Phosban reactor WITH Premium ROX carbon?

[Alfredo De La Fe]

I bought some of the really high quality Premium ROX 0.8 Carbon from Bulk Reef Supply two years ago. I have been using it in media bags but- I am wondering if it would be a problem to add some to my phosban reactor when I change out it's media?

Anyone have an opinion on this? I figure it would exhaust the carbon much faster, but it would certainly clean the water much faster as well. Since it is the ROX carbon it won't break up and end up in my tank as a fine powder...

Thoughts?

Alfred

 

[noelskii]

Those work best when used in a reactor.

 

[masterswimmer]

The least efficient way to run carbon is in a bag tossed into your sump. Water is always going to find the path of least resistance. In the case of the carbon in a bag the path of least resistance is around the bag, not through it. Running carbon this way is referred to as running it passive.

Now to run it actively you'd put the carbon in a reactor as you're describing. Ideally you'd run separate reactors for carbon and one for phosban. If you can't do it that way, then run together will still work better than running it passively.

HTH

 

[Alfredo De La Fe]

I run it in a media bag which is inside my filter sock. Not quite passive but not as agressive as in a reactor.

 

[pecan2phat]

Carbon via a media bag in a filter sock is still passive. Most of the water rushing down is still going around the bag vs through the bag. Best way to run carbon is through a reactor that is firmly packed with no void space or even through an old school canister filter. While flow rates are different for both media, the problem will more likely be that the carbon will move to the top of the reactor and the GFO will stay towards the bottom.