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hes right in that there is no need to run it constantly but with its ability to absorb large organic molequles and its low cost i run it all the time as part of my normal filtration.
King of DIY says Carbon is wasted money
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Now we're getting to the good stuff...
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Cost for carbon in freshwater is a big deal. The pre loaded carbon filters for hob filters can be quite expensive over time. I wish I knew this info when I had my cichlid tank.
I have heard of cheep carbon destroying a saltwater tank. If you dont change out the carbon fast enough it will trap nitrates. Not good for algae. This could be bad for livestock if left untreated for to long.
I have heard of cheep carbon destroying a saltwater tank. If you dont change out the carbon fast enough it will trap nitrates. Not good for algae. This could be bad for livestock if left untreated for to long.
Granted that not all carbon is created equal. I wouldn't say that any of it is going to be detrimental to your tank. The cheap stuff is going to require a realllllly good rinse though.
One thing to keep in mind if you've never run it before......the more "pollutants" it removes from the water, the clearer your water will get. The clearer your water is, the easier it is for light to penetrate.
I've seen posts saying that carbon nuked a persons tank. I think the unknown boost to PAR levels is more often to blame.
+1 it is extremely effective at removing the compounds that cause yellowing in water. I have heard this from several different sources. These particular compounds block a lot of light and removing too much too fast can cause corals to expell zooxanthelle, or those that can't fast enough, "melt".
What about the phosphate leaching issue?
I think that was more of an issue with the coconut shell stuff (I don't really recall seeing this stuff on shelves anymore....but I haven't looked for it) and chemically activated carbon. The latter gets washed in a phosphoric acid.....don't give it a good rinse, and there is your problem.
Alot of times I think I've rinsed it well enough until I toss a media bag into a bucket and swish it around.
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Are weekly water changes not enough to keep up with smell and yellowing of the water? Imo if either of these things are happening you are either overfeeding or not doing adequate water changes.
If I did weekly water changes, I might have some insight. Not everyone has a low nutrient tank, I don't, and I don't need to. But my tank doesn't stink, I can tell you that much.
The way I see it, rapidly removing the yellowing compounds in water would only be an issue if you use it occasion. If you always run carbon, the water wouldn't ever turn yellow in the first place. So we can scratch that off the list of why not to run carbon 24/7
skriz
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EXACTLY!
Picking and choosing select words or phrases and applying them as the conclusion is foolish.
He repeats himself over and over about having a "proper filter". In our case, that would be a solid filtration sump and protein skimmer.
I think his overall point is valid: stop relying (and wasting money) on bandaids. Fix the problem at its core and not only will you have a better system, but it'll cost less long term.
I run carbon 24/7 and I challenge anyone to scientifically, not anecdotally, prove to me it is bad or a waste of money.
As Heath posted, it is just one of many weapons in the arsenal. If you leave it in for a year, you are probably not using it properly, but if you change it out at regular intervals, just like rinsing out filter socks, it is a very effective means of organics export.
As Heath posted, it is just one of many weapons in the arsenal. If you leave it in for a year, you are probably not using it properly, but if you change it out at regular intervals, just like rinsing out filter socks, it is a very effective means of organics export.
In this industry I've found that sentence requirement to be rare if at all for any of our practices. Certainly not for the items in questions; for or against.
I have seen many systems ran continuously with carbon without ill effects so you won't here me say otherwise. However, to answer your question albeit not scientifically, but factually, both the correlation of HLLE to activated carbon and the removal of trace elements are still under intense test in hopes of coming to a scientific consensus.
Edit:
Up for intense debate for sure.
Ultimately I do not think there is a right of wrong answer but your preference and what works for you. I've ran systems both ways with improper and proper techniques to each, of which I've still never perfected.
What I can tell you is, if you run continuously;
Use proper amount
Change on a regular basis (I did during water changes every two weeks)
Rinse well before use
I definitely agree here.
Another area where my own anecdotal experience does not correlate with this supposed connection. I have six tangs in my 465, have had them in there for 16 months with GAC running 24/7, and do not have any HLLE whatsoever in any of them. Several of them were in my 300 gallon for a prior year+ with the same 24/7 carbon running before going into the 465, again with no HLLE.
Personally, I don't subscribe to this idea, but cannot prove it one way or the other.
My experiences parallel yours substituting different tank sizes. The only area I lend any credibility to this idea is the possibility of GAC being a contributing factor to HLLE. Since the ailment has such a poor prognosis it's truly anyone's guess. I ultimately rank HLLE very low if at all on my list of reasons not to run carbon continuously. My reasons are primarily self serving as far as time and cost as well as no difference in water clarity when ran in an as needed or at random periods opposed to continuously.
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I have been using Carbon, and specifically Rox 0.8 carbon for years 24-7. I use it because it is non-toxic, removes odor & color keeping my water crystal clear. In addition, I have it in my second chamber to insure GFO fines do not get into tank. Most importantly it removes Organics that both Coral, fish, and inverts produce thus increasing O2 levels stable.
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this is only partially true it really depends on the type of carbon you use and there are a few in our hobby some of which are total crap and some of which are worth their weight in gold. brs has a good video on this
I use ROX.08 as well, but I have also used the BRS mid grade lignite. I don't think there is any issue regarding whether it works for what we use it for, but maybe the question is how long does it work for?
If It does what I need it to do and it is exhausted in one week, and I change it out every three weeks, I am not going to change it out at a week just because it is exhausted. Too lazy for that. It will just sit there and do nothing until I do change it out. It will serve as a mechanical cr@p trap for the two weeks it just sits.
If It does what I need it to do and it is exhausted in one week, and I change it out every three weeks, I am not going to change it out at a week just because it is exhausted. Too lazy for that. It will just sit there and do nothing until I do change it out. It will serve as a mechanical cr@p trap for the two weeks it just sits.
I believe it was lignite carbon that is said to cause HLLE - it's the fine particles in particular.
Not all carbon is created equal. The inferior stuff was actually made for air filters, and is rebranded for aquarium use. That's the stuff that contains more phosphate.
All carbon contains *some* phosphate, but the stuff for reef tanks in particular, has the least amount, and any potential negative from that is far outweighed by the benefit.
I use carbon 24/7. Always have, probably always will. It does have to be changed regularly. It's most effective in the first couple of days. Once it's full, it's full - it can't absorb anything more, so leaving it in for weeks/months on end is useless.
Plenty of people are successful without using carbon. That's one way of doing things. Running carbon occasionally is another, and running it all the time is still another.
Jenn
Not all carbon is created equal. The inferior stuff was actually made for air filters, and is rebranded for aquarium use. That's the stuff that contains more phosphate.
All carbon contains *some* phosphate, but the stuff for reef tanks in particular, has the least amount, and any potential negative from that is far outweighed by the benefit.
I use carbon 24/7. Always have, probably always will. It does have to be changed regularly. It's most effective in the first couple of days. Once it's full, it's full - it can't absorb anything more, so leaving it in for weeks/months on end is useless.
Plenty of people are successful without using carbon. That's one way of doing things. Running carbon occasionally is another, and running it all the time is still another.
Jenn
