Activated Carbon Use and SPS?

[ChadRaay86]

I've got a substantial amount of SPS in my tank now and I wanted to check on any possible precautions with the use of carbon and SPS. I was going to run some this week to clear things up a bit, but I remember someone blaming activated carbon for an RTN event in their tank. I was wondering if anyone could clear this up for me, or even give me a good rule of thumb as to how much I should use at any given time so as to not mess any of my corals up

Thanks in advance!

 

[Allmost]

some carbon brands are more potent than the others.

so have to fine tune the usage.

if you have not ran GAC before on this tank, I would start with half or even third of recommendation. the organics that GAC remove have build up, and reducing it too fast would mean loss of color on corals and in some cases STN or RTN. it can also make water clear, meaning more light penetration, and bleach corals.

usually I run 1 cup of none potent stuff, for 100G, passive, or 1 cup for 200 G in a up-flow reactor.
potent stuff are like the ROX carbon from Vertex, very goodGAC, but POTENT [and clean, its acid washed] ! Id use half of that.

make sure to rinse well . I place it in bioling RO/DI water over night, and rinse the day after with some more RO/DI and use.

HTH.

 

[ChadRaay86]

I think its just the BRS regular grade stuff (I got a bucket from someone getting out). I've run carbon on the tank before but with a much more limited number of SPS in the tank. I have an up flow reactor and tank volume is about 300 gallons total so I might try a cup and a half or two to start and see where it puts me. I wash it out very well with RO and then run tank water through until it turns clear.

Good thought on the increased water penetration, I would have never have thought of that

 

[Allmost]

should be okay. its best to always run GAC, and replace it as it runs out ... so to keep the organics down and keep them low ... running GAC once in a while will have a yo-yo effect on the organics, increasing and decreasing ... which SPS do not like.

 

[Art13]

i've run gac and brs gfo since the start of my tank, i use about half the recommended dosages and change about once every two weeks. They might not have run their course, but its more so a precaution and to keep things clean in my tank as i feed a good amount daily. No negative effects on my tank. SPS, LPS, or softies.

 

[ChadRaay86]

should be okay. its best to always run GAC, and replace it as it runs out ... so to keep the organics down and keep them low ... running GAC once in a while will have a yo-yo effect on the organics, increasing and decreasing ... which SPS do not like.

I run 100 micron filter socks full time, would you say that running carbon 24/7 would still be worth it? If so, I'd just switch it out every couple of weeks with my ROWA phos reactor. Also, if I were to go bare bottom would carbon strip the water too far? Sorry for all the questions, but now that I have a fairly large SPS investment, I don't want to mess any of them up for lack of research

 

[madadi]

in my experience you cant go wrong using GAC in a mixed reef. just make sure you don't give it too much flow that it grinds itself to a powder and goes into your tank. like its been said already, start slow and change when needed.

 

[madadi]

carbon is really more for dissolved organic waste and very fine items that your socks cant pick up.

 

[Allmost]

there are different methods of running a SPS tank.

so get ready for others to bash my opinion

I run GAC all the time. it removes organics, toxins, heave metals, chemicals released by corals, chemicals released in spawning and so on ...

all the nice SPS tanks I know of also run it full time.

there are some that dont use it though, and have beautiful systems ... so al i can offer is my opinion

I personally have never had Issues iwth it, and prefer to run it as it also makes water crystal clear ... we keep animals in there to see them right ... lol

 

[Reefvet]

i've run gac and brs gfo since the start of my tank.... No negative effects on my tank. SPS, LPS, or softies.

If you've run it from the start how do you know there are no negative effects ?

Use of carbon is constantly discussed here. Do a search and you'll find hundreds of threads. You'll also find others with an opinion to support whatever opinion you have. In other words, it's all anecdotal and there's little research to support any negative effects.

Like all things with SPS the key is stability and near NSW chemistry.

I use only NSW and buffer alkalinity and Mag. I haven't run carbon in years and do a 15% water change weekly. I have great SPS growth and color.

 

[Allmost]

You'll also find others with an opinion to support whatever opinion you have. In other words, it's all anecdotal and there's little research to support any negative effects.

Like all things with SPS the key is stability and near NSW chemistry.

I use only NSW and buffer alkalinity and Mag. I haven't run carbon in years and do a 15% water change weekly. I have great SPS growth and color.

we share observations here.

like you shared yours it wont be right for anyone to call it anecdotal.

there are many ways to run a reef tank

 

[Reefvet]

we share observations here.

like you shared yours it wont be right for anyone to call it anecdotal.

there are many ways to run a reef tank

Sharing your observation is the definition of anecdotal.

And yes there are many ways to do what we do. That's exactly what I said, you'll find any and every opinion you like here. Plus many you may not.

 

[Art13]

If you've run it from the start how do you know there are no negative effects ?

Use of carbon is constantly discussed here. Do a search and you'll find hundreds of threads. You'll also find others with an opinion to support whatever opinion you have. In other words, it's all anecdotal and there's little research to support any negative effects.

Like all things with SPS the key is stability and near NSW chemistry.

I use only NSW and buffer alkalinity and Mag. I haven't run carbon in years and do a 15% water change weekly. I have great SPS growth and color.

I realized it's discussed a lot, i'm going by my observations, thats all. My coral have kept their colors from the guy i get all my frags from who does not run carbon and we have about the same growth, even the valida i got from him that was browned out is now a nice purple and green. You're right, i have no scientific proof that running carbon is better and i'm in no way saying that, i'm giving my experience.

 

[ChadRaay86]

Thanks for the advice guys! This hobby is has one of the more passionate bases that I've ever seen hobby wise!

I usually just run what works for me, but I do notice that my water is sparkling clear when I run carbon. On the flip side, my local shop runs a BB 90 gallon (with perfectly clear water) and the corals in there (SPS specifically) look dull and washed out to me. I think its because the system is too clean, I want to avoid that, but also keep as much of the nasty out of my tank as possible.

I have quite a large bioload (5 tangs, trigger, angel, wrasses, clowns, etc), but my nutrient export is also quite large (two filter socks changed daily, 600 gallon rated skimmer, ROWA, 4 pounds of live rock, refugium and lots of flow). I think I've found a happy medium (or just about there) and I think a little carbon might pick up the slack I'll monitor the results and post on here if I experienced any negatives.

 

[Allmost]

Sharing your observation is the definition of anecdotal.

And yes there are many ways to do what we do. That's exactly what I said, you'll find any and every opinion you like here. Plus many you may not.

lol
ok.

 

[Allmost]

here are some "science"

Feature Article: Total Organic Carbon (TOC) and the Reef Aquarium: an Initial Survey, Part II
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2008/9/aafeature2/
look for other parts as well.


Granular Activated Carbon in the Reef Aquarium
Granular activated carbon in the reef tank and its effectiveness in removing gelbstoff.
By Richard Harker
http://www.fishchannel.com/saltwate.../reef-aquarium-granular-activated-carbon.aspx


Granular Activated Carbon, Part 1: Modeling of Operational Parameters for Dissolved Organic Carbon Removal from Marine Aquaria
By Ken S. Feldman, Lauren F. Vernese, Karl T. Mueller, Kelly M. Maers
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2008/1/aafeature1/


Carbon, or GAC, is not only used in our hobby, its used in alot of different applications and the research on it is extensive actually.

my fav use is in making whiskey though

 

[Reefvet]

Carbon, or GAC, is not only used in our hobby, its used in alot of different applications and the research on it is extensive actually.

But no research on the effects of GAC on SPS.

an·ec·do·tal

adjective

(of an account) not necessarily true or reliable, because based on personal accounts rather than facts or research.

"while there was much anecdotal evidence there was little hard fact"

 

[sahin]

I agree with ReefVet that all we have is anecdotal evidence. I believe GAC has its uses and can be a beneficial product to use.

ReefVet carries out weekly 15% water changes which overall, monthly is a good percentage, and is likely a reason why GAC is not required.

Lately, my water changes has been non existent and I can clearly see the water has yellowed (when looking from side of tank). So in my case, I can use a combination of water changes and GAC to reduce the yellowing substances and any other impurities.

Like any forms of chemical filtration, used excessively, it can have serious negative effects. Used in moderation, it can also be beneficial in cases where medication has been used in the tank and needs to be moped up.

Like with so many aspects of this hobby; there are so many different ways to get things done.

 

[EllisJuan]

I run GAC and GFO 24/7 in reactors. I also do weekly 15% water changes. I overfeed and don't run a refugium. I skim wet. Phosphates stay ~.03 and Nitrates stay between 5ppm-10ppm. For me this is what works for my mixed reef that is a little heavy on SPS. So far I have gotten very nice growth and color. If the water gets a lot cleaner my softies/LPS suffers. If it gets much dirtier my SPS suffers. Personally I think it is all about balance and consistency.

 

[Allmost]

yes just ignore the articles lol


15%water change, would remove 15% of heavy metals and chemicals released by corals


Sahin, if you use it to remove yellowing, then it is a fact that it works right ? LOL

some of u guys make me laugh so hard ... GAC has been used in many industries and its abilities are well documented ... some reefers... LOL