Activated carbon next to return pump ?

[hectoriptera]

Hello,

I’ve read in several posts that activated carbon should be placed after the skimmer. The thing is that what is next to my skimmer is the return pump and I can not place the skimmer in other chamber as it doesn’t fit in them. So I was thinking about placing the activated carbon bag in the same chamber of the return pump. However, this is a very small chamber and the carbon bag will touch and cover a part of the pump. Is that dangerous/harmful ?

Thanks.

 

[cobraz]

That sounds like a receipe for disaster. Nothing should be near your return pump.
It can suck in items and cause it jam..which you will loose temp, circulation and water quality swings as possible over heating of the pump...circuit issue etc.

You can place carbon before the skimmer, where the return comes in anywhere where the bag will not venture anywhere or use a carbon acrylic media reactor with an in and out... but never put anything in front of your return pump....unless there is a wall divider.

 

[hectoriptera]

That sounds like a receipe for disaster. Nothing should be near your return pump.
It can suck in items and cause it jam..which you will loose temp, circulation and water quality swings as possible over heating of the pump...circuit issue etc.

You can place carbon before the skimmer, where the return comes in anywhere where the bag will not venture anywhere or use a carbon acrylic media reactor with an in and out... but never put anything in front of your return pump....unless there is a wall divider.

Thank you for saving me from the disaster hehe

 

[C_AWOL]

Assuming its bagged and not in a reactor, theres likely a marginal loss in effectiveness putting it in the earlier chambers of a sump.
Personally I wouldn't put it next to the return pump since that leaves less distance between the return and carbon for stray fines to settle (a known hlle cause) if improperly rinsed.

 

[hectoriptera]

Assuming its bagged and not in a reactor, theres likely a marginal loss in effectiveness putting it in the earlier chambers of a sump.
Personally I wouldn't put it next to the return pump since that leaves less distance between the return and carbon for stray fines to settle (a known hlle cause) if improperly rinsed.

A reactor sounds great but from what I’ve seen they all are big gear, so they will not fit in my bottom sump :/ unless you know about any option that might fit it. I’d love to add lot of things as a filter matt/roll but those things are rather for big tanks. I have a 30 G/120 L nano.

 

[dwest]

I would put it somewhere in the system and not worry too much about it. I put my bag of carbon in a low flow area of my sump. But I’ve had it in many places, whether inside bags or within a reactor.

 

[VexedTomb792]

A reactor sounds great but from what I’ve seen they all are big gear, so they will not fit in my bottom sump :/ unless you know about any option that might fit it. I’d love to add lot of things as a filter matt/roll but those things are rather for big tanks. I have a 30 G/120 L nano.

I second what @dwest says above, I’m not saying that there isn’t a fantastic, super-duper, perfect location to place your carbon, I’m sure there is BUT I’ve always found that as long as it’s in there and you change it as soon as it’s exhausted it will work fine. Luckily it’s visually easy to see carbon working, after you’ve changed it within a few hours you’ll see the gloss and polish on your water, even my non technical eyes can distinguish it. :smiling-face-with-sunglasses: