what kind of gfo and carbon?

[AquaAdam]

I was recently given a brs reactor and they gave me enough gfo and carbon to fill the reactors. From what I remember the person was saying that not all carbon and gfo that you can buy are the same; and some are better than others. My question is How do I know the difference between the "good stuff" and the "not so good stuff" for lack of better terms. And just curious what people on here are currently using. Also do you change it out every month? what's the rule of thumb with changing the media inside?

Thanks!

[Vinny Kreyling]

GFO
You really need a good phosphate test kit. Many say to shoot for .003, I will run till .10,
maybe a little higher.
To determine when to change, measure water from reactor exit & compare to tank water.
The same or close tells you it has to be changed. I use Phosban from 2 Little Fishies.
CARBON, subjective but @ least once a month.
You can search for more opinions.

[JTL]

Buy the high end carbon from BRS when you rinse it you get no dust. I have tried many.

[Frogmanx82]

Originally Posted by jtl

buy the high end carbon from brs when you risen it you get no dust. I have tried many.

+1

[mcgyvr]

Run GFO if you actually have a phosphate problem.. You can cause more problems running it if you don't actually have a need for it.. not to mention its just a waste of money at that point..

carbon can be run whenever..

In general the exhaustion rates for both are different so its not the best move to run them both in the same reactor.. GFO can be exhausted in hours/days depending on phosphate levels and carbon can last weeks/months..

BRS has ROX, lignite and bituminous carbon (best to worst)

[shaginwagon13]

Originally Posted by AquaAdam

I was recently given a brs reactor and they gave me enough gfo and carbon to fill the reactors. From what I remember the person was saying that not all carbon and gfo that you can buy are the same; and some are better than others. My question is How do I know the difference between the "good stuff" and the "not so good stuff" for lack of better terms. And just curious what people on here are currently using. Also do you change it out every month? what's the rule of thumb with changing the media inside?



Thanks!

If you can, source medical / food grade carbon and you will pay 80% less than the stuff you buy at ANY reef or aquarium store. Before I get anyone saying that's it's not the same grade, I can tell you 100% that it is.

And yes, I am well aware that different carbon is better/worse for our purposes. You can find the exact same grade of carbon or better if you do a little digging. I buy mine in bulk because of the size of my tank and and it's a sin how much cheaper you can buy it for.


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[AquaAdam]

Originally Posted by Vinny Kreyling

GFO
You really need a good phosphate test kit. Many say to shoot for .003, I will run till .10,
maybe a little higher.
To determine when to change, measure water from reactor exit & compare to tank water.
The same or close tells you it has to be changed. I use Phosban from 2 Little Fishies.
CARBON, subjective but @ least once a month.
You can search for more opinions.

Good to know. Thank-you!

[AquaAdam]

Originally Posted by mcgyvr

Run GFO if you actually have a phosphate problem.. You can cause more problems running it if you don't actually have a need for it.. not to mention its just a waste of money at that point..

carbon can be run whenever..

In general the exhaustion rates for both are different so its not the best move to run them both in the same reactor.. GFO can be exhausted in hours/days depending on phosphate levels and carbon can last weeks/months..

BRS has ROX, lignite and bituminous carbon (best to worst)

Thanks I'll look into those.

[AquaAdam]

Originally Posted by shaginwagon13

If you can, source medical / food grade carbon and you will pay 80% less than the stuff you buy at ANY reef or aquarium store. Before I get anyone saying that's it's not the same grade, I can tell you 100% that it is.

And yes, I am well aware that different carbon is better/worse for our purposes. You can find the exact same grade of carbon or better if you do a little digging. I buy mine in bulk because of the size of my tank and and it's a sin how much cheaper you can buy it for.


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So essentially your saying as long as the carbon is "food grade" than it is fine for a reef tank? I'm not sure where I would look for this but I will definitely keep it in mind, especially if its 80% cheaper. Thanks.

[shaginwagon13]

Originally Posted by AquaAdam

So essentially your saying as long as the carbon is "food grade" than it is fine for a reef tank? I'm not sure where I would look for this but I will definitely keep it in mind, especially if its 80% cheaper. Thanks.

Check your PM


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[olemiss reb]

Originally Posted by shaginwagon13

If you can, source medical / food grade carbon and you will pay 80% less than the stuff you buy at ANY reef or aquarium store. Before I get anyone saying that's it's not the same grade, I can tell you 100% that it is.

And yes, I am well aware that different carbon is better/worse for our purposes. You can find the exact same grade of carbon or better if you do a little digging. I buy mine in bulk because of the size of my tank and and it's a sin how much cheaper you can buy it for.


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Where about do you get this?

[Zephrant]

Don't buy carbon from Ebay though. I bought a cubic foot and it lasted 6+ years for me. Went to do it again, and the new stuff leached something in to my tank that killed fish, corals and inverts. To this day I still don't know what it leached, but within two days I was loosing things.

Full tank tear-down, managed to save two fish and a few corals. Tossed the sand and real Marshal Island live rock from the '90s. Full wash-down of the tank with vinegar, and an all new setup with dry rock.

So I strongly suggest name brand carbon only.

[Frogmanx82]

No two carbon products are the same. There is a fingerprint unique to each manufacturing location based on process and raw materials. They are made from many different types of materials and for many different purposes. Medical grade doesn't tell you crap about what it does for treating water in a reef tank. BRS is great because it doesn't dust. Dust is known to contribute to lateral line disease. Many reefers have experience with this product and its not that expensive.

[shaginwagon13]

Originally Posted by Frogmanx82

No two carbon products are the same. There is a fingerprint unique to each manufacturing location based on process and raw materials. They are made from many different types of materials and for many different purposes. Medical grade doesn't tell you crap about what it does for treating water in a reef tank. BRS is great because it doesn't dust. Dust is known to contribute to lateral line disease. Many reefers have experience with this product and its not that expensive.

None of the reef or any hobby stores for that matter manufacture carbon to any degree. They all buy it. If you look around, you can easily tell who and where they all buy it from, it’s not a hard search, and it saves you a ton of money.

[Frogmanx82]

Originally Posted by shaginwagon13

None of the reef or any hobby stores for that matter manufacture carbon to any degree. They all buy it. If you look around, you can easily tell who and where they all buy it from, it’s not a hard search, and it saves you a ton of money.

So where can I get the stuff BRS sells that doesn't dust?

[shaginwagon13]

Originally Posted by Frogmanx82

So where can I get the stuff BRS sells that doesn't dust?

Check your PM

[Frogmanx82]

Well I have to agree that a bit of googling can get to to where BRS gets their carbon. The trick is getting it cheaper which depends on how much you are willing to buy. Also I wouldn't say any food grade would be comparable. The specific carbon BRS sells uses a particular process that reduces dust.

[shaginwagon13]

Originally Posted by Frogmanx82

Well I have to agree that a bit of googling can get to to where BRS gets their carbon. The trick is getting it cheaper which depends on how much you are willing to buy. Also I wouldn't say any food grade would be comparable. The specific carbon BRS sells uses a particular process that reduces dust.

You can find anything on Google.

I agree, you want the dustless carbon.

[pleasants9]

Can we just post this mysterious source of cheap high quality carbon?

[billdogg]

Originally Posted by pleasants9

Can we just post this mysterious source of cheap high quality carbon?

Please???

(or a PM to me too)

[lapin]

I passed the test. It did take about 15min. Cheaper by the pallet.

[shaginwagon13]

Check your PM's

[Nam Nguyen]

Originally Posted by lapin

I passed the test. It did take about 15min. Cheaper by the pallet.

Can you send us the link plz


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[shaginwagon13]

Originally Posted by Nam Nguyen

Can you send us the link plz


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sent.

[Nam Nguyen]

Originally Posted by shaginwagon13

sent.

i didn't get it yet bro