the sheeted black filter material w/ac embedded, would go in my sump and run 24/7. i change 10% H2O every 2 weeks, all my numbers are right on. any harm?? i guess the benefit is no smell and toxins/organics removal.
It would be cheaper and better to buy the activated carbon chips. If it is an issue of having a bag of carbon in the sump or a filter pad I would do the pad. But if you set up a low flow reactor setup* to flow water actively through the carbon I would advise it. This is the most effective way to use carbon.
- A media reactor or any way to actively move water through the carbon chips makes for effective use of carbon.
would a/c in a sock just before the sump along w/my phosguard work?
otherwise i gotta use the pad. but there’s no harm in running it 24/7???
No harm in running it 24/7 just be sure to change it every month or it will eventually end up leaching everything it removed back in to your tank and cause problems.
what toxins do you fear are in your water to justify carbon? carbon is used mostly to remove toxins such as when soft corals excrete toxins to kill near by softies in a territory war, or if you feel you have some toxic metals (mostly why its used in freshwater tanks, common freshwater ppl use unfiltered tap water)
most reefers with leathers that i know only run carbon one week every 2 months or so, its an opinion thing, but unless you really feel there are toxins in your tank, i wouldnt run it at all.
if phosphates are your worry then you can run granular ferric oxide/phosbuster
dont get me wrong, i’m not saying its not useful i run a mesh bag as passive filtration every so often, i’m just saying that GFO is better if organics are your issue or concern.
Carbon will remove/absorb tons of stuff, but over running it will lead to it leaching back into the tank. I don’t run it on the 55 hardly ever and I’ve got some in the 75 in an attempt to help keep water clarity good.
ive read that it’ll make the water sharper/clearer, even if its not removing any toxins. gonna put a sheet in the sump. i think my water’s pretty clear, but has a slightly ‘off’ smell, esp in the sump. maybe the water’ll look like it’s not there, like ellen’s tank
Carbon is very beneficial at removing the smell we sometimes get from our tanks. it also aides in water clarity and will help get rid of that yellow tint.
If you do use the granulated carbon make sure you rinse it first in fresh water…
I use seachem’s matrix carbon…I find it to be Very Good…minimal rinsing req’d and high absorbtion rate.
love carbon. use it 100% of the time. change at least every 30 days.
i believe i’m partially wrong on the “chemical only” statement i made earlier
this is an excerpt from Filtration Basics by Doug Wojtczak - Reefkeeping.com and all their great writers
"Granular Activated Carbon (GAC)
While GAC is normally categorized under chemical filtration, it also has some mechanical filtration (see below) properties.Granular activated carbon acts as an organic sponge.The carbon is very porous, allowing it to trap physical particles.The process of trapping the waste particles is called absorption.There are also chemical properties that make carbon attract certain forms of impurities such as phosphate, organic acids, proteins, metals such as copper, and antibiotic compounds contained in the aquarium water.The process of attracting these impurities is called adsorption.One of the best uses that I have found for carbon is the removal of organic acids that give the aquarium water the yellow tint that is often seen by reef hobbyists.
Absorption is a process that works similarly to a sponge.The process can be compared to washing your car with a sponge.The car is sprayed with water, the sponge is then run over the surface, it collects dirt but leaves the water behind.Similarly, in the aquarium, water is forced through a medium (GAC) that traps waste particles; removing the medium brings the trapped particles along with it.
Adsorption is defined in Webster’s Dictionary as the capability of a solid substance (adsorbent) to attract to its surface molecules of a gas or solution (adsorbate) with which it is in contact.In our aquarium realm, the definition is the capability of a solid substance (carbon) to attract to its surface, molecules of a solution (aquarium water with impurities) with which it is in contact.
Adsorption may be analogous to the example of static electricity buildup on a computer monitor.The static electricity buildup on a computer monitor attracts dust particles from the air similar to how carbon attracts impurities from our aquarium water.The aquarium water (air) flows through the carbon (static charged computer screen), which attracts the chemical impurities (dust), binds them, and keeps them from going back into the aquarium water.Unlike absorption, which physically traps particulate matter, the process of adsorption chemically attracts impurities and binds them through chemical processes.
An interesting property of GAC is that it can be produced to remove specific chemical forms of waste or contaminants from the aquarium water.By producing GAC at different temperatures, sizes, and textures, or by adding certain chemical elements, it can selectively remove impurities.
GAC may be used in different ways:It can be placed in a canister filter so that all water drawn through the filter passes through it for maximum contact time.It can also be used passively by being placed behind rockwork or in a sump where water flows around and through it.While forcing water through GAC is thought to be the most efficient usage of absorption and adsorption, it will still work well if used passively, primarily due to its adsorption properties. "
the whole article is a great read
Or you can use one of those sealed 100ml pouches of PURIGEN. I have used those for years. They work pretty much like carbon, but you can clean and reuse them , over and over again. To take out any heavy metals and chemical polutants i always keep a little slice of POLY PAD in the filter somewhere too. that way all bases are covered. it helps.
thanks, ken, that’s something to consider. don’t clams need some nitrates, though? wouldn’t this stuff remove it all, and harm those adorable mollusks?
As far as I know, there are no media that remove nitrates from salt water. the purigen removes organic molecules and the stuff that makes the water yellow. like activated carbon does. and the polypad removes a lot of the same, plus phosphate, and metals and chemicals like copper, and medications. so if you ever medicate a tank with anything reef safe, follow up with polypad to remove it all. its like a DI filter resin in pad form only it dont remove the salts, carbonates and trace elements. kinda selective. i cut a 2 inch strip from the 4 x 8 pad and leave it in the filter a few months till it turns dirty brown. then change it. A pouch of Purigen runs about the same, then renew it.
Hey , and i run a pouch of carbon too. what the heck.
I like to run carbon on my tank. I use a TLF reactor so that the water is pushed through the carbon. I feel it really helps keep the water clearer and it does remove organics also. I don’t see any problems at all from running it 24/7.
I second that purigen suggestion by kapt ken…I use it along WITH carbon for excellent results…