Replacing Carbon Weekly

JediCruz

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So I use the BRS calculator to determine the correct amount of carbon to put in the reactor. They recommend changing it every 2 weeks or, if you go by what Ryan says in the videos, when the the water removed during water changes has a yellow hue to it especially when comparing it to the replacement water. Well, this ends up being bent every week. I use the BRS 0.8 ROX Carbon. Anyone else see this? Any advice?
 

dwest

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Often carbon has little effectiveness after a few days. But it would be odd to have noticeable yellowing of the water after a week of carbon use. If you use an algae scrubber that might be an exception. FWIW, I replace my carbon after 3 weeks but had been replacing every 2-4 weeks for many years.
 

Hermie

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People that run of a lot of Carbon are not heard from much I assume because they don't have problems in their tanks but that's just an assumption.
 

Reef.

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if you go by what Ryan says in the videos, when the the water removed during water changes has a yellow hue to it especially when comparing it to the replacement water.

I remember watching that video, I don’t think he was saying to wait until the water was yellow before changing, just that you know it does need changing if the removed water is yellow.
 

blaxsun

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People that run of a lot of Carbon are not heard from much I assume because they don't have problems in their tanks but that's just an assumption.
I run both carbon and GFO in the same reactor, and the GFO is good for at least a month - so even if I'm not getting a huge benefit out of the carbon I leave it in until I also change the GFO. 2 weeks seems... wasteful - especially when products like Chemi-Pure Blue indicate 2-4 months effective use.
 

Pete_the_Puma

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They (BRS) did some testing a while back if I remember and the carbon only absorbs stuff for a few days (2-4 if I remember) and then is saturated. I like most people change my carbon about once a month, can't really see any advantages to changing it more often, It's one of those maintenance things I do because I've always done it, not sure its giving me any significant advantage...
 
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JediCruz

JediCruz

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So the consensus is that unless the carbon is changed every few days, it stops working after that, with the exception of @blaxsun. Blaxsun, how are you keeping your water from being yellow? Granted my water is only a slight yellow tint and not bad, I just thought that any hint of yellow requires the change.
 

Lavey29

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Is this just carbon in reactors or will bagged carbon in the sump need to be changed every few weeks also?
 

blaxsun

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So the consensus is that unless the carbon is changed every few days, it stops working after that, with the exception of @blaxsun. Blaxsun, how are you keeping your water from being yellow? Granted my water is only a slight yellow tint and not bad, I just thought that any hint of yellow requires the change.
I’m sure carbon isn’t effective after 4 weeks, but as I indicated I run carbon and GFO in the same reactor - and I’m not going to be changing that out every few days (or weeks) because it’s a complete waste of time and carbon.

I’ve yet to pull out yellow water from my tank - even during a water change. My water is usually very clear. I run premium carbon, so maybe that’s the difference. If you’re asking me about my entire regiment, well - that’s a bit more involved.
 

blaxsun

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Is this just carbon in reactors or will bagged carbon in the sump need to be changed every few weeks also?
There’s no difference, only that carbon does get utilized better in a reactor as you’re constantly forcing water through it (as opposed to just having water pass by it in the sump).
 

Pistondog

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Running ozone thru skimmer as little as an hour a week compliments gac. The ozone breaks down the yellowing compounds into smaller organics more easily absorbed by gac.
Skip to 4:00 for demo
 

Dan_P

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So I use the BRS calculator to determine the correct amount of carbon to put in the reactor. They recommend changing it every 2 weeks or, if you go by what Ryan says in the videos, when the the water removed during water changes has a yellow hue to it especially when comparing it to the replacement water. Well, this ends up being bent every week. I use the BRS 0.8 ROX Carbon. Anyone else see this? Any advice?
How are you determining that your water has a yellow tinge? By the way changing GAC every two weeks sounds super conservative.
 
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JediCruz

JediCruz

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How are you determining that your water has a yellow tinge? By the way changing GAC every two weeks sounds super conservative.
I use a white 5 gallon bucket for water changes so I can see that it has a slight yellow hue to it. Hard to tell until you put it side by side with the RODI water with fresh salt added to it. That’s what I’ve been doing to indicate a carbon change. This time, though, I didn’t add GFO since I’m dosing NoPox. Curious to see what the tests end up being next week for phosphates and nitrates.
I’m sure carbon isn’t effective after 4 weeks, but as I indicated I run carbon and GFO in the same reactor - and I’m not going to be changing that out every few days (or weeks) because it’s a complete waste of time and carbon.

I’ve yet to pull out yellow water from my tank - even during a water change. My water is usually very clear. I run premium carbon, so maybe that’s the difference. If you’re asking me about my entire regiment, well - that’s a bit more involved.
You say you run premium carbon. I run BRS ROX 0.8 Carbon. Is that not premium? If not, then what is the exact carbon are you running? Also, what size tank? Mine is a 90 gallon. Check my build thread for stocking: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/100-gallon-reef-tank.782433/
 

Hermie

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Ozone will 100% work
Ozone also has a dark side. When reacted with seawater, ozone produces a variety of highly oxidized halogens such as BrOH and BrO3-. If the ozone produced oxidants are not largely removed with activated carbon, they may enter the aquarium and be hazards to the most sensitive organisms in the aquarium (which are likely eggs or early stage larvae).

Finally, ozone alters a variety of other inorganic materials in ways that may or may not be important. It alters the aquarium's redox balance, raising the ORP (which may mean as little as altering the ratios of different forms of manganese in solution). It may permit more rapid conversion of ferrous ion to ferric ion, and may increase its bioavailability, but perhaps decrease the lifetime of strongly complexed iron such as EDTA iron. Ozone also oxidizes ammonia to nitrate. While that is likely beneficial, it may alter the relative effectiveness of different nitrogen export pathways (macroalgae vs. denitrification, for example). It may drive the speciation of iodine toward iodate and away from iodide. Is that good or bad? I expect neither, although others have different opinions, but it is a good poster child for the many things that happen in reef aquaria when using ozone that normally take place without any notice or recognition of them by the aquarist.

So with all things considered, is the use of ozone in a reef aquarium worthwhile? Many aquarists answer with a resounding, "Yes!" I'll leave that question unanswered until additional information is detailed in the next two articles discussing what equipment and methods are most useful for applying ozone to aquaria, and reporting on what impact it had in my aquarium.
 

blaxsun

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You say you run premium carbon. I run BRS ROX 0.8 Carbon. Is that not premium? If not, then what is the exact carbon are you running? Also, what size tank? Mine is a 90 gallon. Check my build thread for stocking: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/100-gallon-reef-tank.782433/
No idea - I use Red Sea Reef-spec carbon and Nyos Active Carb. My system is 200 gallons total, and I utilize approximately 500g of carbon every 4-5 weeks.

My water is just not that yellow. Maybe my system runs more efficiently or maybe yours has a higher bioload. There are too many factors to consider. For me my regiment works.
 

Dan_P

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I use a white 5 gallon bucket for water changes so I can see that it has a slight yellow hue to it. Hard to tell until you put it side by side with the RODI water with fresh salt added to it. That’s what I’ve been doing to indicate a carbon change. This time, though, I didn’t add GFO since I’m dosing NoPox. Curious to see what the tests end up being next week for phosphates and nitrates.

You say you run premium carbon. I run BRS ROX 0.8 Carbon. Is that not premium? If not, then what is the exact carbon are you running? Also, what size tank? Mine is a 90 gallon. Check my build thread for stocking: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/100-gallon-reef-tank.782433/
OK, I can see this working just fine.

You could use more carbon. You would have to “titrate “ the amount by adding a bit more every time you change it until you don’t see a yellow color at the next bimonthly water change. You could then use the reappearance of the yellow color at water change time to tell you to change the GAC.
 
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