Are You Using Carbon ?

[videosilva]

I am curious as to who uses carbon in there tanks ? Has any experimented with using and removing carbon. Where there any noticeable effects ?

 

[derrick orosz]

I use the brs rox. 8 carbon.... the water "looks" clearer when I freshly change it

 

[Salty Cracker]

Yep, I use carbon non stop. I think there is a chance of hole-in-the-head disease with tangs from carbon dust, but there's always more tangs.

The way to tell if your carbon is working: Do a straight water change into a white bucket, and have a bucket of 0TDS water beside it. If one is yellower than the other, you can use some carbon in your tank.

I run it in a reactor before the GFO, and a fine mesh on the output of both. A lot of carbon ends up in the GFO reactor, but not a whole lot in the mesh.

 

[SamB]

I always run it
Benefits outweigh any shortcomings

 

[kapelan]

carbon does not heart anyway. But can save tank. For example: when we are touching corals they can release tocsin. On the forum someone post a picture of a finger after poisoned by a worm. So this kind of poison carbon can remove.

 

[scubasteve]

I use a cup of carbon in my media reactor and change it once a month. If you are keeping a mixed tank it's needed or your corals will play chemical warfare and trust me sps will lose in a hurry. Besides one grain of carbon has as much surface area for beneficial bacteria as a football field so that is a major plus in its own.

 

[hark]

Yep, I use carbon non stop. I think there is a chance of hole-in-the-head disease with tangs from carbon dust, but there's always more tangs.

The way to tell if your carbon is working: Do a straight water change into a white bucket, and have a bucket of 0TDS water beside it. If one is yellower than the other, you can use some carbon in your tank.

I run it in a reactor before the GFO, and a fine mesh on the output of both. A lot of carbon ends up in the GFO reactor, but not a whole lot in the mesh.

I've got the exact same setup. Carbon then gfo in a reactor,

 

[videosilva]

Has anyone experimented with carbon. For example run carbon for a few months and then run with out carbon for a few months ? Were there any noticeable effects besides the clear water. Did you notice any positive/ negative effects from coral etc.

 

[thehvacman]

I have always run carbon on all my tanks. It helps with everything already listed as well as odours. I can always smell when my tank needs new carbon before I ever see a change in clarity, which you will if you leave it too long. I am now experimenting with using diy coral snow along with the carbon, and algae growth has slowed down.

 

[ALowe]

carbon and gfo reactor here. just purchased matrix carbon by seachem i'm about to switch my old stuff with. hell of a lot more expensive thn regular stuff but big als guy sold me on its apparent less rate of phosphate release. anyone using this carbon?

 

[BigReefer]

I use a cup of carbon in my media reactor and change it once a month. If you are keeping a mixed tank it's needed or your corals will play chemical warfare and trust me sps will lose in a hurry. Besides one grain of carbon has as much surface area for beneficial bacteria as a football field so that is a major plus in its own.

would you use carbon over a all-in bio ball?

 

[BigReefer]

can you use bags of carbon in a filter sock??

 

[reef keeper]

I noticed the water was a lot clearer, and my sps seemed to encrust a lot faster. I put it on my frag system a couple days ago because there are so many, I want to knock down the chemicals.

It can can give tangs hlle, so I limit my use to 1-2 weeks a month. I use the brs rox 8

 

[scubasteve]

Has anyone experimented with carbon. For example run carbon for a few months and then run with out carbon for a few months ? Were there any noticeable effects besides the clear water. Did you notice any positive/ negative effects from coral etc.

If you have sps dominant and no carbon good luck keeping zoos. Same with lps and softie dominant your sps will always get stn or rtn. The chemical warfare they use can wreck havoc on coral as bad as stinging tentacles

 

[scubasteve]

carbon and gfo reactor here. just purchased matrix carbon by seachem i'm about to switch my old stuff with. hell of a lot more expensive thn regular stuff but big als guy sold me on its apparent less rate of phosphate release. anyone using this carbon?

Me... I always have. The cheap carbon makes algae control a PITA. My tangs have never had an issue some say it caused it but there is no proof of it being the cause just don't use more than the recommended amount. After all some prime and some carbon are useful for a lot of problematic situations.

 

[thehvacman]

Have always had tangs and use carbon, and have never had an issue with hlle. Others say not grounding your tank against stray voltage will cause it.... does anyone really know? I think most people are guessing, with no evidence.

 

[Salty Cracker]

The whole grounding debate went on a loooong time. I have a lot of stray voltage in the tank, and was grounding for a while, but a german engineer guy made sense with the "well now you have created "current flow" through the tank which is worse than standing stray current" or something like that, so I stopped. I've had a sailfin tang for ~4 years and it's fine with both no grounding and constant carbon use

 

[Skim]

I strongly believe that it is all related to Diet even ICK with the Hippos. I believe one should be only feeding the highest quality food's ( those being North Fin, NLS, Omega, Era ) NLS and Omega also make a great Flake also which my fish love. I feed very little Frozen food. Poor Diet will lead to stress on their systems which will lead to sickness. Carbon could be a coincidence, fish could be under stress from poor food and you add carbon and the UV light can penetrate easier and UV could cause problems with Fish as it does with Corals with the sudden increase of light.
Anyhow I do strongly believe it is related to Diet and immune system.

 

[Skim]

The whole grounding debate went on a loooong time. I have a lot of stray voltage in the tank, and was grounding for a while, but a german engineer guy made sense with the "well now you have created "current flow" through the tank which is worse than standing stray current" or something like that, so I stopped. I've had a sailfin tang for ~4 years and it's fine with both no grounding and constant carbon use

That's why those guys can work on the High Power lines from the Helicopter, they are not grounded now if he climb the tower and reach out to the cable he would be fried before he even touched the cable, big arc and flash and crispy critter. If you get tingling in figures or feel that little shock guaranteed you are in the basement in shocks or bare feet. Same reason Birds don't get fried.

 

[thehvacman]

Sure diet is very important, but ich is a parasite, with a life cycle. It doesn't just appear. I use a grounding probe, if there is stray voltage waiting to go to ground, it will go through you if you complete the circuit. Its just safer for you to allow stray voltage an easy path to ground. Those guys working on high tension powerlines are crazy.