carbon what brand

[m&m]

I run black diamond carbon continuosly and change it out once a month.

what brand and how do you use it?

[Twins Guy]

a lil more than a cup of black diamond on my 30 (plus about 10 in sump so 40) changed monthly also
tg

[geshields]

I use Kent carbon 24/7 in a media bag. Changed monthly. Soon to be switching to ESV brand..

[tricksterpup]

Black diamond is my carbon of choice on all my tanks, fw and sw.




jim

[otolith]

Out of curiosity, why do you guys run carbon 24/7?

[Twins Guy]

greg-
did you see this report on carbon?
http://www.animalnetwork.com/fish2/a.../1/default.asp
skip the bulk of it and go right down to the figure (and note that the y axis is inverted scale)

i think one study also looked for differences in phosphate leaching and for whatever reason i came to the conclusion that Black Diamond was a great value.
tg

[geshields]

Derek,

I always have used carbon 24/7 and have had great success with it. I also use phosphate remover 24/7. I used to use SeaChem PhosGuard but have switched to phosBan lately.

Rich,

Thanks for the link.. Maybe because I am using a less than stellar performing carbon is the reason I have had good luck with running it 24/7..

I should also state that I have been using both in mesh bag sitting on top of a filter sponge so they are not getting 100% flow through. I am in the process of building filter cartridges for my 180 which will have 100% flowthrough...

I will do a search for the phosphate study also...

Greg

[geshields]

Phosphate link...

[Twins Guy]

here's an old article-
maybe i've been worrying all this time for no reason. sounds like the common manufacturing practice of acid washing has helped a ton. some folks also recommend soaking carbon in RO/DI with a small amount of salt added (which MAY help coax ionically bound phosphate from carbon-RHF-who suggested that 10%NSW or even table salt should do the trick) before adding it to the tank.

http://www.animalnetwork.com/fish2/a...ct/default.asp

derek- i run it cuz i've definitely noticed yellowing of my water-and as greg can attest-my lighting makes the tank look plenty yellow. running intermittently might promote bleaching events when all of a sudden more light is transmitted. i've also noted increases in my ORP which reflect my carbon use. especially in smaller tanks ORP can be continually depressed-the ramifications of that though??? finally i'm not down with softy/SPS chemical warfare and having both in the tank-i figure the carbon may help nip that in the bud!
tg

[JnS]

do you guys know that carbon only works for about 2weeks max time, then it is junk?

[Twins Guy]

there are studies that have looked at the adsorbtive capacity of carbons but i've never heard that 2 weeks as a hard cut-off. i think it has more to do with the carbon used, how much is used, how it is employed (passive vs forced) and the DOC load in the tank.
tg

[JnS]

good point TG

[trodder]

I have actually heard that carbon is no longer effective after only a few days... However I have never seen any documentation supporting that. As far as the phosban... It should only be left in your tank a maximum of a few days before replacing it. After a few days you risk the re-introduction of the phosphates it took out because the media (phosban) will start to release the phosphates back into the system... ( that info is according to the instructions on the bottle)

[marm64]

I also rember reading something about the time that active carbon is effective. I do remember that it can absorb more if it is the direct flow as opposed to just laying on the bottom of the sump. The duration that it is effective at absorbing contaniments is not as long as most people think. I do not believe that it is effective after 1 week and I think that is best for the first couple of days and diminishes quickly.

[dirk griffin]

This debate has been going on for many years. Typically there really is no right/wrong answer. If you like it, use it, just don't leave it in the system for more than 5-6 weeks because it will re-release what it absorbed and will become a biological filter. According to some of the experts I've heard at the conventions it does typically work best the first 5-10 days and slides in quality fairly fast. Supposidly this is where the higher priced carbons can help because .......it lasts longer.
The other question is quality/price and of course there is where a bigger arguement lies. I just got a bunch of ESV carbon in. It is some of the "best" and also expensive. Many people in sales/maintanance say its the only stuff to use......whether it is worth the extra expense or not .......I don't know.
I like using carbon 24/7 and changing it out every 4-6 weeks. we'll see how the ESV works and if it is any better and consider the extra cost later.