loluckyve
Still amazed
I have a 125g system, how often should I been changing my carbon and phosban?
Changing carbon and phosban
- Thread starter loluckyve
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E
eww
Guest
You will probably get a mixed bag of responses here. I know we did when we asked the same thing. I have been taking advice from someone here who has been doing this for multiple decades. I change ours once a month. Our PO4 (phosphates) have been dead zero all along and water clarity is great other than what the fish stir up once in a while (on me with my clumsy hands in the sand).
NC2WA
Well-known member
Steve,
Just to play devil's adovcate here,
My question would be "what is the reason you need to run carbon and phosban?"
Just to play devil's adovcate here,
My question would be "what is the reason you need to run carbon and phosban?"
loluckyve
Still amazed
Steve,
Just to play devil's adovcate here,
My question would be "what is the reason you need to run carbon and phosban?"
To be perfectly honest.. because the contraption came with the setup I bought. Is this not the norm?
E
eww
Guest
You don't really need it until there is a bio-load but that didn't stop us either. We put one in way early too.
NC2WA
Well-known member
No, this is not the norm.
You should only be using phosban if you have a phosphate issue, which leads to the question, "what is causing the phosphate level to be high in your tank, which warrants phosban".
first thing I would do is get a good Phosphate (PO4) test kit (I use Elos)..if phosphate is 0then no need to run phosban...if phosphate level is 1 or more then questions need to be asked what is causing the level to be high..
For carbon, assuming you are using a carbon filter in your RO DI then you really dont need it, unless you want to remove additional sediments from your filtered water.
the test I do is this.. fill an empty salt bucket of water from your tank...fill another empty bucket of RO DI water...put them side by side...the clarity of water in the buckets should be the same...if the tank water is yellowish in color, then carbon will help, otherwise it is not needed IMO.
My 375g tank has been running for 4 yrs and I have yet to use a carbon or phosban in the tank..(yes, I do have a carbon filter in my RO DI that is changed every 6-12 months).
HTH
Kirk
E
eww
Guest
Kirk, you think we should take ours out and see if anything changes? Does it do harm being in there if it's not needed. I've noticed our macro algae isn't growing strong and I've been wondering if it was the Phosban causing all or part of it.
lvsuckerfish
g funk
I used it because I like to over feed my system's life forms never had a phos issue but not to say i did before or didn't before. depending on the media used it will get costly but when it is time to replace the phos on the test kit will read a higher reading then when mesaured before. I just always replaced mine every 6 weeks and carbon every month.
NC2WA
Well-known member
actually leaving carbon in a sock for example long term is not recommended as it will release all the bad stuff back into your tank...so you only want to run carbon for a short time (a couple of wks max), then remove and add new carbon.
Darnit Eric, I wish I lived closer, as I would be over with my Elos Phosphate and Nitrate test kits...
Here is a good article to read of reekeeping levels in a tank:
Reef Aquarium Water Parameters by Randy Holmes-Farley
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php
Quote:
If allowed to rise above natural levels, phosphate can cause two undesirable results. One is inhibition of calcification. That is, it can reduce the rate at which corals and coralline algae can build calcium carbonate skeletons, potentially stunting their growth.
Phosphate can also be a limiting nutrient for algae growth. If phosphate is allowed to accumulate, algae growth may become problematic. At concentrations below about 0.03 ppm, the growth rate of many species of phytoplankton depends on the phosphate concentration (assuming that something else is not limiting growth, such as nitrogen or iron). Above this level, the growth rate of many of the ocean's organisms is independent of phosphate concentration (although this relationship is more complicated in a reef aquarium containing iron and/or nitrogen sources such as nitrate above natural levels). So deterring algae growth by controlling phosphate requires keeping phosphate levels quite low.
phosphate should be kept below 0.03 ppm. Whether keeping it below 0.01 ppm will yield substantial additional benefits remains to be established, but that is a goal that some aquarists are pursuing with various ways of exporting phosphate. The best ways to maintain low levels of phosphate in normal aquaria are to incorporate some combination of phosphate export mechanisms, such as growing and harvesting macroalgae or other rapidly growing organisms, using foods without excessive phosphate, skimming, using limewater, and using phosphate binding media, especially those that are iron-based (which are always brown or black). Some aquarists have also tried to reduce phosphate by inducing blooms of microorganisms such as bacteria. This last method should, in my opinion, be left to experienced aquarists.
Darnit Eric, I wish I lived closer, as I would be over with my Elos Phosphate and Nitrate test kits...
Here is a good article to read of reekeeping levels in a tank:
Reef Aquarium Water Parameters by Randy Holmes-Farley
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php
Quote:
If allowed to rise above natural levels, phosphate can cause two undesirable results. One is inhibition of calcification. That is, it can reduce the rate at which corals and coralline algae can build calcium carbonate skeletons, potentially stunting their growth.
Phosphate can also be a limiting nutrient for algae growth. If phosphate is allowed to accumulate, algae growth may become problematic. At concentrations below about 0.03 ppm, the growth rate of many species of phytoplankton depends on the phosphate concentration (assuming that something else is not limiting growth, such as nitrogen or iron). Above this level, the growth rate of many of the ocean's organisms is independent of phosphate concentration (although this relationship is more complicated in a reef aquarium containing iron and/or nitrogen sources such as nitrate above natural levels). So deterring algae growth by controlling phosphate requires keeping phosphate levels quite low.
phosphate should be kept below 0.03 ppm. Whether keeping it below 0.01 ppm will yield substantial additional benefits remains to be established, but that is a goal that some aquarists are pursuing with various ways of exporting phosphate. The best ways to maintain low levels of phosphate in normal aquaria are to incorporate some combination of phosphate export mechanisms, such as growing and harvesting macroalgae or other rapidly growing organisms, using foods without excessive phosphate, skimming, using limewater, and using phosphate binding media, especially those that are iron-based (which are always brown or black). Some aquarists have also tried to reduce phosphate by inducing blooms of microorganisms such as bacteria. This last method should, in my opinion, be left to experienced aquarists.
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lvsuckerfish
g funk
everyone is so spread out here lol
loluckyve
Still amazed
Phosphates have always tested zero but though it was because I was running phosban. Boy have lots to learn
lvsuckerfish
g funk
thats why you are here to learn as we are all still learning things change everyday
NC2WA
Well-known member
I've been in this hobby for 14 years and I still am learning.
DonW
R.I.P.
This is not entirly accurate. Every living thing has and uses phosphates right along with most things processed like fish food. Every time you feed your feeding po4 at some level increasing the po4 levels in the water column. Po4 feed algae both good and bad. There is no reason not to run phosban or any other quality GFO in a reef system.
Don
DonW
R.I.P.
Using an rodi really has nothing to do with wether or not a person uses carbon in an aquarium. Carbon absorbs chimicals that reside in the the water column right along with clarifying water color. Carbon fills quickly but does not release back into the aquarium. It will fill and become biological thus creating nitrates. There is no reason not to run carbon 24/7 in a reef aquarium. It is not possible to put an exact time on how often carbon should be replaced. A week or so is a good rule of thumb. There are to many variables to set an exact time so it does take some experimentation.
Don
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DonW
R.I.P.
Herefishyfishy
Smart Bass
Another good reason to run carbon is when you keep mixed reefs. I have LPS and a little SPS in my softy tank which also has a large RBTA Anemone. They put out a lot of chemicals to battle for turf. This is called allelopathy AKA: chemical warfare. Running carbon helps keep the toxins to a minimum.
E
eww
Guest
I have been changing both our GFO and GAC whenever we do water changes which so far has only been twice, once at 4 weeks old and once two weeks later (today). So you can see the system is really new and didn't have much of a cycle because we used good LR and got it quickly from it home tank to ours. It was only a week or so and NO2, NO3 & Nitrates all read zero. PO4 has always read zero but I have a feeling that is both because everything is new and we have been running GFO/GAC since the start. I guess I'm confused whether to leave it in or take it out now. We have seen no ill effects of anything unless you count the macro algae in the sump not taking off like weeds. They are growing slowly though.
DonW
R.I.P.
E
eww
Guest
They are almost all Elos kits with a few Salifert's mixed in. The PO4 kit is Elos. Are these the "hobbiest" type you speak of?
