Black Magic Carbon

[smcnally]

Is this stuff crap? Out of all the brands I looked at it seemed the least dusty. I rinsed some out last night until the water coming out was clear and put it in a filter sock. Tonight, I got home and the water was nice and clear, but I noticed black "dirt" an the surface of a lot of my rocks. I looked in my sump and there was black film all over it. My filter sock looked like someone soaked it in black dye. It literally took me 30 minutes or rinsing the sock (after emptying the carbon) for the water running through it to come out clear. I'm kind of pissed...I just paid $25 for the can of carbon, and will never use it again.

 

[eSoteric]

Is this stuff crap? Out of all the brands I looked at it seemed the least dusty. I rinsed some out last night until the water coming out was clear and put it in a filter sock. Tonight, I got home and the water was nice and clear, but I noticed black "dirt" an the surface of a lot of my rocks. I looked in my sump and there was black film all over it. My filter sock looked like someone soaked it in black dye. It literally took me 30 minutes or rinsing the sock (after emptying the carbon) for the water running through it to come out clear. I'm kind of pissed...I just paid $25 for the can of carbon, and will never use it again.

Why did you toss it? Couldnt you just have rinsed it and put it back into the sump? I use the same carbon myself and havent had a problem yet. Always crystal clear water and never the black dust you described. Maybe it got ground up in the container or the sock somehow and was finer than it should have been.

 

[smcnally]

I just tossed what was in the sock. Could it be because I poured it in the sock instead of packed tightly in a mesh bag then put in the sock? Maybe it was moving around a lot in the sock and ground itself up more...I dunno...

 

[eSoteric]

thats what i was thinking, i had that happen with some phoszorb last year. NOt cool. When i use it i do the mesh bag, i dont pack the bag full. And i dont have to rinse to much.

 

[NateHanson]

How did you rinse it?

 

[smcnally]

I put it in a mash bag and ran water through it while mixing it around until the water came out clear.

 

[willray]

did you flush from inside out or run the closed bag under water.the latter wouldn't rinse it that well.I fill a small internal filter but i have to do it in 2 stages.fill 1/2 way rinse then fill to the top and rinse again.the first time I filled it and used it the next morning there was a little carbon hear and there and some floating

 

[smcnally]

I flushed it from the inside out while mixing it. Then transfered it to the sock.

 

[Aquaman_68]

FWIW..any GAC you float in a sock or mesh bag should be rinsed & soaked for 24 hours prior & then rinsed again before putting it into the sump.

 

[smcnally]

Weird. I've never done that and never had an issue before. I ran it all the time in my fresh and brackish tanks for years with just rinsing it for a few minutes before I added it.

 

[Aquaman_68]

Weird. I've never done that and never had an issue before. I ran it all the time in my fresh and brackish tanks for years with just rinsing it for a few minutes before I added it.

So did I until I stumbled on it in some reading. It's not because of the dust you need to soak it....It's more of an issue of getting all the 02 out of it. As far as the extra dust is concerned....You may have got a batch that was banged around a bit in shipping. Hence the added dust.....