We received this message and thought we’d share it with our readers. It is something that we feel should be done in both Carbon Dosed and Non-Carbon Dosed Tanks.
Eric,
Morning. I’ve been using your VSV recipe for the past 2 months, and tonight I will start adding some biodigest to re-kick start my bac population.
I was [...]
We received this message and thought we’d share it with our readers. It is something that we feel should be done in both Carbon Dosed and Non-Carbon Dosed Tanks.
Eric,
Morning. I’ve been using your VSV recipe for the past 2 months, and tonight I will start adding some biodigest to re-kick start my bac population.
I was looking at your website and I had a question re your carbon. You said that you have it passively filtering in the sump. I assume that this is not in a reactor but in a filter back hanging in the sump? Is this correct? I have been considering doing this for a couple of reasons, first to make the change easier, and second so that I can kneed the carbon on occasion. Have you found this to be the case?
Also, what are you using for ca/alk supplementation? I didn’t see anything listed on your website. Just water changes?
Chris
Hi Chris,
That is correct, by passively we mean in a filter bag in the sump. We keep it just after the last baffle. It is kneaded daily and we find it not only releases a bit of mulm, but keeps the water clearer by cleaning out the particles that collect on the carbon.
For Calcium and Alkalinity supplementation we use 2-Part. We do incorporate frequent water changes, but that is for trace elements and nutrients more so than calcium and alkalinity supplementation.
Hope that helps,
Eric Michael Sanchez
glassbox-design.com
What ever the system may be, including Fish Only or Reefs, we are advocates of Activated Carbon. The clarity it brings can help any system. We currently use ROX 8.0 Activated Carbon, pictured above, and have found it to be effective and quite powerful. It is a hard carbon, that is very small– think pencil lead.
We use only 4tbs and change out the ROX based on water clarity (approx. 3-4 weeks). In general Carbon works best when first added to the aquarium, but as time goes on detritus, bacteria, and biofilms develop and clog the pores of the Carbon. By gently kneading you can help remove these deposits. This creates food for corals and makes your carbon last longer.
If you run your Carbon passively, try kneading it. You’ll be surprised at how much longer your aquarium can go before changing it out.
