Originally Posted by amoreira

Best way to control temperature is with a digital controller that uses a temperature measurement with heaters and coolers. That being said, I hear temperature control is not so critical. In the wild water temperature can fluctuate considerably with cold/warm currents that come in and out, as well as with rising/falling tides. I think that +/- 1 C fluctuation wouldn't cause any problems.

As for carbon, I run Rox 0.8 in phosban reactor. That stuff is the best. I buy a 5 gallon pale of it for about $260 and that lasts me a year. It keeps the water sparkling free from any yellowing organics and absorbs any pollution that would come from a household environment.