Carbon seems like a dangerious thing to me. It gave my tang hole in the head. :( I have noticed that my corals don't do as good when I use it. It just feels dangerous when I use it. Is carbon something that u halft to be carfull with????? Or is it just something that u throw in the sump and let it do it's job
Carbon
- Thread starter Kwater
- Start date
dcantucson
Reef pro
You've got me wondering now. I have never heard these things about carbon.
KidJ57
Struggling Reef Addict
Mine actually took a little turn for the worse when I didn't replace my carbon (couldn't afford to); but now that I did it seems to be coming back around. Then again, I don't have any coral to worry about; my yellow tang actually seems a little yellower and brighter since I did replace the carbon though.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
It's pretty accepted that if you run carbon 24/7 it can lead to HLLE in sensitive fish. Which is why it's usually not advised to run it 24/7. But in smaller applications, it can help a tank. Like anything, you have to be careful about duration and dose.
AdeptMrSniffles
I have a Blue Thumb
I've never used carbon and haven't really thought about using it. What would be the benefit of using carbon in a reef tank?
Reefrookie
Not so new anymore!
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Carbon removes impurities and toxins and clarifies the water. Most people don't use it 24/7, but just for a couple days a month, or one day a week, or something like that. I don't think it's a good idea to run 24/7.
XxKnuckleheadxX
Reef enthusiast
i will run carbon maybe 1x a month, and i use my phos reactor for it, i only use 1/2 aprox and it stays for maybe 2-3 days then i discard it and put my phos ban media back in and run costant.
Ok I have come up with my final carbon conclusion. This is just for me personaly though. I am going to use carbon on no set date. Just when I feel that gut feeling that it needs to be turned on. I will use it in short periods of time considering that carbon also takes good things out of the water. So that is my comclusion. On and off use. And thank u for the artical post reefrookie
dcantucson
Reef pro
The article stated:
► Carbon should be used only a few days a month False. This myth was likely started by activated carbon’s ability to remove yellow tinting and odor from the aquarium within the first 48 hours of application (or perhaps manufacturers who want to sell you more carbon). The higher concentrations of organics are colorless and odorless and require more contact time for removal. Another complication of part-time carbon use is storage and reuse. Once the carbon is removed from the aquarium it will continue removing contaminants from the air. Placing the damp carbon in a sealed plastic bag doesn’t work either, as the damp carbon becomes exhausted servicing die off in the stagnant aquarium water stuck to the grains
I run carbon 24/7 and have found no adverse effects.
Ted
Living one day at a time
ya me to dcan. If nothing else it seems to me if you only run it when the water is yellowing then you are changing the amount of light in the tank when you take it out. Seems kinda like a light roller coaster. Kinda seems backwards to the keep everything as stable as possible rule.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
You should google carbon use and HLLE then. People that run carbon 24/7 often see ill effects in their tangs especially. The reason why I don't believe it should be used 24/7 has nothing to do with its effectiveness over time (which is what the quote from the article discusses), but from how its long-term use impacts fish health.
dcantucson
Reef pro
Biff what is HLLE? Is that hole in the head disease?
yote
In Memoriam
HLLE=Head and lateral line erosion.
dcantucson
Reef pro
Thanks yote.
I copied this from an article:
Activated Carbon:
It has been suggested that activated carbon might play a role in MHLLE (Frakes, 1988; Hemdal, 2003; Hemdal, pers. comm. and Michael, 2003), although the exact mechanism that these various authors suggest differs. Some have theorized that the activated carbon in the aquarium's filtration system could remove necessary trace elements that the fish require. Others hypothesize that activated carbon could leach something into the water that negatively affects the fish. And still others speculate that carbon dust may act as an irritant to the fish.
As additional "anecdotal support" for this theory, Scott Michael noted that a local fish store he visited that used activated carbon was experiencing MHLLE in almost every fish under its care. And I must say, I too have witnessed similar experiences at retail locations that use a lot of activated carbon and then coincidentally experience massive outbreaks of MHLLE. But this is anecdote, not proof. In these situations there was simply no evidence of what might have happed in the absence of activated carbon, all other things remaining equal. It could just as easily be a dietary concern. Or, perhaps the store was using activated carbon to make up for a lack of water changes or other poor husbandry issues. There are simply too many factors involved to point to a definitive cause.
Additionally, activated carbon is used so frequently in the ornamental fish industry and hobby that it is no surprise some fish exposed to activated carbon develop MHLLE. Also, since large numbers of fish routinely housed in systems utilizing activated carbon don't develop MHLLE, and consequently some fish develop MHLLE while not exposed to activated carbon, additional factors must be playing a role in those cases in which fish do exhibit symptoms of MHLLE.
I copied this from an article:
Activated Carbon:
It has been suggested that activated carbon might play a role in MHLLE (Frakes, 1988; Hemdal, 2003; Hemdal, pers. comm. and Michael, 2003), although the exact mechanism that these various authors suggest differs. Some have theorized that the activated carbon in the aquarium's filtration system could remove necessary trace elements that the fish require. Others hypothesize that activated carbon could leach something into the water that negatively affects the fish. And still others speculate that carbon dust may act as an irritant to the fish.
As additional "anecdotal support" for this theory, Scott Michael noted that a local fish store he visited that used activated carbon was experiencing MHLLE in almost every fish under its care. And I must say, I too have witnessed similar experiences at retail locations that use a lot of activated carbon and then coincidentally experience massive outbreaks of MHLLE. But this is anecdote, not proof. In these situations there was simply no evidence of what might have happed in the absence of activated carbon, all other things remaining equal. It could just as easily be a dietary concern. Or, perhaps the store was using activated carbon to make up for a lack of water changes or other poor husbandry issues. There are simply too many factors involved to point to a definitive cause.
Additionally, activated carbon is used so frequently in the ornamental fish industry and hobby that it is no surprise some fish exposed to activated carbon develop MHLLE. Also, since large numbers of fish routinely housed in systems utilizing activated carbon don't develop MHLLE, and consequently some fish develop MHLLE while not exposed to activated carbon, additional factors must be playing a role in those cases in which fish do exhibit symptoms of MHLLE.
project5k
Reef enthusiast
well i'm running some carbon in my canister just cause of the move and i thought it would help clear the tank but i plan to pull it out tonight when i get home, i was gonna pull it yesterday, but i got all sidetracked with my new sump and forgot... so, 48 hours or so, just after a major tank move, i think should be ok, dont you?
i'll pull the carbon tonight, and then do my waterchange so that way anything i stir up by getting the carbon out will get diluted with the WC...
i'll pull the carbon tonight, and then do my waterchange so that way anything i stir up by getting the carbon out will get diluted with the WC...
XxKnuckleheadxX
Reef enthusiast
you will be fine.
project5k
Reef enthusiast
yea i know, just as soon as i get the canister filter out of my system, much less the carbon, hehehehehe
i know, but its what i have to keep things together till i get my new sump in, then the canister is getting moved over to become my fresh tank filter...
i know, but its what i have to keep things together till i get my new sump in, then the canister is getting moved over to become my fresh tank filter...
