Problems Keeping Zoanthids

[yveterinarian]

Picking up the reactor this weekend and have ordered the carbon but it is not in yet. In the meantime I have been working on some of the other parameters. I increased the calcium dosing to 3x/week from 2x/week and the calcium has come up marginally to 405 ppm. Alkalinity has dropped a little and is 202 ppm so I will continue dosing 3x/week so that I get a slow change rather than a rapid one.
Unfortunately, with the extra food I am having to feed the sea apple my Nitrates and Phosphates have gone up to 0.75 ppm and 25 ppm respectively. I have increased the vodka once again to help combat this issue.
On a good note my blue zoanthids are open today for the first time in a long time.

 

[saltyair]

Great news - I would suggest keeping alk @ 170/160 ppm when carbon dosing

 

[yveterinarian]

I will definitely try but how do you suggest I get it down there? It has never been that low even in the beginning of my reef tank.

 

[yveterinarian]

I was poking around the internet and found this dosage calculator: http://reef.diesyst.com/chemcalc/chemcalc.html
I was wondering if anyone had used it? I plugged in today's values for my calcium and alkalinity and it gave me a dosage to use for my calcium that I use but wasn't very helpful for the alkalinity.

 

[reefgeek]

Yes packing it is the most effective way. Yes having a mesh would collect some of the powder (always rinse the carbon first)
The problem with tumbling other than the health issues of the coral and inverts. Carbon is a soft material and erodes with friction, toxins that do get taken up by the carbon are then released back into the system.
Like reef hero said he has done it for years with out issues and it works for him.

If you look at how carbon is used in other industries ( pharmaceutical, drinking water,farming ) carbon is never tumbled.

I also use carbon in a reactor - I put a sponge on the bottom and top of the carbon and push them together firmly (not crushing) put the grate on and pour off the first gallon.
If you go to the brs web site they have videos on putting together a carbon reactor.



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Just throwing my two centa out there but i work in a drinking water treatment plant, we tumble the crap out of our 120m3 worth of GAC.

 

[yveterinarian]

Just throwing my two centa out there but i work in a drinking water treatment plant, we tumble the crap out of our 120m3 worth of GAC.

Interesting, it just goes to show that there are many ways to do something doesn't it? Does the water in your treatment plant then go through any kind of filters that gets the carbon dust out? I imagine there would be some dust that gets into the water with the tumbling action of the carbon and the fact that it is a fairly soft substance. Is it a special carbon they use?

 

[saltyair]

Just throwing my two centa out there but i work in a drinking water treatment plant, we tumble the crap out of our 120m3 worth of GAC.

But don't municipal treatment plants use pac not gac?

 

[Reef Hero]

After doing some research of my own into what kinds of media water treatment plants use, I found that very few are using GAC anymore..... I also discovered that most are using a form of ion exchange in order to remove no3 from the water....


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[reefgeek]

After doing some research of my own into what kinds of media water treatment plants use, I found that very few are using GAC anymore..... I also discovered that most are using a form of ion exchange in order to remove no3 from the water....


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We use GAC, high grade lasts for 2-3 years. Strictly used as a taste and odour polisher as a final treatment prior to sending it "out the door". What type (pac/gac) and where would depend on the target issue. I'm just not that worried when it comes to GAC use in aquaria.

 

[Reef Hero]

We use GAC, high grade lasts for 2-3 years. Strictly used as a taste and odour polisher as a final treatment prior to sending it "out the door". What type (pac/gac) and where would depend on the target issue. I'm just not that worried when it comes to GAC use in aquaria.

Nobody should be worried about using GAC in their aquarium..... It is used to "polish" the water even at hospitals....
What other forms of media or methods are used at the treatment plant where you work and where is the treatment plant? Feel free to pm the details or not respond at all lol.... I realize these are personal questions.


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[saltyair]

We use GAC, high grade lasts for 2-3 years. Strictly used as a taste and odour polisher as a final treatmento prior to sending it "out the door". What type (pac/gac) and where would depend on the target issue. I'm just not that worried when it comes to GAC use in aquaria.

Thats great Information