How can you run a reef tank without using carbon ?

[Casey8]

You don't know me yet when it comes to a price tag

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

I think the problem has been identified. Stinky skimmate. Yummm

I never run carbon. Now I use some Purigen. In the past I used to use ChemiPure. I found carbon does not last long enough to be worth doing. Purigen is rechargeable.

[Skimmerking]

THAT IS WHY I'M CALLED THE SKIMMERKING I THINK I SHOULD GO BACK TO THAT NAME.

[globaldesigns]

Originally Posted by asmodeus

THAT IS WHY I'M CALLED THE SKIMMERKING I THINK I SHOULD GO BACK TO THAT NAME.

A BIG YUP!

[FWC]

My coral is all growing fine ,and I don't use any Carbon.

I do use purigen in my fresh water tanks and I've been debating adding some to my reef tank as well.

[MarkoD]

I use a lot of carbon in my tank and it still smells like ocean in my basement

[ScubaSteve]

I rarely run carbon but when I do, I find it rarely cuts down on the smell. The skimmer on the other hand... If Hell had a smell, it would smell like my skimmer. VSV + MB7 = super-funk.

[Casey8]

Anthony, why didn't you let Skimmer King suffer a little bit more before he can get the answer ?
I was sniffing like a dog around my tank for the whole morning. I checked my sump, my overflow box and emptied my skimmer cup (after having fed the fish). Everything around the tank were OK and cleaned. The skimmer can not skim anything in 2 hours after I fed the fish as usual and the smell in my bedroom was fine at that time. But then, slowly and slowly after another 2 hours, I started to smell the "low tide, fishy smell" came out from my bedroom. I looked at the skimmer cup, it was very little skimmate in there, but when I opened the lid up. Holy smoke ! I knew right away what was in there, the nasty juice smell from the rotten mysis shrimp. Because I always feed the fish with mysis shrimp and soak them with Selcon, I think the skimmer sucked out that juice from the water. After I cleaned the cup right away, the smell is gone till now.

[Samw]

I put carbon in the skimmer cup. Does a good job of eliminating skimmate smell in the room.

Originally Posted by Casey8

Huh ... how come I never thought of it. Yes, it must be from the skimmer cup. It is extremely stinky whenever I open the lid. I should blame Rick who sold me a VERY GOOD skimmer and who is the second one to blame for letting me buy this stinky skimmer ?

[Reef Pilot]

Originally Posted by SeaHorse_Fanatic

I never run carbon. Now I use some Purigen. In the past I used to use ChemiPure. I found carbon does not last long enough to be worth doing. Purigen is rechargeable.

I have never used Purigen, but after reading a few horror stories about what can happen if you have bad carbon, I might try Purigen instead.

How do you use it? Same as carbon in a low flow reactor? Or do you have to tumble it like bio pellets?

And how to you recharge it?