Can old carbon be used to cycle a quarantine

[Zacktosterone]

I've got carbon that has been running in my trank for a month or so. Can i use it to keep a tank quarantine tank cycled and dose cupramine

[shifty51008]

Im not sure how much bacteria carbon holds so i cant say that for sure but you dont wanna run carbon when dosing cupramine as carbon will remove it from the water

[Zacktosterone]

Im not sure how much bacteria carbon holds so i cant say that for sure but you dont wanna run carbon when dosing cupramine as carbon will remove it from the water

I know this. If it's anyway full i don't see how it could affect it anymore

[Dkuhlmann]

Why are you wanting to run copper?? I say no to the carbon also.

[Zacktosterone]

Why are you wanting to run copper?? I say no to the carbon also.

Because nothing else cures marine velvet or other diseases.

[cloak]

As long as you know for a fact that the carbon is spent then I don't see why you couldn't use the media as a biological filter. It's basically just a bag full of gravel now. Definitely make sure to monitor your levels though just in case. The longer you go without any problems the better, being that the bacteria will start colonizing everything else that submerged as well. GL.

[billdogg]

I suppose that you could, but question would be how do you know the carbon is "spent". I wasn't aware of a test kit available for that.

[cloak]

Time?

I can't remember the last time I saw a fellow reefer running carbon for any longer than a month or so. There's got to be some sort of collected reasoning behind this. If I could run the recommended amount of carbon for a 20 gallon reef tank for two months that would be great, but I have a sneaking suspicion it wouldn't work like that.

[Zacktosterone]

Randy holmes farely once shared with me that carbon is typically spent within the first 48 hours of use. So a month i would assume is good

[kinnadian]

Carbon will not have enough beneficial bacteria on it to cycle a quarantine tank. You need a sponge filter or HOB or canister.

There is also the possibility that some of the carbon is not exhausted, this can lower your effective concentration of cupramine and could mean that your treatment is not 100% effective.

[Zacktosterone]

Carbon will not have enough beneficial bacteria on it to cycle a quarantine tank. You need a sponge filter or HOB or canister.

There is also the possibility that some of the carbon is not exhausted, this can lower your effective concentration of cupramine and could mean that your treatment is not 100% effective.

Alright. Just got to find someone to donate a sponge

[nuxx]

Just add some Instant Ocean BioSpira. Works wonders :)