I'm trying to find a place to buy cheep carbon. It seems to be that the stuff at all the fish stores is just repackaged industrial active carbon with a Huge markup. Were can I find some that is of a reasonable price?
Just do a BRS order, they have good prices. I have been using brightwells that I got from aquamart, but the next BRS groupbuy I will end up using them.
well the thing is that brs has different types of carbon the small peaces are the beast for wat it is the finer the grain of carbon the more surface area you get the more surface area the better and more effective it will be
from what I have read just grain size and the amount of dust are the only differences I have found. I also read the the BRS 0.8 is VERY dusty. As for the Loving Pets stuff it comes rinsed. But yes Drew everyone keeps pushing the BRS stuff with no explnation other then it being a brand name.
Man Atari I have to faithfully disagree with you in regards to BRS carbon. I use (and have been using) Rox for a while now. I have used tons of different carbons and I find Rox not only affordable but is very very low in dust. I buy 1 gallon ($42) and do 1 cup for my 125 in a reactor and change it out every 2 weeks. My last gallon was purchased on 3/31/2011 and I just purchased another gallon about a month ago. So on average that's 8 months per 1 gallon of Rox which averages $5.25 a month. For being vigorous (most change every month, I do every 2 weeks) about changing it @ $5.25 a month that is CHEAP. It has been the only carbon that I don't have to prerinse. I just run the effluent out of the reactor and not even 1/4 gallon later is running clear. Most carbons if not rinsed have taken at least a gallon or 2 to run a clear effluent.
I do not have any xp with the Rox carbon but I did run across a couple forums with people saying that. Still 5.25/month may not be much but it could be much less, and if one runs Ozone will go throw a lot more carbon. If changing carbon every 2 weeks then you are probably are doing a water-change at the same time... I know if I had to run 2 gallons of water to clean the carbon dust off, I would just make it part of the trash water I'm taking out. I would move the drain of the reactor over to the waist water tube and let the waist water clean the carbon for me as I pull it out of the tank. So again is there really any point in paying for the brand name if dust doesn't matter?
Well as the saying goes "there is always something better" or how about "there is always something cheaper". Like I said, I have tried a ton of carbons (at least 10 different brands since being in the hobby) and I have settled on BRS.
There really is no "scientific" way to test just how good carbon is for our reef. I guess I just kind of go off my gut with this BRS, that and I like the fact I dont have to prerinse the carbon outside my reactor.