Carbon - Does it Lower Phosphate?

[that Reef Guy]

Does Carbon lower Phosphate?

I ask because I have not changed my Carbon in a while.

My Phosphates were going up (Last Week they were 0.31).

This week they are 0.09

All I did different was change my Carbon with new Carbon.

I thought only GFO lowered Phosphate?

Is this coincidental or does Carbon really lower Phosphate?

If it does I will change it more often.

When I say Carbon I mean Granulated Carbon (Little Black Pebbles which is used in all Freshwater Tanks for Filtration).

I am not talking about Carbon Dosing.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

It does not bind phosphate from seawater, but it does bind organics and some of those organics will be removed before they can breakdown, releasing phosphate.

Yours was a bigger effect than I'd usually expect, however, and I suspect coincidence more than cause and effect.