Running Carbon - How much is too much?

[TAZ]

Hi all,

I was just wondering how often (if at all) do people run carbon in their systems. There are some people who say they run it for a couple days, every couple weeks. There are others that run carbon all the time in their system. Right now I run Carbon all the time, and about once a month I replace it with new stuff. By doing this am I harming my system in the long run? Should I be adding anything to my system to help supplement anything the carbon might pull out?

[Canadian Man]

I wouldnt put too much thought into this topic in my opinion. Like you said there are so many varying answers that I don't think any way is correct.

My answer to your question is;
I use carbon all the time. I don't like to use it only for a few days then take it out because if it's in there all the time and you change it monthly usually your water will stay clear. When I tried to run it only a few days every month I found that my water would go crystal clear and then slowly go greenish then back to clear when the carbon was replaced.

I use seachem carbon(little sphere's :lol!: ) and I use about 1.5 cups in my 90g tank with a 75g sump.

cheers

[EmilyB]

Exactly. :biggrin:

In my case, I've never run carbon on a regular basis in four years, unless I've ripped apart leather corals in the tank, for example, or got things sliming in a tank changeover. I've never had green water. However, I do run Euroreef skimmers, we are extremely careful about using chemicals around the house, and we do water changes religiously.

I agree Seachem is a great carbon. :smile:

[sumpfinfishe]

I run a bag'o Chemi Pure in my sump. I have used this material for five years with no ill effects that I can see. I change the bag every six months.

cheers, Rich

[Beverly]

Never run carbon unless something toxic has died and the tank's inhabitants seem stressed. Then I use it for a couple of days, then toss it. Also do a 25% or larger water change in this instance.

Do weekly 10-15% water changes and clean prefilter foams in outgoing changewater. Never have problems with cloudy water unless I turkey baste the tank, which I do weekly the day before water changing and foam cleaning in each of our 2.5g, 7g, or 42g. Tanks are not skimmed and have no sumps or refugiums either.

[robbyville]

Hi Taz,

As many (Including yourself) have said, there are many answers to this one!

I use carbon only for short periods of time. The reason I do this is because some say that if you leave it in full time that it will not only clean the water but will continuously remove even desirable trace elements that your corals will need.

I try to use very few supplements in my tank so running carbon for a couple of days every two weeks or so does a great job for me!

Best,

Rob

[Troy F]

Beverly, what type of nutrient removal do you use? I'm curious as to the long term plausibility of a system with no skimmer or other removal system applied. What do you do to make up for it might be a better question?

[smokinreefer]

is it my old school info that is stuck in my head, or am i just delusional??

is it not true that carbon will begin to leach the very same substances it is absorbing if left in a system for too long?

for some reason i have that notion in my head. :confused:

oh yeah, i run carbon ocassional...for a couple weeks at a time.
especially after choppin up softies, or when the water gets a bit discolored.

[Beverly]

Beverly, what type of nutrient removal do you use? I'm curious as to the long term plausibility of a system with no skimmer or other removal system applied. What do you do to make up for it might be a better question?

In our nanos, I use AquaClear Minis with foam in the media chambers. In the 42 gal hex, I use a prefilter filled with foam with the 802 powerhead. As described in an earlier post, I gently turkey baste the rock and sandbed so detritus is lifted into the water column. The water can get really cloudy, so when the tank has cleared, I thoroughly clean the crud from the foams in outgoing changewater. I do this proceedure the day before, or even the morning before, weekly water changes. Depending on the situation in a particular tank, I might do the turkey basting thing between water changes and clean foams in RO.

The foams trap loads of crap from the water column. Even when I skimmed previous tanks, I still turkey basted them and cleaned foam in the prefilters for detritus export. I wouldn't go a week without basting a tank, ever. Too much detritus accumulates without it, which I believe eventually build up, and is the basis for all kinds of algae problems, especially cyano.

Just my personal experiences with our various reefs over the past 5 years or so.

[Beverly]

I use carbon only for short periods of time. The reason I do this is because some say that if you leave it in full time that it will not only clean the water but will continuously remove even desirable trace elements that your corals will need.

I'm a believer in this school of thought, too. Have read it so many times in different places, even for freshwater tanks, that I don't use carbon regularly either.

I did an experiment a few years back using several easily available carbons for phosphate leaching. Have the results on one of my old websites that hasn't been added to my main current site. Anyway, all leached some phosphate into the test tanks. Phosphate is a likely cause of cyano growth, ime.

I try to use very few supplements in my tank so running carbon for a couple of days every two weeks or so does a great job for me.

When we set up our first reef several years ago, we bought all the additives. They just collected dust in the cabinet under the tank. I simply rely on weekly 10-15% water changes to replenish trace elements that corals and coralline use up.

[Beverly]

is it not true that carbon will begin to leach the very same substances it is absorbing if left in a system for too long?

I've read the same thing in several places, too. Another reason I don't use it in any of our reefs.

oh yeah, i run carbon ocassional...for a couple weeks at a time. especially after choppin up softies, or when the water gets a bit discolored.

Why do you think your water get discoloured? Mine hardly ever gets discoloured, though when it does, I turkey baste the tank, let the water clear overnight, then clean the foam in the prefiltered 802.

The only time water discoloured in any of our current tanks, was in the 42 when a coral had had an accident (coral from above fell on it) and it began to die. Removed the dying coral from the tank, but the water clouded for the next couple of days, even though water parameters showed no ammonia, nitrite or nitrate. Turkey basted the tank 2-3 times, always cleaning the foam in the prefilters, and the tank cleared nicely.

[StirCrazy]

There is a comment misconception of Carbon and that it will leach all the stuff it took out back into the tank.

This came from the fact that low-grade carbons will release a tiny bit of what they have collected if you leave them in for an exceptionally long period of time.

In my freshwater tanks I have been using carbon for over 20 years now and I run it the same way as my salt water tank... 24/7 and change it once a month (sometimes every couple months if I forget it is in there :rolleyes: )

If you have ever read about the renewing process for activated carbon you will see that yes you can get all the nastiness back out and use the carbon again, but doing this requires temperatures that I would hazard to guess most people can't simulate at home. Because of the requirements needed or remove the impurities from carbon it only makes since that it will not be able leach back into the tank.

Well never say never, so lest say that maybe it could leach back 10% of its uptake after 1 month, for the sake of argument. So if you change every month you are still removing 90% of the nastiness.

Now Personally I think 10% is high and I feel the actually number would be more like 0.5 - 1% but I used 10% for the example to show even if it is that high it is really not a problem.

so if you want to be safe use good carbons, this dose not mean expensive either, there are good carbons for cheep at other "non-fish" stores that are about 1/5th of the price.

Steve

[Troy F]

I don't know if the question is whether or not it will leach phosphates or nitrates back out but that it will continue to take trace elements out after it's plugged with the organics we are trying to remove. This is probably a moot point if you do lots of water changes but I'd still consider it.

[smokinreefer]

Why do you think your water get discoloured?

well a few things...
i have a fair bioload and can tend to feed quite heavily at times...
my skimmer works, but is not top notch...
when DOM build up in my tank, it is seen more easily, cuz i use 400W MH 6500k iwaski bulbs which will tend to show the yellow in the water a lot better than other lights! :rolleyes: :lol:

i also think that sometimes the discoloration is just the way my eyes percieve the color, due to the combination of algae on glass, color rendition of the tank lights, color of the ambient room lights, and color of ambient natural light. i beleive this b/c sometimes, even if the tank glass looks clean, if you still scrape it, it makes the tank look so much nicer. also as i look at the tank throughout the day, sometimes it looks a bit yellow and sometimes it looks a crisp white.

but, i have decided to up my water changes as part of my regular tank maintainence

[Bartman]

I don't remember where I read it but I'm pretty sure that Carbon loses most of its effectiveness in a very short period of time (like several hours) :eek: . It will continue to remove undesirables after that but at a significantly reduced rate. The suggestion is that Carbon should be run periodically, as needed.

[Jack]

if you want to be safe use good carbons, this dose not mean expensive either, there are good carbons for cheep at other "non-fish" stores that are about 1/5th of the price.

Steve, can you point us in a direction of where you can get cheap carbon? How do you know if a certain carbon is "good"? Just curious.



as i look at the tank throughout the day, sometimes it looks a bit yellow and sometimes it looks a crisp white.

Shao, I totally know what you are talking about. I use the Iwasakis too and sometimes the tank seems a bit yellow but then I look at it awhile later and it's really light blue and whiteish. Darn bulbs playing with my eyes!! :lol: I use VHO too but it seems to "change" on me, I think its just me :rolleyes: But I'm glad you mentioned that so I feel a little less crazy :redface:

[StirCrazy]

I don't remember where I read it but I'm pretty sure that Carbon loses most of its effectiveness in a very short period of time (like several hours) :eek: . It will continue to remove undesirables after that but at a significantly reduced rate. The suggestion is that Carbon should be run periodically, as needed.

yup, you are right, usaly 3 days to 1 week would be the amount of time in which the carbon will use up about 70% of its effectivness.. then the rate slows down.. it still removes stuff just much slower.

Jack, look at the container at walmart.. then go to a fhish store and look for the container that is the same shap, same color, but different name..

Same stuff just repackaged for wally world.. at a 1/4 to 1/5th the price

Steve

[Jack]

Thanks Steve, I was wondering about that Walmart carbon. Seems cheap, good tip.