Do you use activated carbon at all times, intermittently or never?

[Miami Reef]

With my ORP already running this high, daily peak of 350, what would be my max for ozone and would I be severely limited on how long I could run it? Can it be run longer but at a slower rate? Note: the big ORP dip was due to my monthly water change.

Take your ORP probe, put it in a cup of 1:10 bleach solution for 10-20 minutes, rinse in RO, then add it back to the tank.

After a few days you will see the correct reading.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Never knew you could rinse and reuse carbon

That won’t work.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Will it leech back whatever it absorbed after it has been expired?

Not enough to be a concern. More strongly binding organics may displace more weakly bound ones at any time, but they don’t just all pop off after a while.

 

[TWYOUNG]

Take your ORP probe, put it in a cup of 1:10 bleach solution for 10-20 minutes, rinse in RO, then add it back to the tank.

After a few days you will see the correct reading.

How do you know the reading is incorrect? I clean it regularly by soaking in citric acid and it returns to this range after a day.

 

[Miami Reef]

How do you know the reading is incorrect? I clean it regularly by soaking in citric acid and it returns to this range after a day.

I don’t know for certain. If you cleaned it, and it still stays in that range, it’s probably accurate.

Anyway, the actual ORP doesn’t matter much. All you need is a couple tens higher to know you are getting the water clarity benefit.

 

[dieselkeeper]

to reduce organics that might drive cyanobacteria and other bacteria in places you do not want them (perhaps including on corals), and to export organics that may otherwise accumulate endlessly.

I forgot that carbon can be used to help with cyano removing organics. Question I have is how much carbon is used in a reactor? My reactor is 4 inches in diameter and 12 inches in height. I usually pit about 3 inches in the reactor. Or is there a set amount per total gallons of tank? Looking for a gauge when the carbon will be exhausted.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I forgot that carbon can be used to help with cyano removing organics. Question I have is how much carbon is used in a reactor? My reactor is 4 inches in diameter and 12 inches in height. I usually pit about 3 inches in the reactor. Or is there a set amount per total gallons of tank? Looking for a gauge when the carbon will be exhausted.

I think there’s a lot of guessing as to carbon amount. The more you add the longer it last, until bacteria cover it.

What size is your tank?

 

[Troylee]

I forgot that carbon can be used to help with cyano removing organics. Question I have is how much carbon is used in a reactor? My reactor is 4 inches in diameter and 12 inches in height. I usually pit about 3 inches in the reactor. Or is there a set amount per total gallons of tank? Looking for a gauge when the carbon will be exhausted.

I don’t follow any protocol and just fill mine to the brim and change it once a month or so.. I have a 2 little fishes on my tank it’s about the size of yours.. I have 7 tangs and zero issues myself using marineland gac.

 

[dieselkeeper]

I think there’s a lot of guessing as to carbon amount. The more you add the longer it last, until bacteria cover it.

What size is your tank?

210 gallons. Cyano covers the sandbed within a week after removing it.

 

[Reef.]

How come carbon in an RODI unit lasts 6 months and up to 50,000g in some cases, yet in a reef not many people go past a month.

 

[TWYOUNG]

How come carbon in an RODI unit lasts 6 months and up to 50,000g in some cases, yet in a reef not many people go past a month.

Not sure but I think it would have to do with the quality of the water going through it, i.e. water suitable for household use and drinking vs water full of animal waste.

 

[cvicente]

Chemipure Blue 24/7, only one bag in a 130 gal system. Change every 2 weeks.

 

[cvicente]

How come carbon in an RODI unit lasts 6 months and up to 50,000g in some cases, yet in a reef not many people go past a month.

If you run your carbon 24/7 through a reactor at 200 gph, that's 4,800 gpd, In a reef system DOC is produced constantly and accumulation rates differ from system to system, so carbon gets exhausted very quickly, in my experience within the first 3 weeks.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

How come carbon in an RODI unit lasts 6 months and up to 50,000g in some cases, yet in a reef not many people go past a month.

Far more organic matter and bacteria in reef tank water.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

210 gallons. Cyano covers the sandbed within a week after removing it.

I'd use that amount or a bit more, changed after 2-3 weeks.

 

[TWYOUNG]

Chemipure Blue 24/7, only one bag in a 130 gal system. Change every 2 weeks.

I would think only if you also want to remove phosphate.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I would think only if you also want to remove phosphate.

Chemipure blue does not bind appreciable phosphate from seawater. Only the elite with GFO does.

 

[TWYOUNG]

Chemipure blue does not bind appreciable phosphate from seawater. Only the elite with GFO does.

I guess I was misled by BRS's description of it containing, "phosphate absorption resin".

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I guess I was misled by BRS's description of it containing, "phosphate absorption resin".

Yes, and they were likely misled by Boyd, who conveniently does not distinguish effects in freshwater (where most any positively charged polymer resin will bind most any negatively charge ion in the water), from seawater, where chloride (at 19,000 ppm) and sulfate (at 2600 ppm) will almost completely outcompete the comparatively miniscule amount of phosphate present for those same positively charged binding sites.

No organic polymer can bind appreciable phosphate from seawater. (as an aside, this is my area of professional expertise, having invented some polymer phosphate binders that have sold billions of dollars worth over the past 30 years).

Chemi-pure Blue - Chemi-pure Advanced Aquarist Products

chemi-pure.com

the dubious claim:

"Chemi-pure Blue uses the finest laboratory grade resin technology to RAPIDLY remove organics and phosphates from your aquarium water while raising redox and helping stabilize pH. "

 

[TWYOUNG]

Yes, and they were likely misled by Boyd, who conveniently does not distinguish effects in freshwater (where most any positively charged polymer resin will bind most any negatively charge ion in the water), from seawater, where chloride (at 19,000 ppm) and sulfate (at 2600 ppm) will almost completely outcompete the comparatively miniscule amount of phosphate present for those same positively charged binding sites.

No organic polymer can bind appreciable phosphate from seawater. (as an aside, this is my area of professional expertise, having invented some polymer phosphate binders that have sold billions of dollars worth over the past 30 years).

Chemi-pure Blue - Chemi-pure Advanced Aquarist Products

chemi-pure.com

the dubious claim:

"Chemi-pure Blue uses the finest laboratory grade resin technology to RAPIDLY remove organics and phosphates from your aquarium water while raising redox and helping stabilize pH. "

Congratulations. Hopefully you benefited financially from those inventions, not just your employer.