Doubling up on carbon

[gparr]

Has anyone filled both BRS carbon/GFO containers with carbon? Is it too much for a Maxijet 1200 to push water through?
Gary

 

[roshi719]

I have been running mine that way for about a year and a half now with no issues. It just reduces flow quick when the sponges start getting dirty is all.

 

[gparr]

Thanks. Wasn't sure if the back pressure would be too much. I change carbon every two weeks and soak the sponges in vinegar once a month, so sponge clogging isn't an issue. I'm going to try a strategy of filling both and rotating them every two weeks, so that relatively fresh carbon is always in the second chamber.

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Let us know how is goes.

 

[Fragtastic Reef]

That sounds like a plan but do you need to run that much carbon for your system? You could always use just 1 of the chambers and leave the other empty...

 

[gparr]

Half of my tank is azooxanthellate corals that I'm target feeding many times a day. I want the extra carbon to remove organics. Filling both BRS chambers with carbon and driving it with a MaxiJet 1200 didn't work. In just a few days, the throughput dropped to a trickle. I'm back to one chamber of carbon and one with GFO. Maybe my MJ 1200 needs to be replaced. But now I'm thinking about setting up a second carbon reactor to get the amount of carbon I want.
Gary