Carbon - Yes or No?

[reefwars]

Originally Posted by Delphinus

So can I have all the Vertex carbon from Concept for free?

im not sure now though that theres an obviously high demand for it all of a sudden lol :P

[Delphinus]

You're welcome !

[reefwars]

lol ok picture this then:


yor stranded on a dessert island , your boat sank and all that made it to the island is you and your reeftank.

lets just assume that running both carbon and gfo isnt an option and has never been done before.

so i can only run carbon or gfo......im going gfo lol

i know that was stupid lol

[reefwars]

lol i gotta get off the morning coffees lol

[sphelps]

I just hate using carbon because it's a PITA to clean and change out on a regular basis. If I can't automate something then it better be damn good for me to consider it. It's also an easy way of adding contaminants, these days you got to be really picky on the brand you use and even then a bad batch is still possible. Not much point using a product for long term tank health of 5+ years when it can wipe out the whole tank from one dose.

Water changes are you friend, carbon isn't going to eliminate all your build ups and ruling out certain organics as causes for long term failures may not be overly accurate either.

For water clarify, UV and ozone are other options. I use UV on and off, water clarity has never been an issue and I can't think of any risk involved in using it.

[Delphinus]

Well now wait. I can't answer this without knowing the unstated assumptions. What other variables are there? Is said desert island near good reefs? Is the snorkeling any good? Wait, what, is there food to eat? Because I hear tangs are delicious and if I'm stranded anyhow I might need to eat something sooner or later. But fish are friends not food. I'm so conflicted! Argh!

[kien]

Originally Posted by reefwars

thats another variable too is the fact that carbon does make your water more clear , but that said there are also other products that do the same as well. me personally am happy with my water clarity , im sure it could be better but with my type of tank water being clear is something thats hard to aquire when its being fed 24/7

With my tank being a room divider I have actually noticed my water get dirty when the carbon runs out/is used up. It is evident when you try to peer through one side and out the other.



The cleaner the water is the clearer it is to see the other side of the tank, etc.

[reefwars]

Originally Posted by Delphinus

Well now wait. I can't answer this without knowing the unstated assumptions. What other variables are there? Is said desert island near good reefs? Is the snorkeling any good? Wait, what, is there food to eat? Because I hear tangs are delicious and if I'm stranded anyhow I might need to eat something sooner or later. But fish are friends not food. I'm so conflicted! Argh!

lol , im just looking out my window at the snow and i think i got side tracked about what i was even talking about and got to talking about where id actually like to be :P

[lastlight]

Originally Posted by sphelps

It's also an easy way of adding contaminants, these days you got to be really picky on the brand you use and even then a bad batch is still possible. Not much point using a product for long term tank health of 5+ years when it can wipe out the whole tank from one dose.

This is possible with salt too. But of course that's a necessary evil in this case you're suggesting why add more risk.

[kien]

Originally Posted by lastlight

This is possible with salt too. But of course that's a necessary evil in this case you're suggesting why add more risk.

or if you turn your lights on wrong apparently that can nuke your tank too.