Activated Carbon
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Waters
"...in perfect isolation, here behind my wall."
You will hear both sides. There are reef tanks that run it 24X7 without any issues and there are people that never run it. I run it all the time using Chem-Pure Elite. IMO it is the cheapest and easiest method of chemical filtration which may remove things that the protein skimmer "misses" and helps keep the water crystal clear. I also believe it helps when running a mixed reef containing leathers and other soft coral along with LPS/SPS.
EW_Fish
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I ran it for about a year and stopped for two years. I run a sps dominated tank and I believe it helps a lot. In this hobby everyone has their own opinion which is fine because no ones tank is the same.
DRThompson
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I have it but run it on occasion (2-3 times a year). I have a mix reef and 35 fish in a 200g system.
Randy Holmes-Farley
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I'm not sure how corals could die due to using a quality activated carbon.
What makes you think the carbon was responsible?
What makes you think the carbon was responsible?
Randy Holmes-Farley
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Much of what is claimed there is simply untrue (like strontium being depleted by GAC). Don't believe it to indicate that GAC kills corals, at least at any reasonable dose. Probably more than half of online reefers use it and do not have these issues.
FWIW, the entire video is simply his speculation about what caused his tank problems, without any evidence.
I found that video quite interesting - not using a skimmer and not that much live rock with all of those fish - I don't know how he could determine that the coral change was due to GAC.
twotangs
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I used to run BRS carbon. Stopped about 18 month ago due to reading reports that the "fines" may contribute to head and lateral line disease, which one of my tangs has. Since removing the carbon have not noticed any difference good or bad and the tang still has the skin erosion. But that seams to run in cycles, looks like it is getting better but has yet to totally heal. So for now have adopted a process of if I don't have a specific need or reason for adding anything to the system, I don't and that includes carbon.
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I agree that HLLE in fish and some types of GAC might be related, and I switched to BRS ROX (which is acid washed) from the Marineland brand (not acid washed) for that reason. I've not had any issue since that change, but the tang is a different one, so I cannot be sure of the cause and effect.
twotangs
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I too am not sure of cause and effect either. I stopped running carbon to see if it made a difference with the tang, not thinking it did but I did not see any negative effect by not running it either. So just have not used it since. Still have it on hand in case.......
mcbridepcm
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I've used GAC 24/7 for 15 years on my reef, the only affect noticed is Crystal clear water, which makes the system lights to visually look brighter. Had my tang for 8 years never seen any problems
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Re: HLLE and activated carbon
At this point only two formal studies have been done to explore the connection, but both have indicated there is some sort of relationship between the two. One of which was Jay Hemdal's at the Toledo Zoo, which I was able to check out when he was conducting and was quite interesting. Aside from that, everything else is purely anecdotal reports from both sides of the debate.
I'd love to see more formal work done, but in the mean time running high-quality carbon, utilizing thorough rinsing, and effective protein skimming seems to mitigate the risk of HLLE in susceptible species. Here's an excerpt from Jay's latest book, The Salt Smart Guide to Preventing, Diagnosing, and Treating Diseases of Marine Fishes, that speaks directly to this topic: HLLE and the Activated Carbon Connection
At this point only two formal studies have been done to explore the connection, but both have indicated there is some sort of relationship between the two. One of which was Jay Hemdal's at the Toledo Zoo, which I was able to check out when he was conducting and was quite interesting. Aside from that, everything else is purely anecdotal reports from both sides of the debate.
I'd love to see more formal work done, but in the mean time running high-quality carbon, utilizing thorough rinsing, and effective protein skimming seems to mitigate the risk of HLLE in susceptible species. Here's an excerpt from Jay's latest book, The Salt Smart Guide to Preventing, Diagnosing, and Treating Diseases of Marine Fishes, that speaks directly to this topic: HLLE and the Activated Carbon Connection
