activated carbon

[marinakid]

is activated carbon a good to have or a must have in reef tank?

[comycus]

My personal opinion is good to have. It is not needed for a reef tank to function normally.

[jackywongto]

hey michael,

your question very hard to answer leh.

If you want your tank looking clean and clear, then it is a must have.

If you do not mind your water looking slightly yellowish and willing to do religious WC, then it is a good to have.

Personal opinion, Actually the cost is not much.

a bottle of chemipure about $10+ can last you about 2-3 months.

So it will be better to have it than not to.

the benefit outweighs the cost.

hope this help bro!

[poomoon]

definitely use IMO.

[poomoon]

clean water is always good. call it "beneficial", but in general for some yeah maybe not necessary.

[kanegan]

It depends on your tank's needs as well as your dosing habits. The carbon will remove both good and bad 'impurities'. For example, I think you are not suppose to run carbon if dosing iodine or some other additives and medicine

[marinakid]

i do agree with Jacky view. it not an expensive product to use.

but it seem like a double edge sword. As Kanegan mention, it take out both good and bad 'impurities' in the tank. certainly people alway wants to keep the good.

and some believe that when the activated carbon is exhaust, it leed back all the pollutant.

sometime i guess it may be more damaging to introduce a product like this into the tank rather than good.

so i thought came up with this question to seek out view from fellow reefer.

[kanegan]

Hi michael,

As jacky pointed out, your question is very difficult to answer as the jury is out on carbon use.

But it is being used widely as evident from the range of products available and one of the main reasons is the removal of yellow water and DOC.

So I guess it is a matter of preference for each reefer.

[jackywongto]

i do agree with Jacky view. it not an expensive product to use.

but it seem like a double edge sword. As Kanegan mention, it take out both good and bad 'impurities' in the tank. certainly people alway wants to keep the good.

and some believe that when the activated carbon is exhaust, it leed back all the pollutant.

sometime i guess it may be more damaging to introduce a product like this into the tank rather than good.

so i thought came up with this question to seek out view from fellow reefer.

Using a small amount and changing them regularly would be a good practice and you can have the peace of mind.

[marinakid]

I started this thread to have a feel of how generally people respond to usage of activated carbon.

Well I guess there is no best of both world.

Jacky suggestion is a very good one but I guess people will alway strive for something that is hassle free and of course taking cost into consideration.

I guess activated carbon would be a very good media if all the uncertainy can be address as the cost is relatively affordable.

[teebs]

I started this thread to have a feel of how generally people respond to usage of activated carbon.

Well I guess there is no best of both world.

Jacky suggestion is a very good one but I guess people will alway strive for something that is hassle free and of course taking cost into consideration.

I guess activated carbon would be a very good media if all the uncertainy can be address as the cost is relatively affordable.

Hi Michael,

The main purpose of using carbon in an aquarium is two fold:

1) Remove the DOC (dissolved organic compounds) in the tank water

2) Remove the yellowish compounds in the tank water, thus making the tank much clearer and increasing the amount of light intensity reaching your corals

With regards to carbon absorbing trace elements and iodine in the reef tank, I think this is not a big issue because the amount that can be absorbed by the carbon is quite negligable compared to what is in our salt mix/NSW and also what we dose weekly into our tanks.

Carbon is something that is useful for a reef tank but it does not mean that you cannot successfully maintain a reef tank without using carbon.

[CFOh]

is activated carbon a good to have or a must have in reef tank?

Fyi,

http://joejaworski.wordpress.com/2008/05/09/does-a-reef-tank-need-carbon/

but in my opinion it is Good to have basis.. Or used as rescue / emergency purpose..

Activated Carbon adsorption efficiency saturated rapidly.. It may have argument on De-adsorption and PH swing issue.

Cheers and Happy Reefing....

[TayHongSiang]

try zeovit rocks...http://www.reefdepot.com.sg/

it cost more...but beta than activated carbon because it can be a source of food for your corals and fishes when u shake it...i will be trying this product myself...personally i have used activated carbon before...the benefit is not that virtual to the eyes...so long u do regular water change and with skimmer running, unlikely yr water will turn yellowish...activated carbon needs to be replace every 2-3 months and it will absorb trace elements from your waters...so u end up having to dose more additives to make up for it....

I think its beta u try it and make the judgement for yourself whether it is good or not....too many opinions may confuse u...

[teebs]

try zeovit rocks...http://www.reefdepot.com.sg/

it cost more...but beta than activated carbon because it can be a source of food for your corals and fishes when u shake it...i will be trying this product myself...personally i have used activated carbon before...the benefit is not that virtual to the eyes...so long u do regular water change and with skimmer running, unlikely yr water will turn yellowish...activated carbon needs to be replace every 2-3 months and it will absorb trace elements from your waters...so u end up having to dose more additives to make up for it....

I think its beta u try it and make the judgement for yourself whether it is good or not....too many opinions may confuse u...

Zeovit rocks is to remove phosphates and nitrates in the tank water. Totally different application from activated carbon.

By the way, if the main ingredient is zeolite as stated, there are many other brands in the market that also use zeolites as the main component and are much cheaper.

Anyway, information on the Zeovit system from the manufacturer:

http://www.korallen-zucht.de/files/zeoguide_english_1_03.pdf

And you can read their recommendation on using activated carbon for reef tanks on page 14.

[marinakid]

great thank for all the information and advise.

i guess if thing are going right it better to keep it that way.

i thought of adding carbon for better water quality but guess since my tank is doing fine. it better to keep it as it is.

[teebs]

great thank for all the information and advise.

i guess if thing are going right it better to keep it that way.

i thought of adding carbon for better water quality but guess since my tank is doing fine. it better to keep it as it is.

I would suggest you go to reef central and read the posts on using carbon in their reef chemistry sub forum. Bertoni (RC Mod) and Boomer (Team RC) are the two experts in anything related to carbon there.