• Activated carbon in a marine aquarium

  • Phyllis

I would like to know your opinion on the use of coal in reef and mixed aquariums (I'm not asking about fish tanks, that's obvious).

Charles

and in response, silence...

Tasha

He is in Ase every day from 6 PM to 8 PM. The number is in the profile. More than 200 messages on the forum in a day! Sometimes I dig through a bunch of pages myself before I reach my goal. A person is working - you have to understand...

Christopher

and in response, silence... maybe the person is really busy, but sorry, such a question, such an answer. So what do you actually want to know about activated carbon in a reef aquarium?

Lisa

A normal question. I'm just interested in a point of view based on personal experience, as opinions on this matter vary—what is more in a reef aquarium from coal, harm or benefit?

Andrew9581

Well, everything seems clear about the benefits, but what harm do you mean?

Kristen1161

Many trace elements in a reef aquarium are chelated by organic complexing agents. This complex, like the iron+EDTA complex (read somewhere in the topic about plants, but didn't write anything), is quite capable of being adsorbed by activated carbon. But this is all theory, and in practice, it is very expensive to measure all this (and practically impossible, given the inaccuracies of available equipment). Much more harm from protein skimmers from this point of view... they remove everything, both living and dead plankton, and toxins and vitamins... By the way, about the latter... also large molecules that will be adsorbed by carbon. Of course, there is more benefit. It effectively removes toxins excreted by invertebrates and helps remove organic matter before it breaks

Lisa

I also agree with him. Moreover, it is practically impossible to maintain a reef for more than six months without adding various trace elements. Incidentally, there is another concept that may not receive much attention in freshwater, but plays a significant role in a reef - the color of the water. It is very problematic to keep the water transparent without using carbon. It turns yellow very quickly, which affects the transmission spectrum. Additionally, there are recommendations to use only 20% of the filtered water for the carbon. I personally do not do that. I always pass 100% of the water through the carbon, but at an extremely high speed for the filter's chemical cleaning (which is almost the same from my point of view). In other words, if you are afraid that the carbon might absorb something, do not pass all the water through it and add micro-additives regularly. And do not use coconut carbon. Its adsorption capacity is about 1.5 times higher than that of birch, and it captures

Michele9664

In principle, you can manage without coal, but if you have Caulerpa, Discosoma, and other soft corals, its presence is desirable. If you also want to keep SPS, it is simply essential. Why? I'll explain - during the sexual reproduction of Caulerpa, caulerpin, a toxin, gets into your aquarium, and coal won't fully solve the problem, but it will give you more time to change the water. Discosoma, zoanthids, and other soft corals fight for living space by releasing chemicals into the water, often so successfully that it is impossible to acclimate SPS (small-polyp stony corals) in an aquarium overloaded with soft corals. If you have a reef aquarium with SPS, you can manage without coal. One more note - coal needs to be changed regularly, as it absorbs and then releases organic matter through diffusion. At the same time, it is necessary to use coal free of phosphates (don't always trust the labels and drawings on the box, check with tests), as poor-quality coal can significantly increase the phosph

Jeffery7866

Activated carbon in a marine aquarium lowers pH. This is its only drawback. Activated carbon from coconut shells can be used in marine aquariums. This is indicated on the branded packaging of the carbon. Its cost is about four times higher than that of regular carbon. I tried using carbon from the company Hobby. I did not notice any harm.

Caroline1599

Gentlemen! Enlighten the ignorant... Is it possible to use coal of brands BAU-A, OU-A in aquariums? It is available for sale at the office that trades in various chemical reagents. Sincerely - .

Jasmine

Feel free to use BAU-A! Especially if it is produced by Perm LHK. Before use, like any other coal, it should be thoroughly washed with running water to remove dust. And make sure to change it in time. OU-A is not suitable; it is a fine-dispersed coal powder used for clarifying wines.

Erin2730

Thank you for clarifying my doubts. I now know for sure what to do next. Sincerely - Yours.