How often do you run carbon?

[64Ivy]

After years of being all over the place with carbon, I am now using it 24/7 through a MRC CR-L chamber and I change out about half of it once a month.
It began about a year and I half ago when I began using a phosphate reactor and kept the carbon module downstream to catch any media tines that would otherwise get into the tank. Since then, I have removed the phosphate reactor but never got around to removing the carbon reactor. I HAVE noticed a bit more clarity in the water however, which could be attributable to a few things but since everything's running well now, I'm not changing anything. Guess that makes me one of the few reefkeepers running carbon on pure superstition.

[Reefland]

The problem I have with running carbon in our tank is:
Where to place it.
Ease of changing it.

[Ilia]

I used to run carbon 24/7. Instead, I have opted to run o3.

[BubbaWPB]

I used to run carbon 24/7. Instead, I have opted to run o3.

Ilia, you don't run carbon with your ozone?

[Ilia]

Nope, no carbon. I place a bag of carbon on top of the skimmer and that's it.

[fishgeeksrus]

We run it 24/7. I use two mesh bags. Each bag has one cup. I just place it in one of the baffles in the sump. It's changed once a month.

But we also have a Deltec fluidized bed reactor where we run RowaPhos.

[fishgeeksrus]

24/7 method. We use two mesh bags with 1 cup in each. It's changed once a month. We also have a Deltec Fluidized bed reactor where we run RowaPhos.

[rededteck]

I run it 24/7. I use pantyhose knee highs as the media bag and it is placed in my sump under direct water flow. I change it about 1 time per month or when the water is not the perfect pristine clarity. Ninong can probably tell you how long carbon is good for or what to look for to know its ready to change.

[ericb]

I run a large bag at the outflow of my skimmer 24/7 - I would remove the skimmer before I would remove the carbon.

[ODDBALL361]

I use carbon 24/7 also in my canister filter. Change it once a month.

[sihaya]

How about "when it's on sale." LOL J/k

Eric- why is running carbon is so important?

[ericb]

I get 90 pound bags. I refuse to pay the ridiculous price of aquarium manufaturers. Turns out to be about $1 per pound or a little less and is the best quality carbon I have ever experienced.

I run it because I think inherently skimmers remove a lot of what we want in the tank and carbon removes the things we don't.

[sihaya]

I understand that about skimmers... but what is it that's bad that the carbon is removing? I know they remove toxins from alellopathy... but would that be such a big deal in leather-less tanks? What else does carbon remove that's bad?

Now the more burning question... what the hell are you doing up at 6am on a saturday?!

[sihaya]

I get 90 pound bags. I refuse to pay the ridiculous price of aquarium manufaturers. Turns out to be about $1 per pound or a little less and is the best quality carbon I have ever experienced.

That's awesome, but where do you get it? Who sells carbon like that? and for what? What else is it used for?

[rededteck]

90 lbs of carbon would last me 90 years.... I guess I would never run out and I could will it off....