Will totally watch the longer video. I personally can't get enough reef related videos and you don't often see long format content. The beauty of UA-cam is you can always skip around a long video if it gets boring, but I don't see that happening for your upcoming post.
I enjoy longer videos as well. If I need to pause them and come back to it I can. I learn a lot about reef keeping from UA-cam (I only watch people that have been in the hobby for many years and have seen or done it all lol) keep up the great work. Looking forward to that video!
I just wanted to say, everyone of your videos are 10 out of 10. I hate waiting on videos, but when it comes to your channel I know it is always worth the wait. I just wanted to say thank you so much for working so hard on making these videos so great. I couldn't give a price of how amazing your info, point of view, and opinions are, giving us your wealth of knowledge. Thank you so much for all you do!
+KalebNJake Thanks! I really would like to be able to get them done weekly as originally planned, but it doesn't work out that way. I'd like them to be good, so I don't rush them. That being said, I have nearly 10 videos to get knocked out before the end of the year, so you have plenty to look forward to. :)
Thanks for the video, informative and well filmed as always. I run my carbon in my MR1 placed at the top above my GFO. Works really well to polish the water. You mentioned cyano, I ran into that problem while carbon doisng trying to get rid of algae issues. As soon as I stopped carbon dosing it went away within 2 days. I tried multiple carbon sources and they all produced cyano. I mention this knowing you carbon dose, so maybe that may be the contributing cause. Love your videos and definitely enjoy the longer videos you produce, so an hour long video, especially on such a large system, will be great to watch. I find when reviewing tank systems, shorter videos tend to rush the info and overview so not all the information can be delivered.
Hey Marc good to see you making some new videos! I personally look forward to seeing your interview with Joe, the longer the better! working as a professional aquarist myself its always nice to see how other run large systems and I know hos is one of the best out there currently. thanks again
Please post the LI Aquarium video, everyone needs to see it. Joe is the coolest dude ever, over the summer in 2013 I drove to LI with my wife and daughters from the Bronx and it was about a 2 hour trip just to see this aquarium after I read a 2007 article he published in Advanced Aquarist about it. When I saw him walk out from the maintenance area I told him what we did and he said "well that deserves a tour!" And he took me and my family on an insane tour of it, it's workings, holding areas and even let my daughters hold a baby penguin and feed the 20k aquarium and all the surrounding aquariums across the catwalk, such a cool guy man, I was really grateful, wife said I was like a kid at Christmas lol. I must have taken 200 pictures and it was really something to behold.
Please put up the full one hour video! Great to watch and very easy to come back to if you need a break. I'll put it on my big screen and just sit back relax while I watch. Thanks for the effort so the rest have amazing videos to watch! - Mark-
I can watch all your video all day at work haha, Great advice and it satisfies me knowing that I actually figured out some things you talk about in your video before seeing them :) Thanks for all the important info, there is so much misleading info on UA-cam right now. Only had my reef running for about a year, and I can say your videos have helped a lot in never having a crash of any kind, I started from literally 0 knowledge on reef keeping!
I can hardly wait for the video of the 20,000 gallon reef, looks very interesting and sounds to be helpful. Always enjoy all your videos, it's my entertainment and also I'm new to the reef aquarium. Thank you so much.
Great video! I just started using a reactor for carbon again. Before it was just a bag. Quick question, would you recommend running it for 3-5 days and not again for a few weeks, or once a week? Would running it once a week with fresh carbon be beneficial or is once a month for a week good enough? thanks!
+ROTTER tube Reef Once a month for 3-5 days should be good enough to polish the water. Then take it offline, clean it out and set it aside until next month.
Long videos.. short videos.. it doesn't matter all your videos are very well done and helps many people from a rookie that is learning his way into the hobbie or gives new ideas to experts, specially with a videos like this one, its great to review or learn your methods.Thank you for the time you spend doing your videos.. big fan.
Any suggestions on a video editor? Never used one or have one. Was originally just shooting the video to have as a record for myself to look back on but then thought others might benefit from my errors or triumphs. Never thought it would ever be any sort of production as I don't really have the time to do it. Thanks for feedback.
a 1 hour video is good every once in a while. I'm excited to see this vid. The regular videos you should keep 20 mins or less. Most of us follow several people on you tube and don't have the time to watch long vids.
shoot this definetly helped me out I'm in the process of buying a reactor for carbon and we'll information out there is crazy glad you broke it down definetly my favorite channel to watch bring that 1 hour video on gives me a reason to stay in
great advice on carbon I used to run passively but now do the exact same as you run it for 4 to 5 days then leave it for a month I'd like an hour vid of a system like that thanks for your time and help
Great video, thank you for that. I have one question, in the USA, you use to have Carbon in your sumps to remove all bad things and in order to have very clear water ! Here in France, some guys are using Carbons but lot of peope hesitate.... The one who are using carbon don't let it more than 3 or 4 days each time in the sump or reactor ... They don't like to let it too long in service ! Could you tell me how long i could use my carbon in passive in my sump in order to keep a very very clear water ? what is your opinion ? I have watched to your video two times but as my english is bad i certainly lost the information i need lol Thanks in advance? Best regards. Hope to read you soon. Marc from Normandy - France ( my reef tank : Red sea REEFER 250 )
Great video, Marc. There's a lot of misinformation regarding carbon out there, nice to see you dispel some myths. Also, good to see quality valves in your sump. Every time I see a tank with those awful white-with-red-handle valves, I feel bad for the owner -- because a few months down the road those valves are going to lock up tight...
I stopped using granulated carbon on a continuous basis a while back. I noticed I would sometimes have STN episodes after changing it out. The higher the grade of carbon, the more likely I would get some STN. Now I use powdered carbon in my diatom filter. I run it for a few hours every other week or so. It works great, I save money and no STN.
Hi Mel, I enjoyed the video as always. I use carbon in a couple of canister filters, simply to free up space in my sump and as you said, it works perfectly. However, I change it once a month when I do a 50 gallon water change. I noticed that you believe carbon stops working after a few days, but surely this depends on the load it is absorbing does it not? I also checked a couple of the other people I subscribe to (BRS and Mr Saltwater tank) and they seem to advocate about 4 weeks as well. So I guess my question is, why do you believe carbon only lasts a few days? I hope you include plenty of video on the behind the scenes of this large system you are going to feature. Do it whichever way i easier for you. I can either click on a new video link or pause a longer video. No biggie either way. Thanks for the videos. I find them informative and fun.
true... refrigerator systems say for example, 300 gallons or 6 months. If we think about an aquarium, it's way dirtier than tap water and turnover through the carbon will hit 300 gallons pretty fast. At first I was skeptical of what you said, but it's probably true. @@melevsreef
I just missed you I think last month you came down to San Diego some of my friends from sdreefs where there. I'm bummed that I didn't attend that meeting that you where speaking at. Next time for sure MACNA San Diego if you go I'm sure you will. loving your videos and reef tank. Definitely interested in seeing that huge reef make it as long as possible video!
True that. Carbon is bye bye after a couple of days through active circulation. Many are told to keep it in for a month. My return pump is 800 gallons an hour. For 1/2 cup of carbon this becomes quickly utilized and exhausted.
another great video as like you have described I have activated carbon in a mesh bag just sitting in my sump next to my return pump I have 5 bags of it for a 120 litre 26 gallon tank is this to much. and second I will get a reactor for carbon for the future. Peter from London england
Looking forward to the long video :) keep up the good work!! Also... Regarding carbon. What's your opinion on extruded carbon vs granular when running ozone? Thanks :)
+melevsreef I just got a GFO + Carbon reactor but wish I had have happened across this video first. I thought perhaps dosing Phosphate Rx wasn't what the pros did, but clearly I was wrong. :)
I'm cool with the long video, but maybe you could put an index in the description? That way if I want I don't have to sit through the whole things again if I want to refer back to certain part of it. Thanks
If I might offer up a suggestion.I am super interested in the whole video, but would prefer it in smaller chunks. 15mins is a good duration. Long enough to be dense with material and allow my brain to let it sink in. You then have content for four weeks where you can release the videos in a series.
so you mentioned you don't like reactors that use ro housings. Im assuming you're talking about the brs reactors? just wondering what your reasoning for that is?
I've been in the hobby since 97' and embarrassed to say that I did not have a good understanding of the use of carbon. I have always been aware of how it polishes the water, but always thought it did much more in terms of removing organics. I don't run carbon all the time, but probably ran it a lot more than necessary. Any thoughts on the limited use of carbon and preventing lateral line disease? I look forward to the video on the Long Island aquarium, even a really long one. Thanks Mark!
I was under the impression that when running carbon in a reactor, one should push that top filter sponge and the filter plate down onto the carbon in the reactor so that it cannot tumble to reduce the amount of carbon tumbling and dust created? Or perhaps your low flow handles that. Thoughts?
+DiepBlueC If you control the flow rate in the reactor, you can avoid any type of tumbling. I rinse it very well before it is hooked up so dust has never been a factor. The slower the flow, the better.
i would break that 1 hour video into 2 parts. Just for loading purposes. i usually watch your videos when I'm out with my phone so sometimes it takes a while to load. Great videos keep it up.
got any idea where I can get replacement foam pads for my nextreef reactor? I know the company went out of business. Can't seem to find them or a suitable replacement for them on the web.
Nothing wrong with using ro/di canisters as a reactor. What do you think the “di” filter is? It’s a reactor. This saves a lot of money on overpriced reactors. Plus it is so easy to daisy chain multiple units. I have followed you for years and appreciate your insight. I just felt like your were sales pitching against a certain online vendor.
Few questions. What is better, if you can only have one of them, Carbon or GFO? and if there is a tube in and a tube out, why the reactor needs to be imersed in water, is it possible to just not? btw: My aquarium is a nano, 63 L(~16 gallons). I'm having an algae problem.
If the reactor leaks, it leaks into the sump. If you want to run it externally, you definitely can. But you may need a towel one day. ;) Carbon pulls out some organics, clarifies water (removes discoloration), absorbs some trace metals. To learn more about carbon, read the two articles I linked in the video's description. GFO controls phosphate by binding to the media. Two different things, entirely. So you have to decide what you are trying to accomplish. I have a video about green hair algae you might want to watch. ua-cam.com/video/xilqKzoOgBE/v-deo.html
Just starting back up with saltwater. Saltwater Paradise set me up with an established tank 75 Gallon Tank with a Sump (Waxahachie Texas). I am wondering what type of active carbon filtration you would use for my type of tank?
Hello sir... can I ask you this sir sir I'm using ocean revive t247 for my saltwater aquarium it been 6months I have some Acropora corals what is best led lights for them do I keep same light are changing different light.. Can you help solving problems of light on my tank Thanks....
Hey,what do you think about me doing this for my Nano 29 gallon ref.im running a ac 70 with sponge,chemi pure blue,marineland carbon.Im also a penguin 350 with filter floss and 2 bags of matrix bio media.Im doing a 5 gallon water change once a week.
I have as of now 1 clownfish and one yellowtail damsel.Planning on getting royal gramma,fire fish,yellow watchman goby and maybe a few more if i see something i like.For corals i wanted to get a toadstool for sure,some simple softies and leathers like gsp,exenia,mushrooms,devils hand.Could i do some lps like forg spawn,hammers and torches with no dosing?
Excellent. Love the vids, love the presentation, really looking forward to the big presentation on the large reef and I am absolutely tuning in on the NYOS 300. I have a 400Gal or 1500L because I am in Australia :) and I am absolutely considering the NYOS 300. It's sitting at roughly $1,300 USD which is about $1,800 AUD so I would be keen to hear if you would consider the skimmer value at the $1,300 USD price point!
+melevsreef I'm happy to wait. Not spending that much money just yet, I am only just starting to wash my sand and plumb the returns etc. Looking forward to it.
You should do a video on algae scrubbers and a proper way to set them up. Since they are fairly new to the hobby I believe a lot of new hobbyists aren't aware that something like this exists and I haven't found a video that goes in depth with information on why we should use them.
+joe ganja Thanks for the suggestion. Believe it or not, ATS came out about 15 years ago and were very popular in Australia. It does seem like they are suddenly all the rage now. Maybe I'll make one and try it out myself. :)
+melevsreef I just set one up for myself and I hope to eliminate some or most my hair algae in my main display. But try it and let us know how it goes!
Doesn't the carbon tumble with the top sponge not pushed down to compress it? I've heard that will make the carbon grind itself into dust. I know you run with super low flow though...
Why do people have fish in their sump? I hear a lot of people say this, but have never had an explanation. I hope you don't mind the dumb question! Great channel btw :)
+FishyMats These fish were accidentally shipped to me instead of the AP700 LED light by Kessil that I reviewed about two months ago. Since they are survivors, they are going into my new frag tank that I just finished building. I'll make the stand tomorrow and hopefully Sunday get some water in it. In a few weeks, those damsels will get a new home. :)
Hello Mark. Wonderful videos that have been instrumental with helping me take my very first plunge into the saltwater hobby with a 32g biocube. About 6 m,onths in now and I can not seem to get rid of very fine particles in my water. I have a hang on the back media reactor and am wondering if I replace the bio pellets with carbon if that will make a difference. Right now I run phosguard and carbon together in the same bag in an after market Intank media basket. I do run several pieces of filter floss at the top of the basket and all water flows through this floss, but I just can't seem to make any dent in the particles. Thanks in advance!
Are you talking about white flakes blowing around, or detritus? My own reef has a situation last year where I had white dots blowing around everywhere. If I recall correctly, it was an imbalance of my water parameters that once corrected, resolved the problem. Maybe you are dealing with something similar?
I checked and found my Calcium was very high around 560. I have been using instant ocean reef salt to mix my own salt water. I checked parameters after i mixed a fresh batch and found the calcium was way to high. Salinity was 1.026. Would this be the culprit?
What I do to flush out new carbon/gfo is I connect it back to the pump in my sump and have my tank water rinse it, exiting into a bucket when I do a water change. Is this ideal?
Great video along with all the others I’ve watched lol.. was wondering how you clean the black water from the carbon? I’m dealing with that now on a new tank. Nothing in it just sand and rock
Appreciate your feed back. How would I get my water clear again? I did not see this video before I did my carbon an didn’t rinse well an now my water is black.
Normally filtration will remove it. Are you sure it isn’t just dust on the glass than can be wiped away? Do you have a protein skimmer? What size aquarium?
The reactor has a sponge, usually at the bottom as well as the top, which keeps the carbon in the main body and out of the plumbing. You can see the sponges in this video. Water will pass through all the carbon this way.
Good quality Carbon reactor that I can buy in UK please. I'm getting a new Red Sea MAX S 650- in Feb/Mar and my existing 5ft aquarium has got an external Ehiem Pro so been using pre-washed carbon on a tie up sleeve-I can testify to carbon usage. I would like to tell you it was a good day when I found your site and totally enjoy long & shorts info vids. One minus-in UK and EU we cannot get a lot of the foods / reactors etc that you advertise - use?
That's the challenge, to be able to get things in your own area. I'm imagine Deltec products are available there; what about Two Little Fishies? Both make reactors, and sell internationally.
Using different types of carbon has little to do with the product size in regards to leaving/escaping the reactor, media bag, etc. Each size has a different pore structure designed to remove different contaminants; and in turn each has various uses depending on what you're trying to accomplish.
Thanks for the video on carbon!! My montipora started peeling off on the side when I ran the carbon for 2 days and I just realized I put too much carbon. My water came crystal clear but my montipora were not happy. Lesson learned. Should I deduct the live rock from calculating 1 cup per 50 gallon? How often and how long I I should run the carbon? I am nervous to run it now after what happen to my montipora..
It's 1/2 a cup of GAC per 50g of water, and you could err on the side of caution and do true liquid volume, subtracting for the displacement (rock and sand). As stated in this video, I don't believe carbon lasts more than a few days, so I'd hook up a reactor for about 3-4 days once a month to polish the water. When it starts getting a tad mucky and you can't take it, run carbon again. That's what I do. :)
Carbon is used in freshwater and saltwater tanks to polish the water. It improves clarity and removes toxins from the water. Corals are always fighting for space using chemical warfare if not outright sweepers, and carbon helps pull that out of the water as well. Corals don't suffer from carbon use, and as I mentioned in the video, I'm only suggesting you run it for a few days each month. New foods, additives, water changes all replenish amino acids, fatty acids and a variety of trace elements. Plus you can buy bottles of those things if you felt the need to add them - although I never have needed any.
Marc when I think I’ve seen all your videos I dig an old one and always learn more. Thanks.
A long video about reef tanks and some info is always good
I personnally love long format videos, and if I need it chopped up into 15 min chunks I have convenient access to a pause button.
+Christopher Staley That is a GREAT answer! :)
Bring it on! I'd love to hear Joe for an hour. There's always the pause button if I need a bathroom break!
Can't wait for that long video. Definitely enjoy and appreciate the time you put in to make these.
I'm definitely willing to watch an hour long video about tanks. Love all of your stuff!
heck yeah i would totally want to see an hour long discussion with Joe and his amazing tank!!
I watched your interview on the 20,000 gallon reef. It was excellent. Top job
Thanks! :)
I would love to see the video in it's entirety. can't wait thank you for your hard work.
Will totally watch the longer video. I personally can't get enough reef related videos and you don't often see long format content. The beauty of UA-cam is you can always skip around a long video if it gets boring, but I don't see that happening for your upcoming post.
I enjoy longer videos as well. If I need to pause them and come back to it I can. I learn a lot about reef keeping from UA-cam (I only watch people that have been in the hobby for many years and have seen or done it all lol) keep up the great work. Looking forward to that video!
Melev, i just want to say thank you for making these videos! Your videos are both entertaining and immensely helpful!
I just wanted to say, everyone of your videos are 10 out of 10. I hate waiting on videos, but when it comes to your channel I know it is always worth the wait. I just wanted to say thank you so much for working so hard on making these videos so great. I couldn't give a price of how amazing your info, point of view, and opinions are, giving us your wealth of knowledge. Thank you so much for all you do!
+KalebNJake Thanks! I really would like to be able to get them done weekly as originally planned, but it doesn't work out that way. I'd like them to be good, so I don't rush them. That being said, I have nearly 10 videos to get knocked out before the end of the year, so you have plenty to look forward to. :)
+melevsreef Well I'm looking forward to it. Thanks Again!
Excited about upcoming video. Will definitely watch a full hour.
it would be great to see a long video. can finally eat a meal and watch something worth my while
The hour long video was awesome, the longer they are the more information you can get thorugh.
I'm down for an hour long MelevsReef video about a 20k gallon reef tank, I like the longer videos. Thanks for making videos btw!
Can't wait for the long video! Great info on the carbon!
Wonderful video. Can't wait to see the next one your talking about. Thank you for all your hard work, very appreciated!! :)
Thanks for the video, informative and well filmed as always. I run my carbon in my MR1 placed at the top above my GFO. Works really well to polish the water. You mentioned cyano, I ran into that problem while carbon doisng trying to get rid of algae issues. As soon as I stopped carbon dosing it went away within 2 days. I tried multiple carbon sources and they all produced cyano. I mention this knowing you carbon dose, so maybe that may be the contributing cause. Love your videos and definitely enjoy the longer videos you produce, so an hour long video, especially on such a large system, will be great to watch. I find when reviewing tank systems, shorter videos tend to rush the info and overview so not all the information can be delivered.
Just got around to watching this! Great video! Love the preview of what is to come!
A one hour video would be great! Can't wait to see it! :)
Hey Marc good to see you making some new videos! I personally look forward to seeing your interview with Joe, the longer the better! working as a professional aquarist myself its always nice to see how other run large systems and I know hos is one of the best out there currently. thanks again
Please post the LI Aquarium video, everyone needs to see it. Joe is the coolest dude ever, over the summer in 2013 I drove to LI with my wife and daughters from the Bronx and it was about a 2 hour trip just to see this aquarium after I read a 2007 article he published in Advanced Aquarist about it. When I saw him walk out from the maintenance area I told him what we did and he said "well that deserves a tour!" And he took me and my family on an insane tour of it, it's workings, holding areas and even let my daughters hold a baby penguin and feed the 20k aquarium and all the surrounding aquariums across the catwalk, such a cool guy man, I was really grateful, wife said I was like a kid at Christmas lol. I must have taken 200 pictures and it was really something to behold.
+rahjelli It's up! ua-cam.com/video/2pxTBHtnl-s/v-deo.html
Please put up the full one hour video! Great to watch and very easy to come back to if you need a break. I'll put it on my big screen and just sit back relax while I watch. Thanks for the effort so the rest have amazing videos to watch! - Mark-
I can watch all your video all day at work haha,
Great advice and it satisfies me knowing that I actually figured out some things you talk about in your video before seeing them :)
Thanks for all the important info, there is so much misleading info on UA-cam right now.
Only had my reef running for about a year, and I can say your videos have helped a lot in never having a crash of any kind, I started from literally 0 knowledge on reef keeping!
Thanks for the video Marc! Very informative. Looking forward to the new video, absolutely love that reef!
I can hardly wait for the video of the 20,000 gallon reef, looks very interesting and sounds to be helpful. Always enjoy all your videos, it's my entertainment and also I'm new to the reef aquarium. Thank you so much.
Did that man run carbon in New York? Thanks
Thank you for all the great videos you produce. Your reef tank is amazing. "Happy reefing"
Great video! I just started using a reactor for carbon again. Before it was just a bag. Quick question, would you recommend running it for 3-5 days and not again for a few weeks, or once a week? Would running it once a week with fresh carbon be beneficial or is once a month for a week good enough? thanks!
+ROTTER tube Reef Once a month for 3-5 days should be good enough to polish the water. Then take it offline, clean it out and set it aside until next month.
great thanks!
Long videos.. short videos.. it doesn't matter all your videos are very well done and helps many people from a rookie that is learning his way into the hobbie or gives new ideas to experts, specially with a videos like this one, its great to review or learn your methods.Thank you for the time you spend doing your videos.. big fan.
I prefer the full video, but I'll watch the whole thing either way. Great videos!!!
Great info! Looking forward to the next videos.
Any suggestions on a video editor? Never used one or have one. Was originally just shooting the video to have as a record for myself to look back on but then thought others might benefit from my errors or triumphs. Never thought it would ever be any sort of production as I don't really have the time to do it. Thanks for feedback.
totally looking forward to the long video. it'll be like movie night for the reefer in me.
a 1 hour video is good every once in a while. I'm excited to see this vid. The regular videos you should keep 20 mins or less. Most of us follow several people on you tube and don't have the time to watch long vids.
shoot this definetly helped me out I'm in the process of buying a reactor for carbon and we'll information out there is crazy glad you broke it down definetly my favorite channel to watch bring that 1 hour video on gives me a reason to stay in
great advice on carbon I used to run passively but now do the exact same as you run it for 4 to 5 days then leave it for a month I'd like an hour vid of a system like that thanks for your time and help
Nice update... The long addition of course!
Awesome Video as always. Hell yeah 1 hour video, that would be great,
Great video, thank you for that. I have one question, in the USA, you use to have Carbon in your sumps to remove all bad things and in order to have very clear water ! Here in France, some guys are using Carbons but lot of peope hesitate.... The one who are using carbon don't let it more than 3 or 4 days each time in the sump or reactor ... They don't like to let it too long in service !
Could you tell me how long i could use my carbon in passive in my sump in order to keep a very very clear water ? what is your opinion ? I have watched to your video two times but as my english is bad i certainly lost the information i need lol Thanks in advance? Best regards. Hope to read you soon. Marc from Normandy - France ( my reef tank : Red sea REEFER 250 )
id love a hr long vid man !!! all ur vids inspire a inform me so what ever u post il watch lol
Great video, Marc. There's a lot of misinformation regarding carbon out there, nice to see you dispel some myths.
Also, good to see quality valves in your sump. Every time I see a tank with those awful white-with-red-handle valves, I feel bad for the owner -- because a few months down the road those valves are going to lock up tight...
Andy Young Tell me bout it! I have these valves, ugh!
I stopped using granulated carbon on a continuous basis a while back. I noticed I would sometimes have STN episodes after changing it out. The higher the grade of carbon, the more likely I would get some STN. Now I use powdered carbon in my diatom filter. I run it for a few hours every other week or so. It works great, I save money and no STN.
Hi Mel, I enjoyed the video as always. I use carbon in a couple of canister filters, simply to free up space in my sump and as you said, it works perfectly. However, I change it once a month when I do a 50 gallon water change. I noticed that you believe carbon stops working after a few days, but surely this depends on the load it is absorbing does it not? I also checked a couple of the other people I subscribe to (BRS and Mr Saltwater tank) and they seem to advocate about 4 weeks as well. So I guess my question is, why do you believe carbon only lasts a few days? I hope you include plenty of video on the behind the scenes of this large system you are going to feature. Do it whichever way i easier for you. I can either click on a new video link or pause a longer video. No biggie either way. Thanks for the videos. I find them informative and fun.
You can see the way the water looks a few days later to tell if the Carbon is no longer pulling out tinge from the system.
true... refrigerator systems say for example, 300 gallons or 6 months. If we think about an aquarium, it's way dirtier than tap water and turnover through the carbon will hit 300 gallons pretty fast. At first I was skeptical of what you said, but it's probably true. @@melevsreef
I don't mind seeing a 1 hour video as long as see a tour of the life support system!
Wait let me run to restock on popcorn and soda! years back I read about Joe Yaiullo and I was amazed! can't wait. please make it 3 hours if you can!
Very interesting video. your tank looks really nice. look forward to seeing the video on the Huge reef.
i got a few awesome frags from Joe when he spoke at our club last year. Did he give you anything unique. ? When you putting that video up?
+Dee From Brooklyn I did come home with a few frags from ReefGen. :) I hope to get the video uploaded later tonight. Finally!
I just missed you I think last month you came down to San Diego some of my friends from sdreefs where there. I'm bummed that I didn't attend that meeting that you where speaking at. Next time for sure MACNA San Diego if you go I'm sure you will. loving your videos and reef tank. Definitely interested in seeing that huge reef make it as long as possible video!
+Hector Hinojosa I will be there at that MACNA as a speaker, sponsor and vendor. You'll find me all three days in the Melev's Reef booth. ;)
take ur time making ur videos they always come out great ...love ur reef..
I also vote for the hour long video. And thanks for this useful info about carbon, I'm still a newbie to the hobby.
True that. Carbon is bye bye after a couple of days through active circulation. Many are told to keep it in for a month. My return pump is 800 gallons an hour. For 1/2 cup of carbon this becomes quickly utilized and exhausted.
+Alex Kingcole
also, thank you for posting the 20K gallon reef! Love it, love it, love it. I was at Joe's 2015 MACNA conference so this is awesome.
another great video as like you have described I have activated carbon in a mesh bag just sitting in my sump next to my return pump I have 5 bags of it for a 120 litre 26 gallon tank is this to much.
and second I will get a reactor for carbon for the future.
Peter from London england
Looking forward to the long video :) keep up the good work!! Also... Regarding carbon. What's your opinion on extruded carbon vs granular when running ozone? Thanks :)
+matshroom I don't have an opinion on that because I've never run ozone and simply don't have any experience or knowledge regarding that. Sorry.
Thanks great info. I am struggling to keep my 300G tank healthy. All except my softies they are all doing well
Thank you for making very informative videos melev! I'm a "virgin" to the reef hobby, but you create understandable videos to new aquarists
Great vid! Do you use GFO? If so i'd love to see a video about that
No, I don't. I only use Phosphate Rx as needed. About 4 or 5 times a year.
+melevsreef I just got a GFO + Carbon reactor but wish I had have happened across this video first. I thought perhaps dosing Phosphate Rx wasn't what the pros did, but clearly I was wrong. :)
Look forward to see 1 hour update that tank looks like the Redsea.
I'm cool with the long video, but maybe you could put an index in the description? That way if I want I don't have to sit through the whole things again if I want to refer back to certain part of it. Thanks
Good idea.
Please, give us a full-length video!! I'd love to see and learn from that!!
Looking forward to your next video
If I might offer up a suggestion.I am super interested in the whole video, but would prefer it in smaller chunks. 15mins is a good duration. Long enough to be dense with material and allow my brain to let it sink in. You then have content for four weeks where you can release the videos in a series.
so you mentioned you don't like reactors that use ro housings. Im assuming you're talking about the brs reactors? just wondering what your reasoning for that is?
Very useful thanks. I do run carbon in my filter tray in a bag/sock and it works well though.
I've been in the hobby since 97' and embarrassed to say that I did not have a good understanding of the use of carbon. I have always been aware of how it polishes the water, but always thought it did much more in terms of removing organics. I don't run carbon all the time, but probably ran it a lot more than necessary.
Any thoughts on the limited use of carbon and preventing lateral line disease?
I look forward to the video on the Long Island aquarium, even a really long one.
Thanks Mark!
Since I know use it once every 4-8 weeks for over a decade, I'd say my use is limited.
Can't wait for the video! I will take the long version please.
I was under the impression that when running carbon in a reactor, one should push that top filter sponge and the filter plate down onto the carbon in the reactor so that it cannot tumble to reduce the amount of carbon tumbling and dust created?
Or perhaps your low flow handles that. Thoughts?
+DiepBlueC If you control the flow rate in the reactor, you can avoid any type of tumbling. I rinse it very well before it is hooked up so dust has never been a factor. The slower the flow, the better.
The Long Island Aquarium at Riverhead! Show the full hour in one shot; that reef tank is probably the best public aquarium reef in the country.
i would break that 1 hour video into 2 parts. Just for loading purposes. i usually watch your videos when I'm out with my phone so sometimes it takes a while to load. Great videos keep it up.
got any idea where I can get replacement foam pads for my nextreef reactor? I know the company went out of business. Can't seem to find them or a suitable replacement for them on the web.
+Tim Gentry I don't know. Sorry.
Stoked for new video. Where is it?! Thanks!
Nothing wrong with using ro/di canisters as a reactor. What do you think the “di” filter is? It’s a reactor. This saves a lot of money on overpriced reactors. Plus it is so easy to daisy chain multiple units. I have followed you for years and appreciate your insight. I just felt like your were sales pitching against a certain online vendor.
Few questions. What is better, if you can only have one of them, Carbon or GFO? and if there is a tube in and a tube out, why the reactor needs to be imersed in water, is it possible to just not? btw: My aquarium is a nano, 63 L(~16 gallons). I'm having an algae problem.
If the reactor leaks, it leaks into the sump. If you want to run it externally, you definitely can. But you may need a towel one day. ;) Carbon pulls out some organics, clarifies water (removes discoloration), absorbs some trace metals. To learn more about carbon, read the two articles I linked in the video's description. GFO controls phosphate by binding to the media. Two different things, entirely. So you have to decide what you are trying to accomplish.
I have a video about green hair algae you might want to watch. ua-cam.com/video/xilqKzoOgBE/v-deo.html
Just starting back up with saltwater. Saltwater Paradise set me up with an established tank 75 Gallon Tank with a Sump (Waxahachie Texas). I am wondering what type of active carbon filtration you would use for my type of tank?
Hello sir... can I ask you this sir sir I'm using ocean revive t247 for my saltwater aquarium it been 6months I have some Acropora corals what is best led lights for them do I keep same light are changing different light.. Can you help solving problems of light on my tank Thanks....
Hey,what do you think about me doing this for my Nano 29 gallon ref.im running a ac 70 with sponge,chemi pure blue,marineland carbon.Im also a penguin 350 with filter floss and 2 bags of matrix bio media.Im doing a 5 gallon water change once a week.
That sounds like a lot of filtration. What kind of livestock do you plan to keep?
I have as of now 1 clownfish and one yellowtail damsel.Planning on getting royal gramma,fire fish,yellow watchman goby and maybe a few more if i see something i like.For corals i wanted to get a toadstool for sure,some simple softies and leathers like gsp,exenia,mushrooms,devils hand.Could i do some lps like forg spawn,hammers and torches with no dosing?
Excellent. Love the vids, love the presentation, really looking forward to the big presentation on the large reef and I am absolutely tuning in on the NYOS 300. I have a 400Gal or 1500L because I am in Australia :) and I am absolutely considering the NYOS 300. It's sitting at roughly $1,300 USD which is about $1,800 AUD so I would be keen to hear if you would consider the skimmer value at the $1,300 USD price point!
+Anthony Page I should know more next week. :)
+melevsreef I'm happy to wait. Not spending that much money just yet, I am only just starting to wash my sand and plumb the returns etc. Looking forward to it.
You should do a video on algae scrubbers and a proper way to set them up. Since they are fairly new to the hobby I believe a lot of new hobbyists aren't aware that something like this exists and I haven't found a video that goes in depth with information on why we should use them.
+joe ganja Thanks for the suggestion. Believe it or not, ATS came out about 15 years ago and were very popular in Australia. It does seem like they are suddenly all the rage now. Maybe I'll make one and try it out myself. :)
+melevsreef I just set one up for myself and I hope to eliminate some or most my hair algae in my main display. But try it and let us know how it goes!
Doesn't the carbon tumble with the top sponge not pushed down to compress it? I've heard that will make the carbon grind itself into dust. I know you run with super low flow though...
That reactor is nice Love the color! Been using the brs dual reactors for a while now. Nice video
Thank you for the work you do!
Hello Mel! When using Prodibio products is it ok to run carbon and gfo? Thanks!
Yes to both.
I would watch a week long video if it was about reefing lol. I can not wait to see it!!!
Why do people have fish in their sump? I hear a lot of people say this, but have never had an explanation. I hope you don't mind the dumb question! Great channel btw :)
+FishyMats These fish were accidentally shipped to me instead of the AP700 LED light by Kessil that I reviewed about two months ago. Since they are survivors, they are going into my new frag tank that I just finished building. I'll make the stand tomorrow and hopefully Sunday get some water in it. In a few weeks, those damsels will get a new home. :)
Hello Mark. Wonderful videos that have been instrumental with helping me take my very first plunge into the saltwater hobby with a 32g biocube. About 6 m,onths in now and I can not seem to get rid of very fine particles in my water. I have a hang on the back media reactor and am wondering if I replace the bio pellets with carbon if that will make a difference.
Right now I run phosguard and carbon together in the same bag in an after market Intank media basket. I do run several pieces of filter floss at the top of the basket and all water flows through this floss, but I just can't seem to make any dent in the particles.
Thanks in advance!
Are you talking about white flakes blowing around, or detritus? My own reef has a situation last year where I had white dots blowing around everywhere. If I recall correctly, it was an imbalance of my water parameters that once corrected, resolved the problem. Maybe you are dealing with something similar?
Very fine white flakes, like small shavings of plaster. I will check all parameters today and see if anything stands out.
Thanks for some direction!
I checked and found my Calcium was very high around 560. I have been using instant ocean reef salt to mix my own salt water. I checked parameters after i mixed a fresh batch and found the calcium was way to high. Salinity was 1.026. Would this be the culprit?
Yup! You are going to want to get all your parameters back in line with the target levels, the snow will stop once you do.
What I do to flush out new carbon/gfo is I connect it back to the pump in my sump and have my tank water rinse it, exiting into a bucket when I do a water change. Is this ideal?
Hi Mark, I wonder could you anwser this... can you use the carbon filter that is designed for a ro system on a reef tank ?
Stephen Smith No, it’s a different type. You want granulated or pelletized carbon, not carbon block like RO systems use.
exactly what I needed to know, Thank you for the reply
Great video along with all the others I’ve watched lol.. was wondering how you clean the black water from the carbon? I’m dealing with that now on a new tank. Nothing in it just sand and rock
You need to rinse the new carbon well, as described in this video. You won’t have black water if you do so.
Appreciate your feed back. How would I get my water clear again? I did not see this video before I did my carbon an didn’t rinse well an now my water is black.
Normally filtration will remove it. Are you sure it isn’t just dust on the glass than can be wiped away? Do you have a protein skimmer? What size aquarium?
@@melevsreef Oo ok. Yea it’s from the carbon bc wen I put it in the back chamber ( of my water box cube 20) black water came from the overflow chamber
What about causing HILE disease in tangs? Thanks
I believe I discussed that in this video as well. Rinse it well, don’t use too much and the tangs should be unaffected.
Make it as long as you like :) can't wait
You mentioned using a canister filter with carbon but disliking media bags. How do you keep the carbon concealed in a canister without a bag?
The reactor has a sponge, usually at the bottom as well as the top, which keeps the carbon in the main body and out of the plumbing. You can see the sponges in this video. Water will pass through all the carbon this way.
Good quality Carbon reactor that I can buy in UK please. I'm getting a new Red Sea MAX S 650- in Feb/Mar and my existing 5ft aquarium has got an external Ehiem Pro so been using pre-washed carbon on a tie up sleeve-I can testify to carbon usage.
I would like to tell you it was a good day when I found your site and totally enjoy long & shorts info vids. One minus-in UK and EU we cannot get a lot of the foods / reactors etc that you advertise - use?
That's the challenge, to be able to get things in your own area. I'm imagine Deltec products are available there; what about Two Little Fishies? Both make reactors, and sell internationally.
full video please.
what do you think about chemi pure blue stuff for a smaller tank instead of carbon reactor?
+eric olsen That's a great solution (get it?) for nano systems. :)
Using different types of carbon has little to do with the product size in regards to leaving/escaping the reactor, media bag, etc. Each size has a different pore structure designed to remove different contaminants; and in turn each has various uses depending on what you're trying to accomplish.
Great points. Feel free to add more details regarding that for everyone to read.
Thanks for the video on carbon!! My montipora started peeling off on the side when I ran the carbon for 2 days and I just realized I put too much carbon. My water came crystal clear but my montipora were not happy. Lesson learned. Should I deduct the live rock from calculating 1 cup per 50 gallon? How often and how long I I should run the carbon? I am nervous to run it now after what happen to my montipora..
It's 1/2 a cup of GAC per 50g of water, and you could err on the side of caution and do true liquid volume, subtracting for the displacement (rock and sand). As stated in this video, I don't believe carbon lasts more than a few days, so I'd hook up a reactor for about 3-4 days once a month to polish the water. When it starts getting a tad mucky and you can't take it, run carbon again. That's what I do. :)
I heard not to use carbon because it depletes important things that help corals grow, is that true?what are your thoughts about this?
Carbon is used in freshwater and saltwater tanks to polish the water. It improves clarity and removes toxins from the water. Corals are always fighting for space using chemical warfare if not outright sweepers, and carbon helps pull that out of the water as well. Corals don't suffer from carbon use, and as I mentioned in the video, I'm only suggesting you run it for a few days each month. New foods, additives, water changes all replenish amino acids, fatty acids and a variety of trace elements. Plus you can buy bottles of those things if you felt the need to add them - although I never have needed any.
did you put the carbon reactor after the skimmer or before the skimmer?
It's run it after the skimmer.
Looking forward to that video