Replace carbon?
- Thread starter i2go
- Start date
supernareg
New member
carbon 
Hunter_Cal
New member
ive never replaced mine, 
...mabe its about time 6 months later, lol...but everything seems to be fine, lol
...mabe its about time 6 months later, lol...but everything seems to be fine, lol
ReefLife1680
New member
here's a related question: must you rinse the NEW carbon under tap water or can you rinse it under RO water prior to putting in use?
ReefLife1680
New member
So by rinsing under tap water, it doesn't 'exhast' the carbon more quickly?
I change my carbon once a month only ... and i'm running it in a phosban reactor (VERY efficient use of the carbon I might add)
USMCARTY42
In Memoriam
I use my fluval 404 to run media when/where needed. Usually carbon that I change about once a month.
ReefLife1680
New member
i run carbon in the Phosban reactor 24/7 and only change 1 a month
kusanagiz
New member
once a month. but my carbon is relaly utilized well as I'm just putting it near my filter sock and the water isn't really going through it.
I just bought a phosban reactor and need to get a pump along w/ tubing to fit 1/2" valve. Once I get that I'll try running my carbon through that and hpoefully get more effective filtering.
I only have a maxijet1200 which is too powerful according t othe directions so I'm thinking of getting really long tubing so that by the tim ethe water pushes to the end the gph decreases.
ReefLife1680
New member
kusanagiz ... I also use a Phosban reactor hooked up to a Rio 600 - no restiction on flow ... SO MUCH MORE EFFECIENT use of the carbon!
USMCARTY42
In Memoriam
...or you could trade it here for something more acceptable.
ReefLife1680
New member
I got another Rio 600 in VERY good condition ... 
NicoleC
New member
I change carbon every two weeks. I rinse in tap, but all my faucets have undersink KDF filtration, so I guess it's not "tap."
Carbon does not discharge anything in the water until it has exhausted it's capacity to absorb, which is dependant on the pollution it is filtering, and the grade and type of carbon being used.
Water filtration systems with carbon are replaced according to the quality of water it is filtering and the amount of water processed through the filter, not by some arbitrary time period. Time periods are offered as a reference based on average use, so your typical layperson has an idea how often to replace it. LA water is NOT average use!
The way the carbon is packed and particle size also affects longevity. Filtering tap water for drinking is "light duty" for carbon, since it has already been filtered, and carbon used for this can often last for months, especially well-packed, high quality filters.
Filtering waste from a fish tank is heavy duty! How often YOU need to change your carbon will depend on the tank: it's inhabitats, care regime, biofiltration, filter feeder population, etc. Every week or two is a nice, safe timeframe. A month would be on the far end of the usable range. IMO, it would be preferable to remove the carbon after a month, even if you didn't replace it with fresh carbon right away.
I second (third? fifth?) the idea that running carbon in a phosban reactor is an excellent way to get good use of the carbon. All of the carbon gets good surface contact and there are no channels that develop, like water channelled out the Grand Canyon. Water does the same to packed carbon and eventually you get very little carbon surface area actually touching the water bring filtered. Using a reactor completely eliminates this problem, so you aren't throwing away half your carbon that is barely spent along with the other half which is completely spent.
Carbon does not discharge anything in the water until it has exhausted it's capacity to absorb, which is dependant on the pollution it is filtering, and the grade and type of carbon being used.
Water filtration systems with carbon are replaced according to the quality of water it is filtering and the amount of water processed through the filter, not by some arbitrary time period. Time periods are offered as a reference based on average use, so your typical layperson has an idea how often to replace it. LA water is NOT average use!
The way the carbon is packed and particle size also affects longevity. Filtering tap water for drinking is "light duty" for carbon, since it has already been filtered, and carbon used for this can often last for months, especially well-packed, high quality filters.
Filtering waste from a fish tank is heavy duty! How often YOU need to change your carbon will depend on the tank: it's inhabitats, care regime, biofiltration, filter feeder population, etc. Every week or two is a nice, safe timeframe. A month would be on the far end of the usable range. IMO, it would be preferable to remove the carbon after a month, even if you didn't replace it with fresh carbon right away.
I second (third? fifth?) the idea that running carbon in a phosban reactor is an excellent way to get good use of the carbon. All of the carbon gets good surface contact and there are no channels that develop, like water channelled out the Grand Canyon. Water does the same to packed carbon and eventually you get very little carbon surface area actually touching the water bring filtered. Using a reactor completely eliminates this problem, so you aren't throwing away half your carbon that is barely spent along with the other half which is completely spent.
