webslinger
Friendly Neighborhood
Has anyone experienced when running carbon in reactor, it starts to kill torches?
Torches and carbon
- Thread starter webslinger
- Start date
Reef Frog
New member
It seems that posts regarding ailing torches are a very common topic on this & other forums.
What's up with that? Many of its cousins like frogspawn & branching hammers seem reasonably hardy for thnacerage reefer.
I lost one in my first year of feeding & never tried again.
What's up with that? Many of its cousins like frogspawn & branching hammers seem reasonably hardy for thnacerage reefer.
I lost one in my first year of feeding & never tried again.
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webslinger
Friendly Neighborhood
my frogspawn and hammers are fine. After I stopped the carbon my touch is looking better and starting to heal. looks like i lost half of a head.
jml1149
New member
Are you using LED's? I have found its VERY easy to overdo it with LED's, and the Euphyillia like significantly less light than I find to be pleasing based on observing tanks lit with T5 or MH.
So I turned down the LED's, and the tank looks "dull". But the corals are thriving, so I've gotten used to what to expect.
So I turned down the LED's, and the tank looks "dull". But the corals are thriving, so I've gotten used to what to expect.
webslinger
Friendly Neighborhood
Yes, I'm using LED's. This torch was thriving prior the carbon. Pieces of the torch started to fall off in clumps. Very strange.
golferbud101691
New member
are you running the carbon reactor 24/7? remember any big changes can cause stress for any coral or fish for that matter.
webslinger
Friendly Neighborhood
Yes, It only effected my one torch. my other torches, LPS anenome and fish had no adverse reaction. I've usually run carbon a few times a year for a month or so but never had any issues.
that Fish Guy
Frag Swap Crusader!
Carbon can Kill any Coral.
Carbon takes out impurities but it also takes out good nitrients that Corals Feed of off.
I never use Carbon.
When I did I also had absolutly no growth in my Coral!
Stopped using Carbon and Growth Took off.
Carbon takes out impurities but it also takes out good nitrients that Corals Feed of off.
I never use Carbon.
When I did I also had absolutly no growth in my Coral!
Stopped using Carbon and Growth Took off.
webslinger
Friendly Neighborhood
how about something like chemi-pure blue? What do you use to eliminate odor?
golferbud101691
New member
I agree with fish guy. Carbon can hurt more than it helps a lot of the time. I would suggest putting the reactor on a timer or apex and running it for 1 hour per day for a while, then slowly bump up the time running over a period of time(hour every few months) and see what happens. If water clarity is your goal, carbon will be exhausted in a few days anyway running 24/7.
Potatohead
New member
Most people use carbon for odor and water clarity. I would think the vast majority use carbon over those that don't. IMO it's better to possibly have a few less nutrients and feed slightly more and let your skimmer do the work.
jml1149
New member
Don't do this. The oxygen in the reactor will quickly be depleted and create an anaerobic environment. Only bad things can happen.
golferbud101691
New member
in 23hrs??..doubt it. If thats the case, then melev, mr salt water tank, bulk reef supply, and marine depot are all wrong. All of them have suggested turning both carbon and gfo on/off as needed.
jml1149
New member
Lets be clear, running the carbon for a couple of days a month and then taking it offline for the rest, using new carbon then running a couple more days a month is very different than running it 1 hour a day as you're describing. But if you can find a link I will send you a dollar.
organism
code monkey
If your tank has "odor" then there is something very wrong. Odor comes from stuff breaking down that your biological filter isn't strong enough to handle, like during a cycle.
Some of the worst reef advice I've ever heard. Absolutely in 23 hours you would have some amount of hydrogen sulfide which is extremely toxic that would then be released into the tank when the pumps start. Sources please.
organism
code monkey
Dosing too much carbon at once can stress some corals, whether it's from the water getting too clear too fast or stripping too many nutrients from the water. Next time I'd use less, much better to err on the side of caution with carbon imo. Personally I only use it in emergencies when something looks very off in the tank.
Reef Frog
New member
If plenty of particulate matter is allowed to settle into a GFO or GAC reactor & allowed to decompose in stagnant water for enough time, you could run the risk of contamination & fish death.
STORY:
Early in my reef keeping journey I did exactly this with a bio pellet reactor. It had been off for quite a while. I got lazy & delayed removing it from my tank. Well, one fine day I was doing maintenance & was in a rush. I plugged in the wrong pump plug & it dumped hydrogen sulfide laden water into my 65g. It smelled God-awful & I instantly realized what I had done. I pulled the plug within seconds to stop the pump but it was too late. All fish killed but the corals & inverts were all fine. So yes hydrogen sulfide does kill. But the enormous bacteria load in a stagnant Bio pellet reactor would rarely be the same as in a GFO/GAC reactor, unless somebody is running an ultra skanky aquarium. A horse of a different color.
With that said I can turn off my GFO reactor for a day or two if I think the corals are pale-ing or I am feeding small planktonic sized foods and never had a problem. It's behind a filter pad and never collects debris, therefore sulfer producing bacteria can not proliferate in a quantity that would be dangerous IME. BUT I remember my early disaster & collect output water during a restart in a 16 ounce icup and give it a good sniff and it always smells good & sweet like it should. No problem. BUT I AM NOT RECOMMENDING IT FOR ANYONE ELSE's TANK AS ITS UNDOUBTABLY DIFFERENT THAN MINE. YRMV. Proceed at your own risk.
There is always a risk I suppose. I would NEVER EVER keep it off for a long time & restart it without replacing or maybe rinsing the media. So IMO you both are kind of correct...it depends on the circumstances I suppose.
STORY:
Early in my reef keeping journey I did exactly this with a bio pellet reactor. It had been off for quite a while. I got lazy & delayed removing it from my tank. Well, one fine day I was doing maintenance & was in a rush. I plugged in the wrong pump plug & it dumped hydrogen sulfide laden water into my 65g. It smelled God-awful & I instantly realized what I had done. I pulled the plug within seconds to stop the pump but it was too late. All fish killed but the corals & inverts were all fine. So yes hydrogen sulfide does kill. But the enormous bacteria load in a stagnant Bio pellet reactor would rarely be the same as in a GFO/GAC reactor, unless somebody is running an ultra skanky aquarium. A horse of a different color.
With that said I can turn off my GFO reactor for a day or two if I think the corals are pale-ing or I am feeding small planktonic sized foods and never had a problem. It's behind a filter pad and never collects debris, therefore sulfer producing bacteria can not proliferate in a quantity that would be dangerous IME. BUT I remember my early disaster & collect output water during a restart in a 16 ounce icup and give it a good sniff and it always smells good & sweet like it should. No problem. BUT I AM NOT RECOMMENDING IT FOR ANYONE ELSE's TANK AS ITS UNDOUBTABLY DIFFERENT THAN MINE. YRMV. Proceed at your own risk.
There is always a risk I suppose. I would NEVER EVER keep it off for a long time & restart it without replacing or maybe rinsing the media. So IMO you both are kind of correct...it depends on the circumstances I suppose.
Reef Frog
New member
IDEA:
If someone likes the idea of shutting down a reactor occasionally you could put it on a timer or controller that runs a little bit of water through it for 5 minutes say 4 X per day. Surely nothing toxic will happen in 6 hours unless perhaps one is in possession of he world's skankiest fish tank !
If someone likes the idea of shutting down a reactor occasionally you could put it on a timer or controller that runs a little bit of water through it for 5 minutes say 4 X per day. Surely nothing toxic will happen in 6 hours unless perhaps one is in possession of he world's skankiest fish tank !
