Wiring is no problem - it just plugs into one of your regular energy bar outlets. I have mine running at night, and if the pH is less than 8.15 at any time. The code for this outlet is:


[CO2Scrubber]
Fallback OFF
Set OFF
Defer 002:00 Then OFF
If Time 20:00 to 10:00 Then ON
If pH < 8.15 Then ON
If pH > 8.35 Then OFF

 

[Ryanbrs]

So how has this worked out for people trying it? Does it affect the skimmate production at all?

 

[Velcro]

So how has this worked out for people trying it? Does it affect the skimmate production at all?

Worked great for me for the time period I had it set up. I've moved on to just pulling air from the outdoors about two stories up. I never noticed any difference in skimmate.

 

[W@tchm@n]

It totally does!

hi all, can someone pls help to explain this.
i'm confused and new to setting up a scrubber...
i have just set mine up..

basically, i have taken the pipe from the out port on the scrubber reactor and connected it directly to my deltec skimmer venturi which is in my sump and submersed... my collection cup does not have a hole drilled like the original post.

so what do i actually do here.. do i just connect another pipe to the input side of the scrubber reactor and place that into a jar of water?

thanks..

 

[rkpetersen]

So how has this worked out for people trying it? Does it affect the skimmate production at all?

Works great for me; no change in skimmer performance at all. Definitely make sure that it doesn't restrict your skimmer airflow though.

 

[cmcoker]

hi all, can someone pls help to explain this.
i'm confused and new to setting up a scrubber...
i have just set mine up..

basically, i have taken the pipe from the out port on the scrubber reactor and connected it directly to my deltec skimmer venturi which is in my sump and submersed... my collection cup does not have a hole drilled like the original post.

so what do i actually do here.. do i just connect another pipe to the input side of the scrubber reactor and place that into a jar of water?

thanks..

You might try something like this, may create too much pressure on your venturi though... I've thought of using this if I needed to use a CO2 scrubber but ph has been ok so far.

Basically it pulls the incoming air through the water, instead of across the water.

 

[Monty Alexander]

What this thread has: A way to implement a CO2 scrubber into your system in the most efficient way possible.

What this thread doesn’t have: Pictures of a clean skimmer.

I finally had a chance to shoot some pictures of my skimmer/CO2 scrubber setup, since I had the system out of my sump for some maintenance.

With the rise in popularity of CO2 scrubbers seemingly growing by the day, I decided to make a write up of what I think is the best way to implement these devices. While the reactors are very effective at removing CO2 from the air that passes through them, there are a few considerations that have a heavy influence on how quickly the media is depleted.

Firstly, the media must be protected from drying out. When the media dries out, it is no longer capable of neutralizing CO2. Secondly, the concentration of CO2 entering the scrubber has a huge effect on how long it will be able to function before needing to be replenished.

Protecting the media from drying out traditionally was done by adding a tablespoon or so of water to the bottom of the reactor. The idea is that this water would keep the flow of air relatively humid prior to hitting the media, which would prolong its life. In my experience, this was short lived. The water that was added to the reactor would be quickly depleted and the media would dry out. This is not a huge deal if you are okay with adding new water to the reactor every few days, but this wasn’t really an option for me.

To my knowledge, the only solution for reducing the amount of CO2 pulled into the reactor was to plumb the intake to the outdoor air. The amount of CO2 in the air outside the home should be pretty low to begin with, so it’s questionable as to how much benefit there really even is to have a CO2 scrubber before the skimmer intake in a situation where you are able to easily plumb the intake to the outdoors. The problem specifically for me with plumbing an intake outside is that I have neighbors living relatively closely to my home and I know they use a fair amount of chemicals for insects and grass. I’m not interested in chancing an air intake in that environment

The good news is, I have a solution for both of these issues. Lifereef skimmers are especially great candidates for this implementation because of the way their venture is plumbed. A major downfall to older style pump-drive venturis such as the lifereef is that if it is fed dry air, there is a very probable chance that the venturi will clog with salt creep. Lifereef solves this issue by being plumbed so that the venture pulls air from the skimmer cup. The skimmer cup is humid by nature, so it only makes sense to pull air from this source to keep the venture intake air moist, thus preventing the salt creep clogging. What is great about this relating to a CO2 scrubber is that you can place it inline between the skimmer cup and the venture so that it is fed nothing but humid air. This has completely prevented premature drying of the CO2 media, with significantly prolongs it’s lifespan.

The other major benefit to placing the reactor inline between the skimmer cup and the venturi is that you are basically recycling the air inside the skimmer. This means that the amount of CO2 being introduced to the media will be quite low compared to room air. The setup is extremely efficient as far a longevity of the media is concerned.

Now for the pictures! This is my setup… very simple. A single BRS media reactor filled with soda lime from shopvetmed.com (the best price I can find). Airflow travels from the skimmer cup, through the media reactor and into the venture. Doesn’t get much more simple that that .

This works great with a lifereef skimmer because they require a large pump to begin with, so there is no worries about bogging things down as far as air intake is concerned. I do understand that other skimmers are not set up with this type of plumbing from the skimmer cup, but I have heard of people drilling their cups and adding a hose barb in a similar fashion. I don’t think that air constriction will be a concern with most skimmers since the media isn’t densely packed, and allows for a pretty easy airflow through it.

I hope that this helps you all with implementation of a CO2 scrubber in your aquarium!

Did you drill the hole in the side of the cup? How did you do it?

 

[Velcro]

Did you drill the hole in the side of the cup? How did you do it?

I did not. Lifer skimmers already have this. You could really do it with a drill bit and a tap.

 

[Ty Hamatake]

hi all, can someone pls help to explain this.
i'm confused and new to setting up a scrubber...
i have just set mine up..

basically, i have taken the pipe from the out port on the scrubber reactor and connected it directly to my deltec skimmer venturi which is in my sump and submersed... my collection cup does not have a hole drilled like the original post.

so what do i actually do here.. do i just connect another pipe to the input side of the scrubber reactor and place that into a jar of water?

thanks..

A picture is worth 1,000 words. What do you have going on now?

 

[Velcro]

hi all, can someone pls help to explain this.
i'm confused and new to setting up a scrubber...
i have just set mine up..

basically, i have taken the pipe from the out port on the scrubber reactor and connected it directly to my deltec skimmer venturi which is in my sump and submersed... my collection cup does not have a hole drilled like the original post.

so what do i actually do here.. do i just connect another pipe to the input side of the scrubber reactor and place that into a jar of water?

thanks..

You can just connect it to something with water in it, but that defeats the purpose of this thread. Also, if you are connecting it to a container with water, make sure that you are not actually drawing water into the media.

 

[Mengchhorn Chhun]

Has anyone ever have problem with CO2 Scrubber pulling form from the skimmer cup, i set mine up to draw the moist air from Nyos 120 and i notice it pull form and the bottom of the scrubber is fill with lots of water up to the media, so does anyone find any solution for that ? Should i use anything to block the form from enter the scrubber?

I did mount my scrubber above the skimmer so it not because of the gravity.

 

[dannyfish]

Your BRS media consist of lime, Ca(OH)2. When CO2 is absorbed onto the media it produces water and calcium carbonate, the same stuff that goes in Kalkwasser. It’s normal for your scrubber to produce water, an indication that CO2 scrubber is working.

 

[Velcro]

Has anyone ever have problem with CO2 Scrubber pulling form from the skimmer cup, i set mine up to draw the moist air from Nyos 120 and i notice it pull form and the bottom of the scrubber is fill with lots of water up to the media, so does anyone find any solution for that ? Should i use anything to block the form from enter the scrubber?

I did mount my scrubber above the skimmer so it not because of the gravity.

When I ran this setup, I would get excess moisture at the bottom of the media canister. It wasn't foam from the skimmer, just a collection of moisture from high humidity. That moisture would bubble somewhat if it was high enough to touch the media, but it was minimal... If your reactor is actually pulling foam from the skimmer then that might be an issue.

Your BRS media consist of lime, Ca(OH)2. When CO2 is absorbed onto the media it produces water and calcium carbonate, the same stuff that goes in Kalkwasser. It’s normal for your scrubber to produce water, an indication that CO2 scrubber is working.

You're mostly right. It also contains ethyl violet for the color change indicator. I would guess that is something you don't want to get into your tank.