Activated carbon affirmed as causative agent for HLLE disease
- Thread starter Dowtish
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The article I read in Coral emphasized that their study was based on large aquariums and attributed it more to the use of cheap carbon (well below hobbyist grade). I've used carbon for 15 years 24/7/365 and have never had a case of it... I probably use less than some (2pounds changed monthly in 800 gallons), but it is always present in my system. I didn't see the Advanced Aquarium article, but I'd bet the research comes from similar avenues. Not to say it won't happen in our micro reefs, but my interpretation from the Coral article was not that there was any strong scientific evidence in smaller systems (less than thousands of gallons).
Just read the Advanced Aquarist article and it is basically a rehash of the Coral article (linked back to Coral). They did a good job on isolating variables and did test on 240 gallon systems (2x120), but the highly negative results were based on the use of unrinsed lignite carbon. I've used Kent for well over a decade (extruded, as in system 2), but always rinse, per instructions and common sense. Most of my systems gave also employed foam fractionation of varying efficiencies, too. The blanket statement that activated carbon causes HLLE is misleading and not entirely accurate. If this and if that and if that, it was found to in this study. Without all of the if's, though, it's not an accurate statement. Of course I'm obviously one of the cited aquarists who will argue against the statement based on my hobby experience
. Since I've never had it, I've never had any reason to experiment on causes.
. Since I've never had it, I've never had any reason to experiment on causes.
Probably for a worst case. The lignite carbon is generally softer, allowing it to break down easier, introducing more dust (and it starts with a good bit of dust). While the extruded comes with its share of dust, it holds it's shape longer (not breakign down as easily). In large aquariums, they are likely using large amounts of carbon, so skipping a step (or rushing a step) here and there is probably more likely(?). May be more real world for some situations. Even with some rinsing, large quantities may still introduce relatively large amounts of dust (harder to rinse large quantities at one time than smaller qtys). It also proves their hypothesis, so it adds a little depth to the experiment. Just thinking out loud (never worked for a large aquarium). For me, the benefits far outweigh the detriment, so I will continue to use it. The study serves as a cautionary, though.
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