carbon/sump

[Reefer769]

hey everyone,

i just hooked up my sump not to long ago, and i went out and bought a filter sock and some kent marine carbon. so i filled up the sock with the carbon and tied it to the end of the overflow tube(the end of the overflow tube that is in the sump). will i have to replace this carbon ever? or will it be fine for a while? also the chamber where the mag 5 sits the water level gradually goes down over time(not a couple of days, but in a time period of a few hours it goes down). do you think that its the filter sock thats slowing down the water flow input into the sump thats causing that chamber of water to decrease at such a fast pace? if i would have to replace this carbon every month or so i think im just gunna take it out all together becuase this carbon cost me like 15$, im definetly not going to spend 15$ on carbon every 2 months or so. also now since i finally have my sump up and running, what find of other filtration should i put in the sump aside from the protein skimmer?

[James]

hey everyone,

i just hooked up my sump not to long ago, and i went out and bought a filter sock and some kent marine carbon. so i filled up the sock with the carbon and tied it to the end of the overflow tube(the end of the overflow tube that is in the sump). will i have to replace this carbon ever? or will it be fine for a while? also the chamber where the mag 5 sits the water level gradually goes down over time(not a couple of days, but in a time period of a few hours it goes down). do you think that its the filter sock thats slowing down the water flow input into the sump thats causing that chamber of water to decrease at such a fast pace? if i would have to replace this carbon every month or so i think im just gunna take it out all together becuase this carbon cost me like 15$, im definetly not going to spend 15$ on carbon every 2 months or so. also now since i finally have my sump up and running, what find of other filtration should i put in the sump aside from the protein skimmer?

I rinse out my carbon weekly when i do my water change. Then I replace the carbon with a new one at the end of the month. A good way to tell if it needs replacing is if your tank water starts to have an odor to it. Try to get carbon that is allready in a sock, like Chemi-Pure. If you have to sock it yourself make sure you don't pack the carbon in to tight or it will slow your water flo. Another filtration you may want to think about is a phos. remover like Rowa-phos. Its pricy but works great. Don't use phos guard, I've been told it leaks aluminum into your water. Do you have a micron bag in your sump or does your water just dump into your sump? If you can, post use pictures of your sump so we can see what you have going on. Hope this helps

[saltjunkie]

well, as far as i know.. carbon is used up rather quickly in a saltwater enviroment.
In about 3-5 days, it will be all used up and start leaching chemical back into the tank...
what you are experiencing with the sump is evaporation from more contact with the air... this is completely normal, i have to fill my sump up every morning...
i would only use the carbon with water changes then leave that in for only a few days.......