Usage guide
Organic load & yellow tint removal:
The recommended dosage of Red Sea’s REEF-SPEC Carbon is approximately 50 gr (100 ml) per 200 L (50 gallons) for a period of 1-2 months for a moderately stocked reef aquarium.
Post-medication treatment:
The recommended dosage of Red Sea’s REEF-SPEC Carbon to adsorb medication residuals is approximately 100 gr (200 ml) per 200 L (50 gallons) for a period of a week.
Ozone post-treatment:
The recommended dosage of Red Sea’s REEF-SPEC Carbon to remove residual ozone is 50 gr per 50mg/hr of ozone injection. The carbon should be placed at the ozone reactor/ protein skimmer outlet. Carbon should be replaced once it has reached approximately 50% of its original volume.
Usage tips
The adsorption activity of the Carbon media relies on a good Carbon/water contact, and therefore moderately active water flow will increase the efficiency.
Strong water flow will reduce the contact time and interfere with the adhesion process of the organic molecules to the Carbon.
Strong water flow may also cause the granules to grind against each other, releasing Carbon material to water.
For best results:
- Remove any fines, by rinsing Carbon under tap water.
- Due to air trapped in the pores Carbon will float, and therefore it is recommended to soak the Carbon in RO water until all of the air has been released.
- Place the Carbon in a location with an active flow of 1000-1500 lph (250-400 gph) per 50 gr carbon.
- Replace Carbon every 1.5 – 2 months. Note: When Carbon becomes saturated with organics, it may start adsorbing some of the trace elements from the seawater.
REEF-SPEC Carbon specifications
| Shape |
0.6 mm - 2.3 mm flakes |
| Density |
0.48 g/ml |
| Pore Volume (PV) |
1.04 ml/g |
| Total Surface Area (TSA) |
1000 m²/g |
| TSA/PV |
990 m²/ml |
| Small Organic Molecule Adsorption |
1000 mg/g |
| Large Organic Molecule Adsorption |
280 mg/g |
| pH in Distilled Water |
>8 |
| Phosphate Output |
0.000001 g/ml |
The role of activated Carbon in the reef aquarium
Why do we need to use Carbon in a reef aquarium?
There are organic pollutants that can only be removed from reef aquarium water by active Carbon.
The reef aquarium is a closed artificial ecosystem where living creatures continually produce organic waste consisting of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, organic acids and phenols.
If allowed to decompose the organics will fuel the activity of many unwanted microorganisms in the aquarium, increasing the total oxygen demand (BOD, COD) which will cause a reduction in Redox potential, as well as causing excessive production of CO2 by bacterial respiration, which will reduce pH.
Furthermore, there will be an increase in nitrogenous and phosphorus compounds, encouraging growth of nuisance bacteria and eventually of nuisance algae. The accumulating organics also has a significant effect on light penetration, especially in the blue and near UV spectrum that stimulates coral growth.
Stripping out the organics from the water is therefore crucial for the success of the aquarium. Using strong protein skimming, fine mechanical filtration and healthy biological filtration (nitrification and de-nitrification) will treat the large organic particles and the end products of the organic decomposition processes. However, there are many small organic particles that can only be treated by very fine mechanical micro-filtration using activated Carbon.
