carbon in a reef?
- Thread starter 805puffer
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aztec reef
Active Member
Originally Posted by 805puffer
do any of you run carbon in a reef? i have a sump with calurpa in it do you think if i run it if it will hurt anything. thanks
i don't think it will hurt anything just don't run it more than a week each month , actually a few days is good.
i run carbon in my reef once a month for a few days just for fun..
do any of you run carbon in a reef? i have a sump with calurpa in it do you think if i run it if it will hurt anything. thanks
i don't think it will hurt anything just don't run it more than a week each month , actually a few days is good.
i run carbon in my reef once a month for a few days just for fun..
1knight164
Member
Same as Aztec Reef. I run carbon once a month for about 3 days.
aztec reef
Active Member
Originally Posted by sign guy
why only a week out of the month? what do you think it will harm?
because i believe it starts to loose it's usefullness/potency after a few days then starts to just release back what it trapped. how long do you run it?
why only a week out of the month? what do you think it will harm?
because i believe it starts to loose it's usefullness/potency after a few days then starts to just release back what it trapped. how long do you run it?
1knight164
Member
Originally Posted by bs21
what would be the harm in running it all the time because i know most of the packages say its good for 4 to 6 wks or somethin like that?
Carbon cannot distinguish from good and bad chemicals/elements to absorb. On the good side, it will absorb toxins and help make the water crystal clear. On the bad side, it will absorb benficial elements like iodine, strontium, molybdenum, etc. IMO if you run carbon 24/7, you're going to have to dose with trace elements and change that carbon often. Running only a few days a month will remove unwanted toxins and, coupled with weekly water changes, you won't need to dose with trace elements and still have crystal clear water.
Also remember not to try and rinse and re-use carbon. You're only asking for trouble. Believe me, I'm cheap and would love to "re-energize" that carbon rather than spend the money on buying new stuff. Not worth the risk.
what would be the harm in running it all the time because i know most of the packages say its good for 4 to 6 wks or somethin like that?
Carbon cannot distinguish from good and bad chemicals/elements to absorb. On the good side, it will absorb toxins and help make the water crystal clear. On the bad side, it will absorb benficial elements like iodine, strontium, molybdenum, etc. IMO if you run carbon 24/7, you're going to have to dose with trace elements and change that carbon often. Running only a few days a month will remove unwanted toxins and, coupled with weekly water changes, you won't need to dose with trace elements and still have crystal clear water.
Also remember not to try and rinse and re-use carbon. You're only asking for trouble. Believe me, I'm cheap and would love to "re-energize" that carbon rather than spend the money on buying new stuff. Not worth the risk.
sign guy
Active Member
Originally Posted by 1knight164
Carbon cannot distinguish from good and bad chemicals/elements to absorb. On the good side, it will absorb toxins and help make the water crystal clear. On the bad side, it will absorb benficial elements like iodine, strontium, molybdenum, etc. IMO if you run carbon 24/7, you're going to have to dose with trace elements and change that carbon often. Running only a few days a month will remove unwanted toxins and, coupled with weekly water changes, you won't need to dose with trace elements and still have crystal clear water.
Also remember not to try and rinse and re-use carbon. You're only asking for trouble. Believe me, I'm cheap and would love to "re-energize" that carbon rather than spend the money on buying new stuff. Not worth the risk.
How oftn do you do a water change. your trace eliments should be replaced by your salt from your weekly water changes. and rinsing carbon never ever ever works
Carbon cannot distinguish from good and bad chemicals/elements to absorb. On the good side, it will absorb toxins and help make the water crystal clear. On the bad side, it will absorb benficial elements like iodine, strontium, molybdenum, etc. IMO if you run carbon 24/7, you're going to have to dose with trace elements and change that carbon often. Running only a few days a month will remove unwanted toxins and, coupled with weekly water changes, you won't need to dose with trace elements and still have crystal clear water.
Also remember not to try and rinse and re-use carbon. You're only asking for trouble. Believe me, I'm cheap and would love to "re-energize" that carbon rather than spend the money on buying new stuff. Not worth the risk.
How oftn do you do a water change. your trace eliments should be replaced by your salt from your weekly water changes. and rinsing carbon never ever ever works
aztec reef
Active Member
Originally Posted by sign guy
I run it for three weeks at a time but replace it. I dont run my reef without it
yeah that works for your tank. i only run it for a few days because i have a bunch of live rock and a skimmer with a DSB and weekly waterchanges, that's why i don't need it for longer..
so, pretty much you let it trap detrius for three weeks?
I run it for three weeks at a time but replace it. I dont run my reef without it
yeah that works for your tank. i only run it for a few days because i have a bunch of live rock and a skimmer with a DSB and weekly waterchanges, that's why i don't need it for longer..
so, pretty much you let it trap detrius for three weeks?
1knight164
Member
Originally Posted by sign guy
How oftn do you do a water change. your trace eliments should be replaced by your salt from your weekly water changes. and rinsing carbon never ever ever works
Ten percent weekly, never have to dose, never re-use carbon.
How oftn do you do a water change. your trace eliments should be replaced by your salt from your weekly water changes. and rinsing carbon never ever ever works
Ten percent weekly, never have to dose, never re-use carbon.
1knight164
Member
Originally Posted by Aztec Reef
yeah that works for your tank. i only run it for a few days because i have a bunch of live rock and a skimmer with a DSB and weekly waterchanges, that's why i don't need it for longer..
so, pretty much you let it trap detrius for three weeks?
Agree 100%. LR, skimmer, DSB does the trick. Once the pours in carbon are filled, the carbon acts like a trap creating a breeding ground for nitrates if you keep it too long.
yeah that works for your tank. i only run it for a few days because i have a bunch of live rock and a skimmer with a DSB and weekly waterchanges, that's why i don't need it for longer..
so, pretty much you let it trap detrius for three weeks?
Agree 100%. LR, skimmer, DSB does the trick. Once the pours in carbon are filled, the carbon acts like a trap creating a breeding ground for nitrates if you keep it too long.
frankthetank
Active Member
Originally Posted by 805puffer
alright so just run it for a couple of weeks at a time. thanks
i think im going to give chemipure a try.
Ha Ha!
Funny post. No one said this previous to your post. The most anyone said was 3 days to a week.
alright so just run it for a couple of weeks at a time. thanks
i think im going to give chemipure a try.
Ha Ha!
reefkprz
Active Member
I run carbon for four days to a week before doing large monthly water changes. (I do water changes every week but once a month I do a big one) that way any benifical elements are only lowered for a short period and replaced by the water change. I have a couple types of leather and feel the carbon is essential for removing their toxins beyond what water changes alone can accomplish. this is just the way I do it.
D
dennis210
Guest
Okay from the other side of the park - I run two magnum 350 cannisters of carbon 24/7. Every 2 weeks I cange out the carbon in one of them. I change 25 gallons every month, top off weekly, and whenever something new is added to system the drip acclimated water is replaced with new saltwater. The tank is a 210 with 40 gallon sump system. Weekly I dose Reefcomplete, Super dKH buffer, and Turbo calcium, and 1 cap of iodine.
Inhabitants are Zo's (12 diferent colonies), paly's, 10 different musshroom colonies, pulsing Xenia, green starburst, trachyphelia's, montipora's, gonipora, hemmer, torch, toadstool leather, candy cane, trumpets, sun corals, pipe organ, acropa, clams, feather dusters, and around 200 inverts (snails, hermits, shrinps, etc). Weekly I notice a drop of 30 - 40 points in calcium, 40 - 60 points in Alk (measured in ppm CaCO3), and .01 - .02 drop in iodine levels.
I went 4 weeks without carbon and consumption rates remained the same, but coral polyp extension was way down. I am a believer in carbon!
Denny
Inhabitants are Zo's (12 diferent colonies), paly's, 10 different musshroom colonies, pulsing Xenia, green starburst, trachyphelia's, montipora's, gonipora, hemmer, torch, toadstool leather, candy cane, trumpets, sun corals, pipe organ, acropa, clams, feather dusters, and around 200 inverts (snails, hermits, shrinps, etc). Weekly I notice a drop of 30 - 40 points in calcium, 40 - 60 points in Alk (measured in ppm CaCO3), and .01 - .02 drop in iodine levels.
I went 4 weeks without carbon and consumption rates remained the same, but coral polyp extension was way down. I am a believer in carbon!
Denny
aztec reef
Active Member
Originally Posted by sign guy
why would it collect detrius its after my prefilter, skimmer and wet dry pluss its in a filter miedia bag
Ok so that's what works for you.. I though we were talking about people that just use carbon as a primary filtration...I can look at it that way too, i can run carbon for months and months without traping detrius, you know why? my filter acts as a refuge where there's always snails and pods and what not. They all reside there in my filter and also that helps me to not trap detrius in there. I'm more concerned about the lifespan of the carbon..
But answer me this: why not run it for the whole month or even a few months?
why would it collect detrius its after my prefilter, skimmer and wet dry pluss its in a filter miedia bag
Ok so that's what works for you.. I though we were talking about people that just use carbon as a primary filtration...I can look at it that way too, i can run carbon for months and months without traping detrius, you know why? my filter acts as a refuge where there's always snails and pods and what not. They all reside there in my filter and also that helps me to not trap detrius in there. I'm more concerned about the lifespan of the carbon..
But answer me this: why not run it for the whole month or even a few months?