Carbon Use

[NaH2O]

(On the poll - choose how often, choose how you use it, then vote)

How often do you run carbon, and how do you use it.....passively or actively? (Passive = in a filter sock sitting in the sump, Actively = in some form of filter, i.e. canister filter, fluidized reactor, etc)

One last question - do you soak your carbon prior to use in RO/DI water? If you do, why?


I currently run carbon passively 24/7.....I soak my carbon for about 5 days or so prior to introduction.

 

[esmith]

I used to use carbon passively, but for the last 6 months or so it hasn't looked as though I needed it so I haven't used any.

When I did though, I would run RO/DI water through the sock filled with carbon for a minute or two till the carbon ran clean with no black run off. I'm not really sure why I did this other than cleaning off all of that excess carbon powder that builds up on the granules, so that it didn't end up in my tank (although I'm not sure what it would do, does any else?).

Eliyah

 

[MzWeazelle]

I just pulled the carbon from my 140 a few days ago and haven't gotten around to refilling the bag yet. I use a Fluval on the 30 hex, and of course that also runs carbon.

I do rinse the carbon until the water runs clean - the only reason I can think of is "that's what the instructions on package say." lol My kitchen sink water is double filtered, so I just use it straight.

 

[DonW]

I blast it with compressed air to remove most of the dust. Then quick rinse in in rodi then into the reactor with the rowa or phosban.

Don

 

[kylem]

I run my carbon passively in a sock but only for 7 days...works fine and then 14 days off. I got this from Marine Atlas vol 1. I rinse prior to using. Some people use carbon all the time to prevent coral wars from breaking out so they leave it in 24/7. Is that why you have it in your tank 24/7?

 

[DonW]

some people use carbon all the time to prevent coral wars from breaking out so they leave it in 24/7. Is that why you have it in your tank 24/7?

No just to lazy and dont want to try to remember when its supposed to be removed.

Don

 

[randythereefer]

I use it 24/7 to prevent coral wars. I had many problems with one coral thriving and another no looking so good until I started using it. I change it about once a week or once every two weeks.


Randy

 

[wrightme43]

I had never thought about using r.o.d.i to rinse the carbon, I had always figured that the carbon would adsorb any Cholrine from my tap water. I use it weekly for one day in a old pantyhose foot tied in a knot. I also use chemi-pure constantly (I didn't know if that counted as carbon or not)

 

[Woodstock]

24/7 passively; changing it once a month or so; i like to rinse/presoak it in ro/di overnight to help remove any phospates from the carbon

 

[Ritsuko Nashida]

I use it 24/7 actively in a small filter (diy filter thats mainly to take out partuculate matter only) in part to mitigate any possible coral wars.

Do I need to be doing this? I dont rightly know for sure. But I figure it cant hurt. Can it?

 

[Curtswearing]

i like to rinse/presoak it in ro/di overnight to help remove any phospates from the carbon

Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner.

I have seen a lot of things on the internet boards that leads me to believe that people think that carbon adsorbs Phosphate and then later re-releases it. This isn't true. The carbon came with the Phosphate already in it. The time that the carbon releases the most Phosphates is when it's brand new. Soaking it in RO/DI water will remove most of the Phosphates fairly quickly if it's a good brand of Carbon. Even the head chemist for Seachem recommends doing this.

In terms of ash and phosphate content, acid washed carbons are better than non-washed carbons. Acid washed carbons have had much of their ash and phosphate washed out. Ash is important because it is responsible for "pH shock". Some carbons can increase pH to over 10 in a very short time. An acid washed carbon will barely increase pH to 7 over several days. Carbons that do not alter pH are usually the same carbons that will not leach much phosphate. Ash content may be available on the label, but sometimes it is unreliable. The store owner may be familiar with what the carbon does to pH.

Soaking in DI water and testing for phosphate is impractical, but may be necessary if phopshate is considered an important parameter. In my view, it is important only for reef aquaria.

Most carbon sold for hobbiests has gone up in quality in recent years but there is still a difference in effectiveness.

I also use chemi-pure constantly (I didn't know if that counted as carbon or not)

Gregory Scheimer did a comparative test that indicated that Chemi-Pure scored a 3 when most commercial carbons scored a 1 in effectiveness.

Deionizing resins make up part of the 10 ounces of the Chemi-Pure product. These resins are generally ineffective as filtrants in high ionic strength solutions, such as seawater.

About Activated Carbon by Gregory Scheimer

I have seen many people comment that all of the carbons out there are from the same company and the Carbon is just repackaged. While it is true that most Carbon is coming from only a couple major manufacturers, it's important to remember that these manufacturers customize their mix for their customers. That's why you can see such different results in the Carbon's ability to remove tannins from water as shown on this attachment..

 

[fishermann]

3being better or worse then one

 

[Curtswearing]

3 is worse than 1 in the experiment. I wish he would have more tightly defined the factors so that there wouldn't have been so many 1's. The fact that Chemi-pure got a 3 isn't promising. However, I would like to see some updated data...he gives his methodology for Phosphate leaching but not adsorption. I wish I knew his methodology for determining adsorptive capability.

 

[class clown]

I've got a new phosban reactor and when my phosban goes kaputs, I'm going to try carbon in it. Should be interesting to see what effect it has on the clarity of the water.

 

[aquarookie]

I keep meaning to use carbon, but have not gotten around to it yet. Now that I seem to be having coral wars, I am a lot more tempted to set it up. Maybe when I get over my cold