IceCap CO2 Media, 1 kg
SKU: IC-CO-1KG
- Aggressive CO2 Atmospheric Extraction: Strips raw carbon dioxide gas out of the ambient room air before it can be injected into the water by your protein skimmer.
- Proactive Aquarium pH Elevation: Eliminates the continuous formation of pH-suppressing carbonic acid, safely boosting base aquarium pH levels up toward an optimal 8.3 rating.
- High-Contrast Depletion Indicator: Features built-in color-changing properties that provide a clear visual cue when the media is fully spent and exhausted.
- Optimized Large Pellet Form Factor: Formulated in a perfectly pelletized size to yield maximum air contact time while dramatically minimizing problematic chemical dust.
- 100% Honest Ingredient Transparency: Discloses its exact professional formulation on the label—a precise, clean blend of Calcium Hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) and Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH).
- Universally Compatible Footprint: Pours perfectly into IceCap Small, Medium, and Large CO2 scrubbers, as well as any standard industry up-flow air-dryer reactor shell.
IceCap
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IceCap Color Changing CO2 Absorbent Media, 1KG
The IceCap Color Changing CO2 Absorbent Media 1KG (SKU: IC-CO-1KG) is an authentic, chemical-grade air-filtration substrate distributed by CoralVue to combat chronically suppressed pH levels in modern marine reef aquariums. In modern residential homes and offices, tight insulation, running HVAC systems, and closed windows trap human and pet respiration, causing ambient indoor carbon dioxide (CO2) levels to climb significantly above natural outdoor baselines. When an aquarium protein skimmer pulls this CO2-heavy room air into its venturi mechanism, the gas dissolves directly into the water column, creating a non-stop influx of carbonic acid (H2CO3). This acid active strips away your tank's natural buffering capacity, causing persistent pH drops that delay coral calcification, stress skeletal development, and slow overall growth rates. The IC-CO-1KG completely breaks this acidification cycle.
By placing IceCap's specialized media inside an inline carbon dioxide air scrubber, you establish a highly reactive purification barrier. As ambient room air passes through the pellet bed, a precise chemical reaction takes place: the Calcium Hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) and Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) matrix traps the gaseous carbon dioxide, fixing it into solid calcium carbonate. This ensures that only ultra-pure, CO2-stripped oxygen enters your skimmer's bubble chamber. Unlike lower-grade granular blends that turn into a compacted, dust-heavy sludge that chokes air intake flow, IceCap utilizes a hard-pellet configuration that maintains exceptional structural shape and low backpressure. It provides an immediate, clean, and highly affordable tool to unlock faster coral growth and maintain rock-solid water parameters.
Key Features:
Accelerates Core Coral Calcification: Elevating baseline pH levels directly reduces the metabolic energy reef corals must expend to extract calcium and alkalinity from the water to build skeletons.
Fewer pH Swings: Attenuates the sharp nightly pH drops that occur when aquarium lights turn off and photosynthetic zooxanthellae shift from consuming CO2 to releasing it.
No Secret Formulations: Pure, high-yield soda lime composition contains no hidden chemical fillers, industrial binders, or toxic colorants, ensuring perfect safety around sensitive reef inhabitants.
Note: This retail package contains one 1 Kilogram (2.2 lbs) container of loose absorbent media pellets. Inline CO2 scrubber housings, connecting air hoses, and protein skimmers are sold separately.
What’s Included:
(1) 1KG (2.2 lbs) Container of IceCap Color Changing CO2 Absorbent Media Pellets
Technical Specs:
Official Manufacturing Title: IceCap Color Changing CO2 Absorbent Media 1kg
SKU / Factory Part Identifier: IC-CO-1KG
Net Product Package Weight: 1.0 Kilogram (2.20 lbs) dry mass configuration
Active Active Chemical Ingredients: Calcium Hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) and Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) Matrix
Exhaustion Visual Trajectory: Color-indicating shift tracking operational depletion
Average Media Operational Lifespan: Approximately 14 to 30 Days per reactor batch*
Primary System Component Interface: Inline Scrubber Canisters attached to Protein Skimmer Air Intakes
Safety Threshold Rating: 100% Reef Safe, Phosphate-Free, and Nitrate-Free
Note: Ambient indoor occupant density, skimmer air draw rates, and localized humidity levels will directly dictate individual media replacement intervals.
While most of our equipment carries a one-year manufacturer's warranty, consumable products like fish and coral foods are not covered under traditional warranty terms due to their perishable nature and varied storage conditions. However, we fully stand behind the quality of every product we sell. If you experience any issues with your food purchase shortly after receiving it, such as concerns about freshness, packaging integrity, or product quality, please contact us at [email protected]. We're committed to making it right and will work with you to resolve any problems quickly and fairly.
- Turn off your protein skimmer to pause the active suction line on your air intake tubing before servicing the reactor.
- Unscrew the lid of your dedicated air scrubber canister (such as an IceCap Small, Medium, or Large CO2 Scrubber) and empty out any spent, crusty media from the internal chamber.
- Pour the fresh IceCap IC-CO-1KG pellets directly into the scrubber body, filling the cartridge to its designated fill line. Do not pack or compress the media down forcefully.
- Ensure the integrated foam baffle discs are positioned properly at the top and bottom of the canister chamber to trap fine dust particles from entering the intake line.
- Thread the scrubber lid back on securely, and connect the output tubing line directly to your protein skimmer's venturi air intake port (completely bypassing or removing the skimmer's stock silencer cup).
- Restart your protein skimmer, track your hourly pH trend over the next 24 hours to observe the elevation curve, and replace the media bed promptly once the pellet bed exhibits a complete color transition.
Pro Tips:
- Add 15-20ml of RO/DI Water to the Bottom of the Scrubber Canister to Boost Longevity. CO2-absorbing media requires a small amount of moisture to facilitate the chemical binding reaction that locks down carbon dioxide gas. If the room air being pulled into your scrubber is bone-dry, the pellets will dry out prematurely and exhaust their binding capacity long before they are chemically spent. To prevent this, pour roughly a tablespoon of pure RO/DI water into the very bottom of your scrubber housing (making sure the liquid sits underneath the bottom plastic media grating grid and does not touch the pellets directly). This keeps the internal air humidity high, extending the life of your media batch.
- Never Rely on a Spent Bed Rested Back to White—Trust the Color Change When Active. A critical characteristic of soda lime media is that once it changes color due to exhaustion, it will eventually revert back to a clean white appearance if left to sit stagnant without air passing through it (such as when a skimmer is turned off overnight). Do not be fooled into thinking the media has magically refreshed itself! Once the active binding agents are used up, the chemical capacity is permanently gone. Always check your media while the skimmer is actively running, or track your tank's daily pH tracking logs to accurately judge when it is truly spent.
- Route the Skimmer Collection Cup Drain Tubing into a Sealed Container. If your protein skimmer collection cup happens to overflow with liquid skimmate, or if aggressive ozone treatments cause backpressure, dirty liquid can occasionally travel backward into the air intake line. If raw aquarium water or skimmer foam enters the top of your CO2 scrubber canister, it will instantly saturate the pellets into a solid, cemented block of calcium carbonate. Keeping a clean mechanical layout and monitoring your skimmer's water level prevents accidental media ruin.