Softies dominated tank, & Carbon...

[2Plus2]

@Randy Holmes-Farley Can I pick your brain?

Wanted to see what were your thoughts on carbon, I apologize if you've gone through this already.

I just installed a carbon reactor on my lil tank, and I'm using BRS ROX 0.8, 5 table spoons. (Instructions followed)

My tank is and will be a fully loaded softies/LPS tank, zoas, mushtrooms, acans, etc... Reading through multiple threads about softies an their toxins, a so called 24/7 chemical warfare in the tank, pushed me to installing one.

Do you advise running carbon?

 

[Sam7]

Many already run a tank like your describing. Do you need carbon no. Its an added expense thats not needed but you may want to run some ocassionally for smell's coming from your tank from time to time. You can always just do water changes. I run some for a couple days tops and then throw it out and wont run any the rest the month.
This is only my opinion Randy's might be different

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

IME Its mainly the leather corals that release toxins, I wouldn't worry about zoa's mushrooms and acans or most other corals for that matter. I just leave a small bag of carbon in a hob filter on my softie tank.

 

[EnterName]

If you decide to use activated charcoal, you should be aware that it can adsorb beneficial trace elements and introduce pollutants, so you will have to adjust your trace element dosing accordingly.

You could also use the media reactor to improve biological filtration using bio-pellets or similar :)

 

[mythesis]

Wait...

I have creeping white sponges all over, I always assumed they'd eventually consume the silicates and wither. But they've been around for months.

That article points to the activated carbon as providing more silicates to sustain them?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Wait...

I have creeping white sponges all over, I always assumed they'd eventually consume the silicates and wither. But they've been around for months.

That article points to the activated carbon as providing more silicates to sustain them?

I don't think it's clear that GAC adds much silicate. The tested brand added some (other brands may or may not not), but keep in mind that they used 10% as much GAC as the water volume (to enhance detection limitations). Thus, in a 100 gallon tank you'd be using 10 gallons of GAC.

I expect demand significantly outstrips silicate coming from most normal GAC use.

 

[mythesis]

Wait...

I have creeping white sponges all over, I always assumed they'd eventually consume the silicates and wither. But they've been around for months.

That article points to the activated carbon as providing more silicates to sustain them?

I don't think it's clear that GAC adds much silicate. The tested brand added some (other brands may or may not not), but keep in mind that they used 10% as much GAC as the water volume (to enhance detection limitations). Thus, in a 100 gallon tank you'd be using 10 gallons of GAC.

I expect demand significantly outstrips silicate coming from most normal GAC use.

Ah, thanks for the clarification

 

[2Plus2]

Many already run a tank like your describing. Do you need carbon no. Its an added expense thats not needed but you may want to run some ocassionally for smell's coming from your tank from time to time. You can always just do water changes. I run some for a couple days tops and then throw it out and wont run any the rest the month.
This is only my opinion Randy's might be different

If you decide to use activated charcoal, you should be aware that it can adsorb beneficial trace elements and introduce pollutants, so you will have to adjust your trace element dosing accordingly.

You could also use the media reactor to improve biological filtration using bio-pellets or similar :)

I figured, I read a few threads with people suggesting carbon for a softies tank but I assume most of those had a leather or large palys.

I also stopped my UV to do some testing, I have only but a few coral but yet a lot of my elements through ICP testing come back low, even with water changes and constant all for reef.

 

[2Plus2]

I don't think it's clear that GAC adds much silicate. The tested brand added some (other brands may or may not not), but keep in mind that they used 10% as much GAC as the water volume (to enhance detection limitations). Thus, in a 100 gallon tank you'd be using 10 gallons of GAC.

I expect demand significantly outstrips silicate coming from most normal GAC use.

Randy I read some of your post, you don't run UV.

I turned my UV off about a week ago and did notice my coral a lil more fluffy.

Do you run carbon?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Randy I read some of your post, you don't run UV.

I turned my UV off about a week ago and did notice my coral a lil more fluffy.

Do you run carbon?

I recently added UV to try to help deal with a cyano issue. It does not seem to be helping with that, but the water is a little less yellow. In any case, I will stop the UV once I defeat the cyano.

I do run carbon (Rox 0.8) and skim.