Kent Carbon RECALL!

[Myka]

Check the link at the bottom for affected batch numbers.

There is a quality concern with KENT Marine Reef Carbon manufactured between December 5th of 2011 and February 8th of 2012. The concern is that the batch of carbon contained unusually high levels of heavy metals which have an adverse effect on stony corals and clams in marine settings. When used in freshwater applications this concern would most likely be unnoticable.

Central Aquatics Recall Letter



[I know that thread called "does carbon bleach your corals" is stickied, but the Kent recall is easily overlooked because of the name of the thread. Could a mod please sticky this thread for a couple months?]

[paddyob]

I think it was posted a while back.

[Myka]

Yeah man, read the bottom part of my message. "Nano" just used some Kent Carbon on his reef tank and is seeing the effects as we type. Obviously the recall alert is being overlooked because it is hidden in a thread with an unclear title and many pages of jibba jabba before the problem was identified. This thread is to make the recall alert more obvious.

[Nano]

yup dont use it! My montis looked slightly bleached too, hopefully there is enough tissue alive to bring them back!:twis ed:

[Mandosh]

Originally Posted by Nano

yup dont use it! My montis looked slightly bleached too, hopefully there is enough tissue alive to bring them back!:twis ed:

I think in your case the carbon was a false-alarm and there might be other issues you should be looking for.

[Nano]

could be, but its sure weird that my parameters aside from my alk(which is usually high) are ok, that the only change I made was adding the carbon then today everything is looking like crap

[daniella3d]

no, I think the carbon did cause it. Not all contaminated carbon is in that recall list, as I posted this warning and many threads, so just don't assume that because a certain batch is not in the recall that it is not contaminated.

I lost for around 700$ in corals and my carbon is not in their list of recall! Yet I have the professional laboratory analysis that prove that the carbon is contaminated with copper and nickel as well as a higher than normal content in arsenic.

So water change 30% each day or every second day (age the water for 24 to 48 hours) and use polyfilter to remove the contaminant. It does not take a lot of copper to kill everything.

Originally Posted by Mandosh

I think in your case the carbon was a false-alarm and there might be other issues you should be looking for.

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by Myka

Could a mod please sticky this thread for a couple months?]

For you? Sure, anything

[daniella3d]

A very experienced person told me that with any new batch of carbon, it should be immerged in boiling water then left overnight in a small container, then in the morning the water should be tested for copper.

If only I had knew about this possibility I would have done this. Then only if the copper test is negative one can use it in the aquarium.

I am going to do this from now on when ever I wish to use carbon. I am only going to use Seachem Matrix carbon from now on and I will test it.

[Myka]

LOL @ Brad.

I boil the carbon in RODI, drain it off, cover with fresh RODI and let it stand overnight. This is to leech any phosphate though. I don't test it for copper (I don't even own a copper kit). I guess a person could, but I've never heard of anyone doing that.