activated carbon question

[Dionysius]

I have a 29 gallon tank with a 10 gallon sump, it's day 10. I've been running carbon in my sump should I stop? Is it pulling to much of the trace chemicals out?

 

[TimeConsumer]

I run carbon full time. It'll keep your water clean and remove toxins. I wouldn't worry about trace elements, ever. A good water change schedule will take care of that.

 

[Dionysius]

I run carbon full time. It'll keep your water clean and remove toxins. I wouldn't worry about trace elements, ever. A good water change schedule will take care of that.

Thank you for helping me out!

 

[kbriers]

I run carbon all the time as well. Have not noticed anything bad but, Im a noob so learning as well.

 

[Card5]

Carbon

Carbon

It exhausts pretty fast. I change it out about every 3 weeks but run it 24/7.

 

[Dionysius]

Ill keep it running, my waters very clear as of now.

 

[TimeConsumer]

Remember to change your carbon once a month. Otherwise it becomes exhausted and begins to leech back into your water.

 

[Dionysius]

Remember to change your carbon once a month. Otherwise it becomes exhausted and begins to leech back into your water.

thank you I didn't know it could d.o that

 

[zigzag1]

I run carbon nearly 24/7 also, and change it every 3-4 weeks. I run ROX carbon in a mesh media bag between baffles in my sump. Using a reactor isn't a requirement if kept in an area with good flow. I also run GFO this way, but only as needed if determined by testing or observation.

I would worry more about HLLE than trace element depletion, especially if doing regular water changes. Be sure to rinse your carbon very well to remove as much of the fine particles as possible. There have been some studies potentially linking it to HLLE in fish. So, rinse it very well prior to use. I rinse in RO/DI water. IMO, rinsing in tap water is cleaning the rinse water and wasting some of the carbon's potential. Using a few small containers for the RO/DI minimizes waste of water when rinsing, and minimizes waste of carbon's effectiveness. JMTC & GL

 

[Dionysius]

I run carbon nearly 24/7 also, and change it every 3-4 weeks. I run ROX carbon in a mesh media bag between baffles in my sump. Using a reactor isn't a requirement if kept in an area with good flow. I also run GFO this way, but only as needed if determined by testing or observation.

I would worry more about HLLE than trace element depletion, especially if doing regular water changes. Be sure to rinse your carbon very well to remove as much of the fine particles as possible. There have been some studies potentially linking it to HLLE in fish. So, rinse it very well prior to use. I rinse in RO/DI water. IMO, rinsing in tap water is cleaning the rinse water and wasting some of the carbon's potential. Using a few small containers for the RO/DI minimizes waste of water when rinsing, and minimizes waste of carbon's effectiveness. JMTC & GL

I also run then in my baffles, thanks for the great reply. =)