Bulk Carbon source

[acroholic]

Hi guys,
Thought I would share where I get my carbon from. I buy from waterfiltersonline.com. Here is the link for their bulk carbon page: http://www.waterfiltersonline.com/carbon-gac-bulk.asp">http://www.waterfiltersonline.com/carbon-gac-bulk.asp</a>. I just got 1/2 cubic foot (17 lbs) of premium Calgon F200 GAC for $39 and $15 shipping. Best deal going I found.

Just an FYI. I have no ties to this company.
Dave

 

[acroholic]

Correction: shipping was $12.
Dave

 

[FutureInterest]

Not all GAC is created equal. I'd need a lot more info than they provide before putting that in my tank...

 

[tebriel]

I've read that certain kinds leech phosphates and that charcoal made from coconuts is bad for some reason I don't know.

 

[acroholic]

FutureInterest;214323 wrote: Not all GAC is created equal. I'd need a lot more info than they provide before putting that in my tank...

Me too..that is why I researched it. Take a look. Calgon is a major manufacturer of GAC. Most aquarium GAC is bought from large manufacturers and simply repackaged for the hobby (per a Richard Harker article I referenced). GFO is similar, in that there are only a couple manufacturers of it and it is repackaged by places like Bulk Reef Supply.

F200 GAC specifics below. It is used for purification of potable water in the bottling industry

 

[FutureInterest]

From my understanding the plain old Calgon F200 is actually made from pecan shells and would be unacceptable to me. The Calgon F200AWD-LF in your link is bituminous based and sounds just fine.

 

[FutureInterest]

Well some sources say bit based and some say shell based. I'm not sure which it is. One other thing you need to look at is whether its acid-washed or not. Here's a

 

[acroholic]

There are only two GAC products for water treatment designated Calgon f200 (filtrasorb), and both products are coal based, not shell based. Calgoncarbon.com has a complete product list with source material.

Some major brands are acid washed, others are not. Warner Marine GAC (peat based) is acid washed, as is Two Little Fishies (Lignite based). SeaChem Matrix, Marineland Black Diamond, and API GAC products are all bituminous, non acid washed GACs.

I've used acid washed bulk type GAC, and non acid washed Marineland and API GACs in my reef without any issues, so I don't know how significant an issue being acid vs non-acid washed is in a GAC. They both seem to work about the same, as far as I can tell. Never had an algae outbreak after switching from one or the other.
Dave

 

[FutureInterest]

F200 GAC specifics below. It is used for purification of potable water in the bottling industry

http://www.calgoncarbon.com/carbon_products/documents/F200AWDLF12x40.pdf">http://www.calgoncarbon.com/carbon_p...AWDLF12x40.pdf</a>
Dave[/QUOTE]Yah your link is probably incorrect for this particular product. They would advertise the acid washing as its a significant difference in quality and cost. One of the links I saw indicated that F200 was derived from pecan shells but that may have been a previous process, I dunno.

One thing you might want to consider is the purpose of the GAC in your system. The smaller pore size of bit based GAC like the f200 is ideally suited for removing organics. That can be a good thing... but in most modern reef systems the skimmer will be more than enough to effectively remove organics. From what I've gathered on RC and elsewhere it appears that the lignite and peat stuff is much better at removing toxins and other nasties but not as good at removing common organics. I've got a good skimmer so I'm more interested in the former aspects of GAC than the latter. Anyways, even the non-acid washed f200 shouldn't hurt a healthy system but I'm just throwing this info out there because I wonder how much it actually helps. :)

 

[acroholic]

FutureInterest;214420 wrote: Yah your link is probably incorrect for this particular product. They would advertise the acid washing as its a significant difference in quality and cost. One of the links I saw indicated that F200 was derived from pecan shells but that may have been a previous process, I dunno.

One thing you might want to consider is the purpose of the GAC in your system. The smaller pore size of bit based GAC like the f200 is ideally suited for removing organics. That can be a good thing... but in most modern reef systems the skimmer will be more than enough to effectively remove organics. From what I've gathered on RC and elsewhere it appears that the lignite and peat stuff is much better at removing toxins and other nasties but not as good at removing common organics. I've got a good skimmer so I'm more interested in the former aspects of GAC than the latter. Anyways, even the non-acid washed f200 shouldn't hurt a healthy system but I'm just throwing this info out there because I wonder how much it actually helps.

That is the problem with a lot of information on bulk type products. Information available is mostly anecdotal so you need to sift through what is there and decide for yourself. I really cannot say that carbon is necessary any more than you can say it is not necessary.

I have a few softies and zoas in my tank, and that is the main reason I use GAC. Do I need to, I don't know.

The main difference I have seen with acid washed vs non acid washed GAC is the acid washed is cleaner and has less dust (fines). There may be other differences, but once you wash it out it looks pretty similar. Stands to reason that acid washing makes GAC cost more because it costs money to acid wash GAC. Maybe non acid washed GAC needs replaced more often than acid washed, but if non acid washed costs less, then you are probably equal anyways, at least cost wise.

I emailed the seller about which type f200 it is. I'll post when I hear back.

 

[FutureInterest]

k.

 

[acroholic]

Carbon is f200 non acid washed. First link I posted is acid washed. Not a lot of diff I believe other than that. They have two carbons listed as f200.

 

[tdwyatt]

Issues only occur in acid washed when the acid is phosphori acid. It is also part of the regeneration proceess when regenerting continuous use GAC filters (cold water, then hot water/steam, then acid, often phosphoric acid, but may be HCl to remove humus iimpuritiees and iron, etc and reduce ash content. Rather than reinvent the wheel, check the tech sheets at reskem :