Carbon

thanks guys - I have a 70 gallon - with a low bioload - 4 small fish, Live rock, snails, hermits and now 2 x GSP colonies - with 1x shroom colony and 1 x softie finger being added later today

I was using 1 coffee mug of carbon and throwing it away every 4 days -
Ill run it longer this time and try and get a feel for when it needs changing

 

I havent run it until recently but I am still cautious because I am told only use it for days. So my question to tangster too but is it safe to run full time? I noticed that my water was crystal clear when I ran it and when I took it our it was not as clear. Is it safe to run 24/7

 

It's safe.

 

I run mine 24/7 its perfectly safe..!!!

Good Luck..!!

 

I have always ran it 24/7 all my life F/w saltwater either or . Thats been since 1956 or so when I had my first guppy set up ..

You said your water looked better so why would you fell it could be not safe.

Carbon it totally safe safe even to the point it is often fed to Humans and many animals when its thought that they where exposed to or had ingested poisons . I caught my horse many many yrs ago drinking from a bucket of antifreeze that had just been drained from the tractor . Pop grabbed the wormer gun filled it with carbon charcoal and shot about 5 lbs down its throat, Thats when I saw what carbon will do . Save his dumb butt LOL We always had a big bag like a 100 lb around the place somewhere .. it was fed to animals sometimes for something ??

If water looks better then it is better I also over the yrs have read all the Bull about carbons use . I run in my systems at two point if the filtration. My water is always crystal clear and if many did the yellow water test on their tanks they would see they also needed to use it. Especially those with refugiums .

 

I run it 24/7 just like the rest of them.

 

I only removed it becaue I was told by a guy at the lfs that you can only run it for short periods of time????? I understand you need to replace it but he told me that it makes the water badand cannot be run 24/7 He told me only run chemipure and carbon once in a while only for a few days.

 

That is probably because he has the highest markup on that item in the store. You have to watch LFS people, they will sell you a tire and then tell you air is an option you have to buy.

 

chemi pure is just e carbon in a bag with some ionizing polymer's like purigen . The black stuff is just clean coconut shell carbon . I'd find another shop reason being is the guy is full it to tell you that crap.. or a idiot one or the other I'd not deal with him . How much carbon do you buy from him ? I assume he does sell you carbon and not activated charcoal ? get you some perigen and run that when it turns to brown soak it in a glass of 50/50 of bleacj and water until its cream colored agian rinse it well and some good carbon and you have better product then Boyd's chemi-pure and the perigen last yrs .. Oh and what Otty said and I would be interested in on what he bases the idea that carbon will make the water bad ? Maybe it will hurt his bottom line LOL But if he thinks that is gosple truth then he is way off base..I'd find another LFS

 

what is a good carbon to buy? I just realized that the activated carbon I bought is actually activated charcoal,(the front of the carton says filter carbon but in fine print it says its activated charcoal) what is the difference?