evolved's 190g Reef: Wrasse Retreat (Updated 2/6, Pg 33)

I should have mentioned it a while back, but I don't believe I ever did. Back late November I added a CO2 scrubber to the airline on my protein skimmer. I began to note every time we left the house for a weekend or more the pH would trend upwards and level out with very little variation. After seeing this being consistent each time no one was in the house >24 hours, it became quite apparent the O2 levels in my house weren't high enough with people present to keep the pH consistent. So I made a CO2 scrubber using a clear tumbler and routed the skimmer airline into it. The tumbler is filled with soda ash pellets, the same media which is used in diving re-breathers to absorb excess CO2.

Now my pH is pretty much always above 8.0, whereas before it might dip to 7.85 or so. But most importantly now, is the consistency I've found with it. Before it, I'd occasionally get some drops ~0.3 at certain times; a larger swing then I'd like to see.

Here's the last 7 days. It still trends around sometimes for unknown reasons, but gone are any semi-drastic (>0.2) swings now:

 

Way to go fancy pants. I'll eventually grow up and buy an Apex.

 

Cool idea. I just saw an article for doing this exact thing.

 

You won't regret it.

Yeah, not an original idea at all. But it certainly works.

 

So Mr. Tony Vargas (and a group of local reefers) stopped by for a visit Saturday evening.

More on that after Tony publishes whatever he presumably has in mind.

 

Tease!!!!

 

I think this post should be reported to the moderators as inappropriate! ;D

Not even a hint?

 

A hint? I suppose I can provide the backstory.

The local reef club brought him in as a speaker Saturday afternoon at out monthly meeting. Prior to the meeting we did a tank tour of 3 local reef tanks (Elliot's being one of them; you may have seen his photos on here. He's the one with the crazy frozen food feeder built into a freezer with the hair dryer activation). After the club meeting, Tony did a book signing at a local store, then the tank tour continued with my tank and one more after, late into the night. Plenty of fun was had.

 

Sounds like fun! My wife wants to try and get guest speakers via skype for our meetings.

 

Very cool!