Usage of Carbon in a reef tank - HELP.

[RonsterNYC]

I just put some RowaCarbon in my tank. Does any one have any experience or advise to share in using this in a reef tank? I was told to try it as I have some leather corals that may put out some chemical preventing my acraporas to grow. Has any one heard about this? Please advise. Thank you!!

 

[Alfredo De La Fe]

Carbon is great for removing DOC (Disolved Organic Compounds) that will discolor your water or which are the results of the "chemical warfare" your corals are engaged in.

-Alfred

 

[RonsterNYC]

Alfredo - this should not harm the fish, right?

 

[jawwad2004]

So basically, carbon clears up the water?

 

[steveo32]

i don't really have and experience with the carbon but I know I want to start using it. But what I do know is that my fish vendor uses it all the time in his sps display tank. That and the uv is always runing and his tank looks awesome so idk if that helps

 

[ezee]

Hey all,

From the stuff that I have seen, carbon actually does "polish" the water but only for certain things. Harmful substances, ie. coral toxins, chemicals on your arms and other chemicals fall into this category. So you should be able to use it to reduce the warfare. It will also really clear the water of any yellowish coloring.

Things that you have to be careful of. Don't wait too long to change it, the water clarity will change and your corals may slowly adjust to less and less clarity, when the new batch of carbon goes in and super clears the water it can shock your more sensitive corals. The other concern is that it can leech bad things back into the water after a certain time. The concensus that I have read is for changing carbon out approx every one to two weeks.

There are a lot of people that believe good skimming, a DSB and a nutrient export fuge remove the need for carbon but I run it anyway.

Just what I have read. Of course there are many other folks who will have more detailed experiences here on this board.

E

 

[Nsr250NYC]

i know some ppl run it 1 week out of the month. every 4th week or so.

 

[Tonyscoots84]

that is a smart thing to do. u really dont need to run carbon from what i read all the time. as NSR said is a good habit to get into.

 

[masterswimmer]

I run carbon 24/7 in an MRC Fluidized Media Chamber. I used to run it passively in a filter micron bag in my sump. The FMC makes a world of difference. Like ezee said, it does polish the water.

I change it out about every 4 weeks. There has been no harm whatsoever in my tank from leaving it in that long then changing it. Unfortunately there have been one or two times I went about 8 - 9 weeks before changing. Again, no adverse effects.

As soon as I change it the water clarity is noticeable in an hour or two. I highly recommend it. Can't do you any harm if you're responsible about maintaining it.

Russ

 

[Tonyscoots84]

it def. helps out the water clarity. i would stick behind that answer no matter what.

 

[MPISCIOTTI]

have been running carbon in my sps tank 24/7 for a long time. i keep the carbon in my protein skimmer.

 

[RonsterNYC]

Aren't there any carbon reactors out there such as the phosban reactor by two little fishies?

 

[GQ22]

not sure why u would need a carbon reactor as most people just put it in a mesh bag in an area with good flow.

 

[alrha]

Aren't there any carbon reactors out there such as the phosban reactor by two little fishies?

you can run carbon in the phosban reactor. (i do).

 

[nycmat]

yes you can run carbonn in a phosban reactor. but like the other guy said you can just put it in a bag and then in your sump

 

[alrha]

it depends if you want to run the carbon passively (in a bag) or actively (in a reactor)

 

[NYPDFrogman]

I run about 2lbs of carbon in a reverse flow reactor I built
I change it out every 6 weeks.clear water zero phospates
highly recommend use of carbon in a reef tank

 

[RonsterNYC]

I am currently running it in the mesh bag that it came with; however, I like idea of putting it in a reactor type of device. Thanks for the info. I will keep my eye out on a cheap phosban reactor that someone may sell on this site. Cheers!

 

[alrha]

I have a phosban reactor ($20) pending sale to gil716. if he passes on it you could have it.

 

[RonsterNYC]

That would be fantastic!! Thanks Alrha.