activted carbon all the same?
 

i was just woundering if there is actvated carbon for just freshwater and then another kind for saltwater or is it just all the same stuff? is some better then others or is there a certian type should look for when buying carbon?

No and no.
It's all the same stuff when it comes to FW vs. SW, but....it's not all the same stuff when it comes to carbon vs. carbon. Some carbons apparently have phosphates in it, whereas others claim to be phosphate free. I use Black Diamond by Marineland for both FW and SW. It's one of the "phosphate free" carbons.

HTH,

All carbon has some phosphates in it. Some have more then others

I also use BlackDiamond in my 250.

That is not completely true, there are carbons that are 100% phosphate free, many medical and technical grade carbons have no trace phosphates.

Unless there is some kind of loophole where phosphate free doesn't necessarily mean 100% phosphate free, I think Marineland is legally bound to provide to the consumer phosphate free carbon, as they claim their Black Diamond carbon is. This is indicated in the small pamphlet they put inside the jar, on top of the carbon.
To me, Johnny Consumer, phosphate free means no phosphates. Period.

It'd be a good one for that TV show "Marketplace". They could test the stuff to see if what they say is true. But then, most people that watch the show probably wouldn't care.

Cheers:smile:,

so what would happen if you put in carbon with phosphate? what would be a result from it getting into your tank?

The phosphates will leech out into the tankwater, thus increasing the water's phosphate level. Phosphates are a contributing factor toward algae and cyanobacteria growths. Keeping phosphate levels low is desired to help combat this. Less than or equal to 0.05 mg/l is an ideal, IMO.

Cheers:smile:,

Something like 3+ years I read that there is a trace amount of phosphate that is below a certain level they can claim phosphate free.

Like a lot of drinking water says sodium free, but then on the side it shows how many ppm of sodium is in it, and there is some!

I am sure Quinster knows better!

This rings a bell with me too.

It's like how Ketchup is Worm Free, but Heinz can have a certain percentage of worms mixed into it :)

It's a shame that they can get away with things like that. I guess the saying should really be...."Buyer beware....uh....to a certain point".

Cheers:smile:,

like Quinns stuff truely amazing give him a call at prairie reef supplies for some very cheap too .:mrgreen:

Copanies use the term "XXX free" rather than "no XXX" because linguistically, it's a euphemism, and it has plenty of grey area for lawsuits :). Think freedom vs. rights.

It's a euphemism, just like "smaller chance of..." and "most cases..." etc etc... All product packaging is full of euphemisms :D

There are so many amusing loopholes in this stuff. My g/f brought home some No MSG Added (I'm really alergic) sausage once, that had modified corn starch in it. I had to explain to her that the label was useless as "modified corn starch" is about 49.9% MSG.

Most people that use Black Diamond seem happy with it though, I imagine the cost of lab grade stuff would be prohibitive.

not always, see asmodeus post :wink:

I just switched to Seachem's Purigen because of all this phosphate BS and I've never looked back.

Costs more initially, but more economical in the long run.