Let's talk carbon

Here's my OPINION. Even though I have few posts here, I am not fragile. If you disagree with me, do so but please give your reasoning if you do. You might have a point I never thought about.

I don't have a power filter. I have a sump/refugium. Since I keep a number of types of macro's in my sump, there tends to be a yellowing effect (particularly if I get lazy one weekend and don't do a waterchange).

I use high quality carbon at all times. I use media bags as a prefilter for water that enters my sump/refugium. I used to put the carbon in there and force all of the water through the carbon. However, when I found the links I provided, I tried an experiment. I put a different media bag with carbon in the partition immediately before the return pump (i.e. passive).

Anecdotally, I believe this has improved my tank. I can only tell you that I think things "looked" better----no scientific tests (although I'm prone to doing them at times).

(I don't even throw away the carbon. I drop it into a small sealed rubbermaid container with tank water).

Don't throw away the media for your canister. Some day you just might need to really scrub your water of contaminates really fast. Or maybe, I'm wrong.

 

Inwall who is disagreeing with you? I am just tring to find what would work best for my reef! I will use any and every bodys expereances, form my own opinion on the info I recieve and go from there. What may work on your reef may not work on mine and so on.
After reading through this post again it seems that putting the carbon in the bio-wheel is the best way to go.If you want to easily be able to remove the carbon from your system. I don't think I would save the carbon though? You should use so little from the article inwall provided thank you again it states that 3 table spoons should be great for 50 gals. I was using a whole 16 oz. jar a month in my canister filter!!!!!!
I just didn't know oh well learn some thing new every day!
So if anybody reads this---- post where you use, how much,and how often you change your carbon I'm interested in this and what the different methods every body uses are
Thank you guys Dave ;D

 

[quote author=Craig_Manoukian link=board=General;num=1066930548;start=0#4 date=10/26/03 at 21:17:24]Aqua Clear replacement carbon bags range from small for the 150 model to large for the 500 model ans I'm sure you can find one that will work.[/quote]

I use these bags and take them out rinse, let dry, and then reuse. Much less hassle as no clean-up of free form granular stuff, yuck! They can lay right in the tray of the biowheel, do their jodb for a day or wo and then repeat the process. A 150 size bag will be fine for your situation I believe. JMHO

 

[quote author=david link=board=General;num=1066930548;start=0#11 date=10/30/03 at 06:32:21]Inwall who is disagreeing with you? [/quote]

LOL
Yeah, I may be going overboard a little. I've just been in several discussions recently where opinions were very strong. As a result, I've tried to let people know upfront whether I knew something was Fact or if it was my opinion.

 

  I hate cleaning up that granular stuff too Craig. Have you always used carbon this way?  If not did you notice a differance in your tank when you switched to this method?
Sorry for so many questions but I think I'm going to do this. Does it smell when you dry it back out? What do you use for the filters in front of the media trays as these also have carbon inside them already?

;D
Inwall don't sweat it this is the only forum I know and it's a pretty laid back place [smiley=smoking.gif]

 

David,

I've used this stuff in my tank since start up.

There is sponge filter medium that sits just below the Carbon Bag. The water flows through the sponge filter, then the Carbon and then back to the tank.

No smell to them that I notice. As I said before, I rinse them and let them dry and then reuse on an as needed basis.

Since your water will already pass through your filter medium in your biowhell the carbon bag will lay in your return water tray. Should be a piece of cake!