To Carbon OR Not To Carbon.

[joer]

This is my question. What do you feel are the benefits and disadvantages to carbon. If you do use carbon how long do you use it?

 

[reefnut]

These were very graciously give to me so I will pass them along...
http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/...%20carbon.html
http://www.hallman.org/filter/gac.html

 

[tangman99]

I personally don't know if you need it or not. The only time I used it was about 3 year ago to get some ick medicine out of my tank. I was starting out and stressed my fish.
I've never used it since for anything mainly because I've never had any problems that anyone told me I needed it. I'm not an expert but my tank has been great ever since and I converted it to a reef back in October and have never had any issues. Knock on wood.

 

[lesa]

I run carbon 24/7 and have since I set up my tank in 1998.

 

[reefnut]

I've reasently started running cabon 24/7. The biggest reason was I plan to have soft coral, LPS corals & sps corals all in my tank. Between learning about the chemicals put off in this situation and the advice of this board along with reading the above articals I decided the pros out way the cons for me.

 

[aileena]

i run it for a few days once a month....people have told me that it takes out trace elements...I dont know however...

 

[thomas712]

I agree with kip, I don't believe carbon will take out anything sigificant in the way of trace elements. I run chemi pure carbon in my sump 24/7
Thomas

 

[.357]

Ok, so how do you pick a brand? I have used Black Diamond in my FW tank for years. Other brands didn't seem to work as well.