Does running a carbon reactor remove more than just the bad stuff ?

[ShakeyGizzard]

I ran carbon back in the day on some freshwater set ups, but have yet to run it on my saltwater tanks. I know some of the benefit's of it for some of the unwanted pigments, chemicals and possible toxic poisons from corals. But I assume its not selective, so its possible it removes some of the good stuff, has anyone ever tested this or come across a downside to running carbon ?

 

[KrisReef]

Agree, the carbon doesn’t discriminate between “good and bad “ things that it absorbes, so it’s going to take whatever comes along.

The bad things that I have heard about relate to the connection between carbon dust and lateral line diseases in fishes. I presume that this is a result of mechanical irritation from the carbon and not related to things removed from the water, but I don’t think that the mechanism has been fully described thus far?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Well, good and bad is always in the eye of the beholder. Nothing is always good.

GAC mostly removes organics, and those organics may themselves hold some trace elements. The GAC may also bind a small amount of trace elements. Oceamo has studied this and we know what binds.

But at the end of the day, you won’t be able to distinguish GAC binding to other sinks for trace elements. It’s all just part of the observed demand.

Be sure to get a good quality GAC. Some tanks have been devastated by using Petco carbon, which may have impurities.

 

[Evil1]

Well, good and bad is always in the eye of the beholder. Nothing is always good.

GAC mostly removes organics, and those organics may themselves hold some trace elements. The GAC may also bind a small amount of trace elements. Oceamo has studied this and we know what binds.

But at the end of the day, you won’t be able to distinguish GAC binding to other sinks for trace elements. It’s all just part of the observed demand.

Be sure to get a good quality GAC. Some tanks have been devastated by using Petco carbon, which may have impurities.

I agree 100% Randy! I run a carbon reactor 24/7 for many years with high quality carbon virtually dustless. Of course I still rinse before replacing. IMO the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. I dose AFR throughout the day so I’m not concerned about any potential trace element loss. As far as HLLE my Tangs are given Nori daily soaked in vitamin chem over night as part of their diet and never had any issues.

 

[BriDroid]

I've been running carbon in a reactor 24/7 since I started my tank. I also dose AFR. I think the benefits far outweigh the cons.