Using Sea Chem Matrix?

[Sophie"s mom]

Good morning to everyone! Does anyone here use Sea Chem Matrix? I am considering using that for my activated carbon and just curious as to what others think of the product.

 

[skey44]

I use it in my quarantine tanks HOB, it works. It is a bio media providing surface area for nitrifying bacteria growth. It is not effective until colonized by nitrifying bacteria. It does not replace carbon. Carbon is a water clarifier/chemical media that absorbs pollutants and gets used to capacity.They work well together.
For instance matrix stays in to keep the tank cycled while I run Cooper in quarantine, carbon goes in if I need to remove the copper from the water. Carbon needs to be replaced on a regular basis, matrix does not. I continually run matrix, I run carbon as needed for water clarity or chemical removal.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

I use it in my quarantine tanks HOB, it works. It is a bio media providing surface area for nitrifying bacteria growth. It is not effective until colonized by nitrifying bacteria. It does not replace carbon. Carbon is a water clarifier/chemical media that absorbs pollutants and gets used to capacity.They work well together.
For instance matrix stays in to keep the tank cycled while I run Cooper in quarantine, carbon goes in if I need to remove the copper from the water. Carbon needs to be replaced on a regular basis, matrix does not. I continually run matrix, I run carbon as needed for water clarity or chemical removal.

This is interesting, and what I needed to know. They say it is used as activated carbon, but that made no sense to me because you do indeed need to replace activated carbon. I do not have a sump. I use a HOB filter just for carbon. But I also have an Oase 600 canister filter. I was thinking about adding Matrix to the canister, and doing away with the HOB filter. But from the sounds of that will not work the way I was hoping. I clean the pre filter in the canister weekly, but I only open up the main filter and do a deep clean once a month.

 

[dowdalld]

There is Sea Chem Matrix which is a bio media and and Sea Chem Matrix Carbon which is their carbon but not a bio media.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

There is Sea Chem Matrix which is a bio media and and Sea Chem Matrix Carbon which is their carbon but not a bio media.

Ahh, see, I did not know this. Thank you.

 

[skey44]

Oh yeah I forgot about matrix carbon… that is confusing.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Matric carbon is generally believed to be a decent choice. I prefer ROX 0.8, but Matrix is better than many.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

Matric carbon is generally believed to be a decent choice. I prefer ROX 0.8, but Matrix is better than many.

Great to know Randy, THank you for your input on this. What are your thoughts on Sea Chem Matrix? Not the carbon, but the biomedia.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Great to know Randy, THank you for your input on this. What are your thoughts on Sea Chem Matrix? Not the carbon, but the biomedia.

Unless you are in an unusual situation where there is little or no rock and sand, I'm against anything that promotes the nitrogen cycle since nitrifying bacteria steal ammonia away from corals.

Long called good bacteria, I am trying to turn the tide of thought to call these undesirable, bad bacteria. Some may be useful in tanks that accumulate nitrate, but folks should stop thinking that promoting nitrification in general is desirable.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

Unless you are in an unusual situation where there is little or no rock and sand, I'm against anything that promotes the nitrogen cycle since nitrifying bacteria steal ammonia away from corals.

Long called good bacteria, I am trying to turn the tide of thought to call these undesirable, bad bacteria. Some may be useful in tanks that accumulate nitrate, but folks should stop thinking that promoting nitrification in general is desirable.

THank you for this! I felt the same. I currently have about 75 pounds of live rock in my tank, and I feel as that is plenty of room for bio filtration in a 90 gallon tank.