Does cabon take out more good stuff than bad?

[JT101]

I was running carbon in my AP24 for a few months but then stopped just because I wanted to see if I could notice any difference. Aside from the water not being as super crystal clear as it was with the carbon, I see/measure nothing better or worse than before.

I do 4 gallon water changes weekly so maybe that's why I'm not noticing anything, but in any case, I heard that carbon can take out GOOD stuff as well as the bad - is this true?

Is it more or less beneficial to run carbon in a small tank when you are already doing 4 gallon weekly water changes?

 

[lcstorc]

I honestly don't know. With that many water changes you should be replenishing your nutrients even if it is.
Many people run carbon for one week out of the month for this very reason.
Since I have a lot of leather corals (which release toxins) I run it all the time in a reactor.

 

[BoomerD]

I always ran carbon for one week per month. The main reason for not running it longer is because it will become a biological filter and start generating copious amounts of nitrates...a bad thing in a reef tank.

I don't think carbon takes out enough GOOD stuff to be a concern, and as Lynn says, when you do your water changes, you replenish any lost elements anyway.

 

[HowardW]

<<< Does cabon take out more good stuff than bad? >>>

Definately not.



<<< Is it more or less beneficial to run carbon in a small tank when you are already doing 4 gallon weekly water changes? >>>


More beneficial, especially in a smaller tank.

 

[JT101]

Thanks everyone for all the replies. I think I'm going to go back to carbon. PS - I didn't know that leathers emit toxins, and I have a HUGE one. Thanks Lynne!

 

[BigAl07]

I run carbon in EVERY tank at least 1 out 4 weeks and ANY time I see or even suspect something it out of whack it's time for carbon. Leathers are notorious for "toxins" as well as many zoas can be. My Xenia gets REALLY upset when one colony is disturbed and somehow (I suspect through toxin emission) is able to communicate with all the others in the tank and they ALL shrivel up and make the house smell really BAD!!

When in doubt.... ADD Carbon but don't just LEAVE it in there from now on....

 

[JT101]

I run carbon in EVERY tank at least 1 out 4 weeks and ANY time I see or even suspect something it out of whack it's time for carbon. Leathers are notorious for "toxins" as well as many zoas can be. My Xenia gets REALLY upset when one colony is disturbed and somehow (I suspect through toxin emission) is able to communicate with all the others in the tank and they ALL shrivel up and make the house smell really BAD!!

When in doubt.... ADD Carbon but don't just LEAVE it in there from now on....

Hi Al!

No problem, I'm pretty diligent with upkeep, if I toss carbon in I toss it out in the trash in a week tops.

Thanks
John

 

[BoomerD]

Many soft corals engage in chemical warfare in our tanks. It's called allelopathy.

 

[Triggerjay]

I run carbon 24/7 all month long. I do however change it weekly though. Gets costly, but I feel the results are worth it.

Jason

 

[HowardW]

I think the type of carbon makes a big difference also, with Rox 0.8 and Seachem Matrix both being excellent to name a couple, while stuff like Kent Reef Carbon being far less effective.