Raise pH in Your Reef Aquarium with an IceCap CO2 Scrubber

The pH in a reef tank should be around 8.3 for optimal coral growth. If you’re struggling to maintain pH or if your aquarium suffers from chronically low pH, connecting an IceCap CO2 scrubber to the air intake of your protein skimmer is a great way to increase and keep your pH level within ideal ranges.

Run This Simple Test to See if a CO2 Scrubber Will Help You

The Carbon Dioxide (CO2) level in your home or office may be contributing to the low pH level in your saltwater aquarium. A house full of people and pets affects the pH in your tank. In fact, it’s usually the cause of low pH in a home aquarium. An experiment you can perform to find out if this is the culprit behind your low pH is to open up the windows and doors in your home for a day to let the excess CO2 escape. After 24 hours, test your aquarium’s pH. If the pH level has risen, you can be pretty confident that the CO2 load in your home is high and that a CO2 scrubber will help. Since keeping the windows and doors of your home open all the time isn’t an option for most people, a CO2 scrubber is an easy and affordable way to remove CO2 gas so that it doesn’t suppress the pH of your aquarium water.  

Installing the IceCap CO2 Scrubber is Super Easy

The IceCap CO2 Scrubber can be installed on just about any aquarium with a protein skimmer.

Just connect the included tubing from the air intake on your protein skimmer to the output side of the CO2 scrubber. You may be able to remove the silencer from your protein skimmer and attach the tubing directly to the skimmer pump’s venturi. Next, remove the cartridge inside the scrubber. Add 1-2 tablespoons of RODI water to the bottom of the scrubber. Fill the cartridge with IceCap Carbon Dioxide Adsortion Media (or your preferred CO2 absorbent media) and place it back inside the scrubber.

Be careful not to allow the CO2 media to come into contact with the water you put inside the scrubber. Finally, put the lid back on the scrubber and tighten it. Test the pH level of your aquarium water hourly (or as frequently as possible) during the first few days of use. Once the pH level begins to drop (usually after 2-4 weeks), it’s time to replace the media inside. Most carbon dioxide removal media changes colors once it’s depleted, so you’ll likely have a visual indicator as well to help you determine when it’s time to swap it out.

Running a CO2 Scrubber Helps Raise and Maintain pH

The IceCap CO2 Scrubber will not only raise your pH by a couple of points, but it will also help maintain it at higher levels. Having low pH results in slower coral growth, so by boosting it with the IceCap CO2 scrubber, you’ll be able to achieve faster growth and experience fewer pH swings. With your pH level stable, coral growth and nutrient uptake will increase. Calcium and magnesium consumption are also likely to increase as you raise the pH level, so be sure to continue testing your major water parameters along the way to ensure your reef flourishes.