Does GAC remove Nitrate?

[H@rry]

Some of the frags in my frag tank fade to pale colors or turn light brown. The nitrate test shows 0 nitrate and I want to bump it up a little and I added a couple of fish and am feeding more. I run carbon in a bag in the overflow. Is that removing any nitrate?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

No. It may pull some organics that could in turn become nitrate, but....

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I agree.

 

[H@rry]

Thanx for the replys!

 

[JBKReef]

Additionally if you had gone a long time without running GAC or changing your GAC out it could strip so much pigment the lighting intensity increased penetration to your corals.

 

[H@rry]

Additionally if you had gone a long time without running GAC or changing your GAC out it could strip so much pigment the lighting intensity increased penetration to your corals.

Scuze me?

 

[speedstar]

Scuze me?

i assume he means if your water was so dirty yellow, new carbon could have increased par, causing an issue/

 

[JBKReef]

Scuze me?

If you had visibly yellow/cloudy water before using GAC to strip the water of the pigment and impurities, then using carbon will increase the penetration of you lights. Effectively increasing PAR.

If you have been using GAC constantly though, and switching it our regularly, this would not be an issue. Maintaining clear water wont have an effect, but if you just introduced GAC then it could cause more of an issue. IMO.