Effluent with Phosphate reading 2.0

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7296359#post7296359 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Randy Holmes-Farley
IME with some brands, it does not. But I have not tested Phosban specifically yet. However, if there is precipitation of CaCO3 inside the reactor, that would lower pH. Also, I presume the flow is quite slow in melev's reactor, or the pH could never drop that much. I use a Magnum to run GFO, and the flow is quite high (few gallons per minute), and in that case, I cannot believe there is a detectable pH drop.
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Curious, have you measured the pH coming out of your GFO?
 
No, but I can tonight. I have measured the pH of tank water in which GFO is added for testing purposes. Even at very high doses it did not drop pH a lot.
 
Randy, the flow coming out of both Phosban Reactors are very slow, almost a trickle. The media is RowaPHOS-like stuff I got in a group buy, but not the official RowaPHOS. I tested both outputs when I posted those numbers the other day, and they matched surprisingly.
 
Good post too. I haven't been real enthused about the Rowa carbon I have been using and that article describes why! Anyway, I am a bit surprised to read several times in the last few days that carbon is only good for a few days. I have been using carbon for years and in particular in my under-stand power filter on my FW Planted tank.

I am building a multi-media reactor for the reef with carbon in mind for the first chamber but maybe I should think about other medias? I have a large bag of carbon in one of my filter socks right now and I have been rinsing it thoroughly every week and a lot of crap comes out. I change it out about every 4 weeks. I guess maybe I should be throwing it away every week but man that gets expensive! It seems to me that if I rinse it well it should still have some cleaning capacity but I am no scientist.
 
Randy would know better, but you could just run carbon for a few days, every few weeks perhaps. Or change it every 14 days instead of every 30.
 
Some carbon manufacturers, in order to combat this info., claim that their carbon becomes a biological filter after a few days. I can attest to that, or at least to its ability to trap particulate matter! :D
 
I am a bit surprised to read several times in the last few days that carbon is only good for a few days.

How rapidly carbon becomes depleted depends entirely on the level of organics in the water, and I would not assume it only lasts a few days. IMO, changing it after 3-4 weeks is a fine plan. :)
 
OK now you guys are just messin' with me! :D Actually I do have some experience that tells me carbon loses its effectiveness fairly quickly but I cannot imagine that is not directly related to the level of polution in the tank. Anytime I swap out carbon there is an immediate benefit to water quality so I can somewhat agree with the limited lifespan theory.

I just hate to use it up so fast! I find that if i pull the carbom weekly and give it a good rinse, it does help some. For my tank, based on the calculations within the article noted by Marc, my tank needs just slightly over 4 cups per dose.

That's a lot of carbon to go through.

Question: Have you found a way to buy the Calgon activated carbon (or has anyone)? The Two Little Fishes Hydrocarbon is easy to get as well as the Marineland activated carbon, but I cannot find the Calgon product for sale to the public. I sent a note to them so maybe I will hear back from the this week.
 
Here's what I did: I bought 45lbs of Kent Carbon (big box with a sealed bag inside) for $151 shipped (Premium Aquatics). That was the best deal I could find.

I've been told that the carbon sold at Walmart (private label) is actually Black Diamond Carbon, without the higher price tag. I haven't checked to see what it costs yet.

4 cups isn't much. I think the flow going through the carbon is more important than the quantity anyway.
 
Marc, what is the volume measurement of the 45 lbs.? That's one of the issues in buying carbon is that these manufacturers have taken a lesson from computers and use screwy incompatible measurements so it's tough to compare.

drfostersmith has the Marineland activated carbon on sale for $14 for 3.65 ltr. which is not a bad deal at about half the price of the Two Little Fishes hydrocarbon.
 
I don't know. I basically divided the box into four equal portions (four 1 gallon Ziplock bags full per buyer) as it was a group buy. Each person ended up with 11lbs roughly. I think the measurement was accurate.
 
So that roughly makes the Marineland $5/lb...give or take and much more than your Kent buy. Thanks for the help!
 
Greg, that article has been there for a few years. I'd love to have it on my website just to avoid it being lost one day, but I'd need permission from the author.
 
I am on the phone right now with a Calgon technical adviser and he says that Calgon has NEVER had a Lignite based product, so I am now suspicious of that article!

I did get a quote from him for $4.39/lb for BPL 4 x 10 (55 lb. bag), but that is still a bit higher than what Marc paid...plus shipping!

The search goes on.
 
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