Do you run Carbon?

[Reef man 89]

i am trying to figure out what are the benefits of running active Carbon in a reactor or bag. How often do you run it? What are the advantages of running it? What are the disadvantage of running it? I have a brand 1/4 pound of BRS rox Carbon and don't know if I should run it or not. I have tried to read up on it but I can't find to much about it. From what I have read It can strip the good stuff out of the water. Can someone shed some light on this topic.

 

[nervousmonkey]

Granular Activated Carbon, or GAC, comes in a few different forms each with varying levels of effectiveness. For the difference between the types of GAC, click here for a BRS video (also check out the associated videos on the right, e.g. "How to Get Pristine Blue Water...". By now, or by watching those videos, you should have 95% of your own answers, but to give you personal answers and what I do is this: I run BRS ROX GAC in a reactor (recommend Spyglass from Avast Marine) pretty frequently. I only turn it off when I'm adding amino acids, foods, even chemicals I want to keep around longer than one pass through the sump. The reason is that GAC, and ROX especially are amazingly good at binding whatever they can in the water column and holding on to them. I would recommend running it in a reactor if you want to see maximum effectiveness, however, putting it in a bag in an area of high flow would be effective as well. I do both, one tank is an AIO too small for reactors, so I have a bag in the back, another tank is 135 and can support a reactor, so that's where it is. I am running mine 24/7 at the moment for a specific reason, but how often you run it depends on what you are trying to achieve: if you just want to have much more clear water, running it for 5 days or so every month will suffice. If you are trying to neutralize coral toxins, say, leather coral toxins, then you should run it all the time. There are numerous advantages: crystal clear water, elimination of toxins, from livestock or other sources, removal of organic wastes and heavy metals, removal of organics that can break down into nitrates, and help in keeping water clean for larger sized tanks. That helps keep water changes down so 10% weekly is manageable. It is also super effective if one is using ozone: it removes the ozone molecule, or I should say, neutralizes ozone before it reaches the DT. It also helps neutralize ozone produced oxidants (OPO's) that could be harmful to livestock in the DT when running ozone.
Disadvantages: A lot of people say it removes "the good stuff", so I hope this doesn't come across personally, I know where you picked up that term and that probably on this forum. Personally I really do not like non-specific statements like that. What is the definition of "good stuff"? In most cases, people are referring to amino acids, or red sea reef energy, or vitamins added to food, or medications, or something that was purposefully added by the reefer. That is the definition we will use here. Using that definition, yes, GAC removes "the good stuff" as well. But the solution for that is simple. Turn off your carbon reactor or take the bag out of the sump every time you add something you think will benefit your tank, at least for as long as you want the good stuff to stay in your tank. So the major disadvantage is more of a PITA thing than a *true* disadvantage. Now you see why a reactor also begins to make more sense. Instead of getting your hand and arm set, it's pulling a plug out of a power strip. Even better is with concomitant use of a controller, such as Neptune Apex, where you can use your cell phone to turn the reactor off while you add your amino acids.

Here is a link to a great basic article that should conclude the post with one exception: GAC as a causative agent for head and lateral line disease (HLLE)

At this point, you should have a good idea of the what, is, how, why, why not and uh-oh of GAC. You have all the information you need, but in case I missed something, I hope that someone comes behind me and adds to the post. There is a bias towards the use of GAC frankly. I use it as well as many other people. There are reactors that exist just for GAC. So there is something really positive about it, you just need to find that out for yourself, and I think running that 1/4 pound would be a great way to start learning. For the amount to run, think along the lines of 2 cups per 50 gallons.

Cheers,

Lloyd

 

[Tim Gentry]

Should you use it? Yes

 

[zoasaholic]

I don't use it
Good rodi,filter socks and protein skimmer are good enough for me

 

[Jisko]

Yup I run a carbon reactor and change it out on the first of the month

 

[that Reef Guy]

Yes, Carbon Pulls Out the Good Stuff in Addition to the Bad Stuff.

Lets put it this way.

I used Carbon for Years and had No Coral Growth!

I Stopped Using it and My Corals Took Off

So No I would Never Use Carbon.

The Only Exception Might be in an Emergency Situation.

 

[Reef man 89]

Granular Activated Carbon, or GAC, comes in a few different forms each with varying levels of effectiveness. For the difference between the types of GAC, click here for a BRS video (also check out the associated videos on the right, e.g. "How to Get Pristine Blue Water...". By now, or by watching those videos, you should have 95% of your own answers, but to give you personal answers and what I do is this: I run BRS ROX GAC in a reactor (recommend Spyglass from Avast Marine) pretty frequently. I only turn it off when I'm adding amino acids, foods, even chemicals I want to keep around longer than one pass through the sump. The reason is that GAC, and ROX especially are amazingly good at binding whatever they can in the water column and holding on to them. I would recommend running it in a reactor if you want to see maximum effectiveness, however, putting it in a bag in an area of high flow would be effective as well. I do both, one tank is an AIO too small for reactors, so I have a bag in the back, another tank is 135 and can support a reactor, so that's where it is. I am running mine 24/7 at the moment for a specific reason, but how often you run it depends on what you are trying to achieve: if you just want to have much more clear water, running it for 5 days or so every month will suffice. If you are trying to neutralize coral toxins, say, leather coral toxins, then you should run it all the time. There are numerous advantages: crystal clear water, elimination of toxins, from livestock or other sources, removal of organic wastes and heavy metals, removal of organics that can break down into nitrates, and help in keeping water clean for larger sized tanks. That helps keep water changes down so 10% weekly is manageable. It is also super effective if one is using ozone: it removes the ozone molecule, or I should say, neutralizes ozone before it reaches the DT. It also helps neutralize ozone produced oxidants (OPO's) that could be harmful to livestock in the DT when running ozone.
Disadvantages: A lot of people say it removes "the good stuff", so I hope this doesn't come across personally, I know where you picked up that term and that probably on this forum. Personally I really do not like non-specific statements like that. What is the definition of "good stuff"? In most cases, people are referring to amino acids, or red sea reef energy, or vitamins added to food, or medications, or something that was purposefully added by the reefer. That is the definition we will use here. Using that definition, yes, GAC removes "the good stuff" as well. But the solution for that is simple. Turn off your carbon reactor or take the bag out of the sump every time you add something you think will benefit your tank, at least for as long as you want the good stuff to stay in your tank. So the major disadvantage is more of a PITA thing than a *true* disadvantage. Now you see why a reactor also begins to make more sense. Instead of getting your hand and arm set, it's pulling a plug out of a power strip. Even better is with concomitant use of a controller, such as Neptune Apex, where you can use your cell phone to turn the reactor off while you add your amino acids.

Here is a link to a great basic article that should conclude the post with one exception: GAC as a causative agent for head and lateral line disease (HLLE)

At this point, you should have a good idea of the what, is, how, why, why not and uh-oh of GAC. You have all the information you need, but in case I missed something, I hope that someone comes behind me and adds to the post. There is a bias towards the use of GAC frankly. I use it as well as many other people. There are reactors that exist just for GAC. So there is something really positive about it, you just need to find that out for yourself, and I think running that 1/4 pound would be a great way to start learning. For the amount to run, think along the lines of 2 cups per 50 gallons.

Cheers,

Lloyd

Thank you so much Lloyd for that I have a better understanding of it now. I just have read so many mixed reviews on running Carbon I wanted to get some peoples input on it. I use RSCP salt and just have read that if I run Carbon it takes out the trace elements from the salt. But you have a very good point. Take it off line when dosing the elements.

 

[Reef man 89]

Yes, Carbon Pulls Out the Good Stuff in Addition to the Bad Stuff.

Lets put it this way.

I used Carbon for Years and had No Coral Growth!

I Stopped Using it and My Corals Took Off

So No I would Never Use Carbon.

The Only Exception Might be in an Emergency Situation.

See it's hard when there is so many mix reviews I might just try running it for alittle and see how things go

 

[fredjr]

So carbon pulls out the good stuff as well as the bad? What about GFO? I was getting ready to add both.

 

[BlueCursor]

There are some studies on GAC pulling out carbon compounds. Some carbon compounds are bad, but many are needed. Since reef tanks are typically carbon limited unless we dose carbon, removing more carbon compounds is bad. This is probably why some people report better coral growth and colors when they stop using GAC.

I don't use GAC unless I have an issue that dictates I temporarily run GAC, like when I just peeled some zoas off my rock work because they are expanding their territory too much.

 

[Jisko]

This is similar to an old thread i found

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/running-gfo-carbon.147756/page-2

Personally I only run carbon because I over feed.i don't use gfo but I do run phosguard as i hit a crazy high phosphate cycle on my 4th month. From what I've heard phosguard is good and does the job but following the directions is a must.

 

[nervousmonkey]

True and there is no real magic bullet that shows GAC is causative or not. There are so many factors that affect growth rates, death, disease, etc., that carbon cannot be scientifically proven to be causative in anything but HLLE frankly. I have thought the same thing, that carbon was the cause of my problems, and in some cases, who knows? 99% of the time? Good to use.

 

[HB AL]

I run carbon in a bag 24/7 in my sump.

 

[MounteeFrag]

I run carbon in a reactor for the simple fact that I want clear water.

 

[Zotmurse]

Carbon + GFO 24/7 with good SPS/LPS/softie growth. Anecdotally, I find that lighting, flow and routine water changes have to the greatest impact on the overall health of a reef. Carbon, IMO, gives you crystal clear water and peace of mind when it comes to water potential toxins being present in your system.

 

[Webslinger]

use it once every few months for a day or 2.

 

[luceym]

Thank you so much Lloyd for that I have a better understanding of it now. I just have read so many mixed reviews on running Carbon I wanted to get some peoples input on it. I use RSCP salt and just have read that if I run Carbon it takes out the trace elements from the salt. But you have a very good point. Take it off line when dosing the elements.

So how does a bag of carbon in the aquarium flow help the lower of nitrates? Also does it matter how much you put in the bag? I habe 240 L tank thanks

 

[dwest]

I have used carbon 24/7 in a bag in my sump for over 20 years. I use 1/2 amount of ROX carbon recommended by BRS replaced every 3 weeks. Carbon use has been debated as long as I have been reefing.

 

[luceym]

But how much would you put in a bag for a 240l thank you x

 

[Paul B]

I do not use it.