questions about carbon..

[Fphipps]

I have been in the hobby for about 3 years now, saltwater that is...i have had freshwater tanks for 10+ years, and i always heard negative about running carbon in a reef tank. I have been doing some research into phosphate reactors and noticed more people than not run carbon in their reef tanks. so i am interested in doing so as well. I am having a bit of an algae problem and I am purchasing a phosban reactor from BRS(unless you can point me in another direction). I have seen that people use these reactors for carbon as well, hooking up two to a single pump, one for GFO and one for carbon if im not mistaken. so my question is, how often do i change the carbon? some say they run it all the time and change it once a week. some only run it for one week a month or every 2-3 months. And how much do i use for about 100 gallons of water? i have a mixed reef with with one or two SPS a few LPS some mushrooms and zoas. I also have a yellow tang, flame angel, blackline blenny(feisty little guy) and a jaw fish along with a small clean up crew. also, how many gph should i have going through the reactors?.any input would great! thanks!

[TimeConsumer]

Carbon should be changed at the very least every month, but many others (including myself) change it every 2 weeks. I prefer to run it 24/7. With a 100g system you should use between 2/3 and 1 cup, depending on the type of carbon you run. The more aggressive the carbon the less you need. I like to use ROX carbon from BRS because it doesn't require much rinsing. It's pretty forgiving on flow rate, but slower will give a better chance of absorbtion, while faster filters more water. I probably run about 100gph through my reactor.

[downbeach]

I have a 180 mixed reef, and run two of the deluxe BRS reactor's one each for GAC and GFO. I use 1 1/2 cups of the ROX 0.8, and replace it once a month. A month is about as much as you can get out of the GAC, since it will become coated with bacteria, and silt and lose its absorption capability. I use the HC GFO, and get between 9 to 10 weeks before I need to change it out. I used a MJ 400 for the GAC, and a MJ600 for the GFO, both with prefilters. I also added extra sponges to the GAC to minimize movement. The GFO on the other hand needs to be kept fluidized, or it will begin to stick to itself and clump up.

[Fphipps]

so the BRS dual reactor is not the way to go? two separate reactors works better because flow rate is different? the carbon should not be turning like the GFO is what im understanding. what if I were to hang a media sock in the sump with carbon in it? not as effective?

[downbeach]

If space is an issue, you might consider this reactor (http://www.spectrapure.com/manuals/Media_Reactor_Manual.pdf) with a single MJ1200, and adjust the individual outputs for the proper flow rate. Another possibilty is to mix both media's in one reactor, @ 2 pts GAC to 1 pt GFO, this way the GFO is separated by the GAC, and has less of a chance of clumping. But, the best case is to have individual reactor's.

[Fphipps]

Could I get two reactors and hook them both up to a MJ1200 and put valves on the hose to control the flow?

[HippieSmell]

The ROX is good stuff. Just be sure to rinse it really well to avoid HLLE. Having some sort of macro algae in the fuge might help mitigate HLLE while running carbon as well.

[reefgeezer]

I've got a BRS reactor. It's ok for the money, but I do have trouble keeping GFO tumbling. It tends to tumble toward the center and not so much on the outside edge. This leads me to believe that most of the water is passing through only a small part of the GFO. If I try to use it for CAG (Carbon), it clogs quickly. Unlike everything else I've ever bought from BRS, the reactor is sub-par. Knowing what I know now, I'd buy a different reactor.

I don't use GAC very often. I just don't need it in my system. I run a very small amount (~1/4 Cup) of ROX 3 days a month.

[yachtdr22]

so the BRS dual reactor is not the way to go? two separate reactors works better because flow rate is different? the carbon should not be turning like the GFO is what im understanding. what if I were to hang a media sock in the sump with carbon in it? not as effective?

I use the BRS 2 stage GFO/Carbon reactor with BRS ROX Carbon and Hi Cap. GFO.. works great.... very slow flow rate... water discharge about the size of my pinkey..