Activated Carbon: Yea or nay? Why?

[Znut Reefer]

24/7. It does makes the water clearer. And I feel it pulls out toxins. Also seems to help the sps happy and colorful.

 

[thebanker]

@GoingPostal: That's the best signature ever!

Most people don't realize that large pieces of coral, which have been painted brown and attached to the skull by common wood screws, can make a child look like a deer.
*Jack Handey

 

[thebanker]

Slight digression: Is there any experimental scientific evidence of using purigen vs. activated carbon that can substantiate the SeaChem's claims?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

No, there's not that I've ever seen. Purigen likely removes a slightly different (but strongly overlapping) subset of organic compounds, but there's no evidence that it is better or worse than GAC. Using both together may be beneficial too.

 

[thebanker]

Ok, makes sense. Well, we have no real solid arguments from the anti-carbon crew. So far I haven't read anything that points to the benefits of going without carbon besides a few anecdotes of systems "working just fine" without it.

 

[Nanz]

The reason AC(Activated Carbon) works for some and not for others is due to the environment that is surrounding the tank. For example.. If your tank is near your laundry room it will contain phosphates and other organics that are dispersed into the air. If you use air fresheners that may also pullute your tank indirectly which carbon helps remove from the water. AC removes trihalomethanes (THM), pesticides, industrial solvents (halogenated hydrocarbons), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Heavy metals such as Organic Arsenic, Organic Chromium Complexes, Mercury Inorganic and Organic Mercury Complexes.

I run carbon and gfo 24/7

 

[john rochon]

carbon,just for the clear fact that your water will be clearer and light penetration will be better for one.
it helps on mixed coral tanks for sure.
were always adding food so between the carbon and a skimmer your water will benefit.
also, things spawn,die,etc when your usually not home. carbon will help buy you some time with water quality till you spot the issue.
water changes, ahhhhh how many times have I heard that statement when in fact ALOT of us miss water changes or do not do them regularly. GAC will lend a hand there as well

 

[Eric Williams]

I run both AC and purigen 24/7 in reactors. Seems to work great for my tank.
I have seen more benefits from running them than adverse affects.

 

[cloak]

There's a lot of things in this hobby that can be side stepped if you know what your doing. This tank ran smoothly without carbon for nine years with only a DSB, skimming, and regular water changes. Whether it's necessary or not, I don't know, but nobody will will ever convince me otherwise. I've done just fine without it.

I don't dispute that, but your original statement was rather different, saying water changes accomplished the same as GAC, while this one says that the combination of several things makes a fine tank without GAC.

Those are very different conclusions, and even so, the latter may apply to the specific creatures you kept rather than the general case.

Assuming GAC is removing the smell, the yellowing, the organics, etc, taking this "dirty" water out of the tank and then replacing it with freshly made saltwater is pretty much the same thing I guess. That bucket of freshly made saltwater is as pure as it gets though. I know what I'm getting through water changes. No worries about what it might leach, what "good" stuff it might remove along with the bad, no HLLE speculation, nothing. To be honest with you, I really don't think anybody knows for certain how long carbon lasts. Just as an example, let's say you replace your carbon every 2 weeks. Well, after five days in the smelly yellow tank water it has exhausted itself, it's done. If you weren't seeing anything out of the ordinary when it was time to change it out 14 days later, you have pretty much been going without carbon for the last 9 days. This type of thing happens all the time. Lets face it, GAC could fall off the face of the earth and we still get by. Water changes, no so much.

Happy reefing.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I don't disagree with the sentiment, I just think that the amount of organic matter exported by water changes is typically not as much as a reasonable amount of GAC, changed at reasonable times, accomplishes. Most folks who do not use GAC notice a clearing of the water when initiating it, regardless of them already doing water changes.

 

[thebanker]

The reason AC(Activated Carbon) works for some and not for others is due to the environment that is surrounding the tank. For example.. If your tank is near your laundry room it will contain phosphates and other organics that are dispersed into the air. If you use air fresheners that may also pullute your tank indirectly which carbon helps remove from the water. AC removes trihalomethanes (THM), pesticides, industrial solvents (halogenated hydrocarbons), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Heavy metals such as Organic Arsenic, Organic Chromium Complexes, Mercury Inorganic and Organic Mercury Complexes.

I run carbon and gfo 24/7

Ok this makes some solid sense.

To be honest with you, I really don't think anybody knows for certain how long carbon lasts. Just as an example, let's say you replace your carbon every 2 weeks. Well, after five days in the smelly yellow tank water it has exhausted itself, it's done. If you weren't seeing anything out of the ordinary when it was time to change it out 14 days later, you have pretty much been going without carbon for the last 9 days.

That makes sense too, and I think this is directly proportionate to the amount of carbon you use and the flow rate through the granules. No one knows exactly how long it lasts, since tank water, biological load, feeding habits, etc will be different from tank to tank. It's almost like asking "how long will that roll of toilet paper last?" Depends on whether or not I binge on Pizza Hut.

 

[Tang-A]

I use carbon on my tank all the time. Water gets clearer and smellin' good. Never had a problem using it and it's not that expensive.

 

[thebanker]

Randy, what is the best canister to use for running AC? I want to get one that also doubles as a mechanical filter that I can change EASILY and regularly. I want to avoid waste buildup & nitrate production in the sponge. Running an aquaclear HOB now, and I don't like the laminar and noisy flow it produces.

Here's what I'm thinking: get an eheim canister with the following media:
sponge, Seachem MatrixCarbon, and maybe Seachem Matrix (I don't know anything about this media, so it's really just an idea for now). My phosphates are undetectible on the API test, so for now I'm going to go without a GFO reactor.

Does this make sense or am I off track?

 

[old salty]

I experimented (if you wish to call it that) with carbon in a reactor. After changing it weekly and going through an entire large bottle of it, I saw absolutely no difference between using it and not using it. The water didn't seem any clearer and the animals did not seem to respond one way or the other. I don't dispute that carbon can be useful in many instances. As was brought up previously, how much is the right amount and how does one know when it requires changing? I would also have to consider the possibility that carbon could be removing beneficial elements or compounds which could lead to a decline in health of the animals.

 

[ser_renely]

interesting discussion.

 

[scomar31]

At my job we have a 350 gallon fish only tank in the lobby that is maintained by our lfs. I noticed the tank was starting to have a yellow tint so I asked the guy and he said it needed more carbon so the next day he brought in some new AC and boy did it make a difference in the water clarity. I am definitely going to use it in my 90 gallon build I'm doing now.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Randy, what is the best canister to use for running AC?

I don't which is best, but I use a Magnum (450?) that I won at a MACNA years ago.

sponge, Seachem MatrixCarbon, and maybe Seachem Matrix

The matrix carbon is a good material.

What sort of sponge. For particulates?

 

[shrimphead]

do you think ac is the best way to remove coral toxins, do you think running ac in a larve rearing tank is a bad idea?
how are toxins removed in the wild?

 

[dixiedog]

I don't understand the debate. The use of carbon offers many advantages, but not many disadvantages that really stick out (or none at all), is readily available, inexpensive, and easy to use. Am I missing something? It seems like such an easy way to improve water quality; and if no harm comes from it, is a no brainer IMHO.

Just my two cents, worth exactly what you paid for it...

Exactically, cried Alice.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

how are toxins removed in the wild?

Dilution is the big one, protecting anything not near the source, followed by slow chemical and biological degradation.