Can I add too much carbon?

[dmbnpj]

I need to treat my tank for red bugs. I have read to add as much carbon as possible. Is there too much? I can get about 25 lbs. on ebay. Would that be too much?

 

[Gargausius]

First of all, these "red bugs" will not go away with carbon. I'm guessing they're little reddish brown flatworms. The Neon Nudibranch eat those things like no tomorrow. Or buy a reef safe wrasse.

Second, you don't need 25lbs of carbon. At best, 2-3 lbs is good enough for a 75 gallon tank. Although, most people don't like using carbon in a saltwater tank anyways. I don't remember the reason why.

 

[Ti]

Never

 

[Konadog]

Typically, you can use 1 cup per 100 gallons of water for normal use, and change it out once a month. If you are trying to remove a chemical that was added to the water (like interceptor to treat red bugs) then I would still use the one cup per 100 gallons, but change it a few times soon after treatment.
If you get 25# of carbon, be sure to store it correctly in an air tight container as carbon will absorb impurities from the air, and possibly add them to your tank later.