Carbon options

[tayles]

Hi everyone,

I have a 55g softie tank. I have been reading that when keeping leather corals (I have two big ones) that it is a good idea to run carbon. Besides maintenence with a HOT cannister every month for a few hours, I don't have any filters where I could add carbon. What is the best way to add this to my tank? (I do not have a sump, I have three powerheads in the tank.) I am not a big fan of the hang on back style filters because of the noise/splashing. Any ideas?

 

[Anonymous]

:welcome:

You could run the HOT with carbon when you aren't using it for maintenance.

 

[tayles]

The HOT filter is a huge cannister that hangs on the front. I don't have room for it anywhere else on the tank. That is why I only use it for short periods of time, it is not a permanent setup. Thanks for your reply!

 

[Anonymous]

You can get a filter that goes on the intake of your powerhead, but they are ugly too. Any solution is going to require you adding something to the tank.

 

[wade1]

Another option is to place it in a mesh bag in an area of high flow (like a sump near a return line) and just leave it there. Changed every 4-6 weeks, it should do a great job of helping keep the tank a little less toxic.

Wade

 

[Anonymous]

Wade (and others),

I ran carbon for the first time a few weeks ago...I got the Kent stuff. The directions on Kent say to leave it in for only 3 days. You say every 4-6 weeks. I get the feeling Kent is yanking my chain...if I replace it every three days, guess who's going to be buying it a lot more often...?

What's the deal?

 

[wade1]

Depends greatly on the amount of free organic material in the tank. Its effectiveness falls off as the "active" sites get bound up and bacterial growth covers it. Thats one reason to have it in a more active location. I've found changing every 4-6 weeks works well (probably varies by tank), but in our cleaner/well skimmed tanks 3 days seems very short.