Activated Carbon Q's

[erikharrison]

I am running a Filstar XP2, which had a basket with bio stars a bag of carbon, and a polish pad. I took everything out, put in some pillow batting, then activated carbon, and more pillow batting on top. The bottom basket has my pads in it. I also have a wet dry sump. Below the bio ball area is the water that goes into the return. I filled it halfway with bioballs and the excess bio stars, for extra filtration. How long can I run carbon like this? What are the biological pros/cons of activated carbon?

[aprilmayjune]

Carbon is a type of chemical filtration, not biological. It basically absorbs a variety of unwanted things out of the water like pollutants, medication, color and odor, some organic compounds, etc- basically anything attracted to carbon. How often you replace it is really up to your tank load. If you have a large tank with a lot of life, then you might have to change it a little more often than recommended. Some people prefer not to use it because it absorbs some trace elements and whatnot. I've also heard that some brands, if you use the same carbon for an extended period of time, it can release phosphates into the water. How I don't know, I just read this somewhere. Personally I use it, but I honestly don't notice a difference without it. I guess its more of my safety net that if anything goes wrong I can't say 'why didn't I have carbon?!'

Also, make sure you keep that polyfiber clean or that could cause a nasty situation.

[erikharrison]

PLEASE RESPOND!

[erikharrison]

i only have some soft corals, I have mechanical filtration through my wet/dry and through the bottom basket of my Filstar.

[aprilmayjune]

the soft corals need some trace elements also. its up to you whether you use carbon. look it up there are a ton of articles about the use of carbon.

[erikharrison]

I have I was just wondering if someone could give me input concerning my particular setup. Got any ideas about my wet/dry? the main reason that I put the biostars and bio balls free floating underneath the bioball chamber is in hopes of getting bacteria that will help keep my wet/dry from being a "nitrate factory"

[aprilmayjune]

The only thing I would be worried about is that pillow batting in the canister. Make sure it doesn't get loose and wrap around the impeller. Changing it often would be a hassle too. If you want good biological filtration, Cell Pore blocks are amazing. It is a porous block you can throw in your sump. No hassle with loose bioballs or stars.

[erikharrison]

the batting cant get into the impeller, so Im not too worried about that, Cell, pore blocks hmm? Thanks!

[aprilmayjune]

Or you could always throw some LR down there. Natural filtration is always best.

[erikharrison]

thats why i have the bioballs etc. for more surface area, plus they spin around in the water, aerobic and anerobic. Am I correct in my assumption?

[erikharrison]

oh yeah I cant find those bio slabs online for sale anywhere, any ideas?

[aprilmayjune]

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=4169&inm=1&N=2004+113803+2 032

[erikharrison]

THANKS. you rizzock like crizzack!

[caferacermike]

The reason wet/dry sumps become Trate bombs is due to poor maintenance. People would generally leave the bio balls in the sump until there was so much gunk no amount of bacteri could help.

[Ross]

I would take the bioballs out that are just floating around in the water. For the carbon, i like to run it for a week or two then not run it for a week or two, the trace elements it takes out are good for your corals.

[erick]

Bio balls themselves can become nitrate factories, thats why I dont run them in my trickle/wet dry... If you have a sufficient amount of live rock, then bioballs are redundant. Go the LR route, bioballs are just a hassle.

[erikharrison]

I dont't really have corals though, at the most I have xenia, a candy cane, and kenya trees. Thats about it.

[Ross]

I'd still get rid of the bio balls. Even those easy corals do care about nitrate.

[caferacermike]

So then what you are saying is that right now you don't have many corals, what will happen when you bcome addicted and everything keeps dying that you add to the tank? So you let the tank mature, the bio balls "go off" and then you start adding coral... Hmmmm....

As far as carbon goes, I never touch the stuff. Well ok that might be an understatement, since most everything on Earth is made of carbon I'll retract that last statement, but only on a technicality. I never put it in my tank. Good skimmer and water changes work for me.

[erikharrison]

can't I just keep the bioballs clean? I am all over my tank all day/night...

[Ross]

seriously erick just take them out man, no one really recommends them.

[erikharrison]

put the liver rock where the bioballs are? wont that sacrifice the live rock into becoming dry at some point, which I assume will kill off some of the bacteria?
Also, can I run the carbon if I spot feed my corals? I am not trying to frustrate any of you, just trying to learn. :) Thank you all for the insight that you provide. This forum and alot of you have saved my tank!

[caferacermike]

I filled my wet area of my wet dry with live rock rubble, tossed in a few stars, hermits and snails to clean up the "gunk". My surface area is insane and my rubble is covered in yellow spaghetti worms actively cleaning the surface. When I go a day to long without adding make up water some of the rock is exposed for a day or so until I fill it back up. Nothing has happened because of that. I think of it as a biological prefilter to my skimmer.

[erikharrison]

so putting LR rubble under the trickle tray is totally ok? I don't want my house to smell like sulfur!

[caferacermike]

I'll elaborate. You'll see that my rubble (green) is typically under the waterline (blue) unless the evaporation outpaces my laziness.

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g48/caferacermike/sump.jpg

[erikharrison]

thanks for the pic, I will upload a pic of my wet/dry because the setup is alot different. the live rock would never be completely submerged. Nor would the configuration allow for it to be. I have to go to Party City, and then to Aquarium Designs (just to look) and then I'll repost. Hopefully I wont buy anything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[erick]

I also have live rock rubble at the bottom of my trickle filter, under the water line, but mainly in the main tank. Also, in my 30g and 50g that dont run with sumps/trickle filters, I have sufficient amt of live rock to carry out the needed biological filtration. Both of those run emperor HOB filters for mechanical and chemical(carbon), with skimmers, no probs...

[Ross]

Just make sure you have tons of filter media to collect fish poop. If detritus gets down in the lr rubble your nitrates will be high! Its really important IMO for the rubble to stay clean!

[caferacermike]

Great advice Ross. I have a 1" gap under my rubble tray and the amount of water cruising through there keeps it super clean in my setup. That's also why I keep the critters in there.

[erikharrison]

ok well let me better describe my setup, down way low in the tank (it's a column) is where the Filstar has its inlet. The Wet/dry is an overflow. The filstar has 4 pads in it for mechanical filtration, and the outlet for the filstar blows the water right across the face of the overflow, so more of the water that goes into the overflow has been "pre cleaned".

Here's my box,
http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/5624/wetdry1gx8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Anyone want some Dr. Pepper?


Here's the overflow setup, (with the outlet facing, It's above the seio 820) excuse the 20k blue =P

http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/5619/overflow1aq2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


and here's my tank, showing so you can see my LR, this was before the overflow etc.

http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/2095/afteroq2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[erick]

I would remove all those blue bio'hazards' and replace with live rock, but not to exceed the water level in the sump. At least in the very bottom where you have floating balls.

[NaCl_H2O]

Bio-balls, Stars, Live Rock - it's all the same - simply surface area for bacteria. Probs with W/D filters is the filterpad - you want to change tha pad often enough (exporting nutrients) so they can't get into the nitrogen cycle. Bio-balls are not a nitrate factory, well ok they are, but they are suposed to be! Ammonia - Nitrite - Nitrate. If you have a bio-load (anything living) you eventually get Nitrates if all is working ok. Nitrates are the least toxic, and they are handled only by a good fuge, or a DSB, or somewhat poorly by water changes.

Your size tank (47g) probably doesn't need a wet dry, the LR and mechanical filtration should be enough - but your skimmer (if that was a skimmer in the pic?) is probably inadequate. I have about 40g of Bioballs in a huge Wet/Dry in my system, and a huge skimmer, and a 60g fuge, and, and ...

Leave the Bio-Balls or take them out, really doesn't matter, just don't leave waste in the mechanical filter without changing once a week or so - important thing is to test for a stable nitrogen cycle. Once stable for 6+ months the system can pretty much be trusted to maintain itself - just watch for signs of instability.

Carbon - I have a huge bag in my sump 24/7 - change it when I remember and have it on hand - probably 30-90 days. Carbon is an insurance policy - it will quickly absorb toxins released from tank inhabitants and scrubs the water for clarity.