Affordably Increase Reef Tank pH for Coral Growth! BRS Universal CO2 Scrubber

While generations of hobbyists have accepted pH levels as low as 7.8, keeping your pH at 8.3 or as close as possible is actually the best way to maximize coral growth. The low pH problem is most often caused by too much dissolved CO2 which is simply a result of having the aquarium inside a home where humans (and animals) breathe out CO2 all day long. A few years back, some clever aquarists figured out that scrubbing CO2 from the air that goes into your protein skimmer is a very effective approach to removing dissolved CO2 and therefore increasing a suppressed pH level in a saltwater aquarium. The idea took off and is becoming widely popular among reef aquarists specifically because of the noticeable benefit to coral growth. 

What is a CO2 Scrubber?

The Bulk Reef Supply CO2 Scrubber uses our classic RO canister with a refillable cartridge platform (like on our media reactors) to house CO2 absorbent media. The scrubber is plumbed into your skimmer's air intake so that all of the air going into the protein skimmer first passes over the media. The media removes CO2 from the air which then drastically reduces the amount of dissolved CO2 going into your aquarium water so the pH will naturally rise to more ideal levels. No chemicals or constant monitoring is required, simply swap out the media when it becomes exhausted. 

Why Choose BRS?

There are a handful of CO2 scrubbers on the market these days and the BRS Scrubbers specifically have a few key benefits. There are multiple sizes to suit different amounts of media. The larger units are better for larger skimmers because they hold more media which means less frequent maintenance depending on the amount of CO2 in the air.

BRS CO2 Scrubbers are also affordable, come with an easy-to-fill reusable cartridge, and include 3/8" barbed connections with tubing for easy integration into a protein skimmer.  The RO canister style housing is super simple to mount inside your tank stand and can quickly be unthreaded for maintenance without removing the bracket.

Using the BRS color-changing CO2 absorbent media makes things even easier because you will know exactly when to change out the media before you experience a dip in your pH. The media will take on a purple color as it becomes exhausted. When a majority of the media has turned color, you know it's time to swap it out with new media. Typical media replacement is roughly every 2 weeks but can vary depending on the particular scrubber size.  

How To Setup A BRS CO2 Scrubber

1. Remove the threaded RO canister and remove the refillable cartridge.
2. Remove and dispose of the loose sponges inside the canister and fill the cartridge completely full with CO2 media.
3.  Add 1 tablespoon of RO/DI water to the bottom of the canister housing to maintain humidity. Make sure the water goes into the bottom of the housing ONLY and does not come in contact with the media itself or refillable cartridge.
4. Insert the refillable cartridge into the canister housing and screw it back onto the canister lid.
5. Attach the tubing to your skimmer's air silencer intake or directly onto the venturi port.
6. Mount the CO2 scrubber using the metal bracket in a convenient location where you can access it for maintenance.
7. Run your protein skimmer as normal and replace media when a majority of the media has changed colors or if you notice pH starts to drop.