On Mon, 8 Oct 2007 01:20:31 -0500, "Jeffrey St. Clair, Ph.D."
wrote:

These days, carbon is pretty much recommended only to remove meds from
water. The cons outwiegh the pros, such as it doesn't filter microbes,
nitrates, sodium or flouride. It also lowers dissolved oxygen levels
significantly and also filters out needed elements, such as trace elements.

"Tynk" wrote in message
oups.com...
On Oct 4, 3:29?pm, "Pszemol" wrote:
"Pszemol" wrote in
...
"Pszemol" wrote in
...
Other than hanging a bag filled with carbon in the sump,
what do you use to make carbon work more efficiently?

Tha idea with a bag works, but in my understanding
water would penetrate carbon better if it was flowing
forced through not around the bag...

I was trying to put a layer of carbon in the phosphate
reactor, but carbon is very light and it is easily
lifted up with water and travels back to my tank...

How do you put carbon to work in your reef tanks?

Now I have an idea... what if I dump the carbon loose
into the sock in the sump? The sock I am using is quite
fine to prevent carbon escaping to the sump and the
water is pretty well agitated in the sock so the carbon
will work efficiently there...
The sock lasts about a week or two before it clogs
with dirt, so I could dump the sock with used up carbon
to the garbagge and put new sock with new carbon portion.
Sounds like a good idea - have to test it :-)

This is the stupidest idea ever :-)

I tested it and it caused carbon in the sock to turn
into a microparticles (crushed) and passed through
the sock coloring my water and covering everything
with black dust... Do not try it at home :-)))

My husband suggested placing the carbon
in a condom. That way the dust does not
seep into the water.


I have 5 tanks: 10 to 75 gal. I quit using carbon years ago except
with the prefilled frames. I see no change.

I have also gone from 20% water changes twice a week to 20% every few
months, determined by filter overflow and water debris.

My tanks all have heavy plant growth.