Rusty carbon?

five.five-six

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#1
I’ve been keeping aquariums for a minute or two, since I was about 12 and I’m getting letters asking me to joint AARP every birthday now.


Anyways, I have never seen this before. for some reason, this carbon got left by the trash can for a week instead of thrown into the trash can and it looks rusty. The tank is been recovering from COVID death for 8 months I had purchased this 55 pound bag from eBay and used it to help clear out all the decaying death in the tank. Well, the tank has been on the mend for a few months and stopped using the 5 pounds of carbon at a time probably 6 months ago but decided to run a few pounds of carbon 2 weeks ago and this photo is what I found once it dried out.


I’m trying to figure out if the rust color is from my tank or if it’s in th carbon.

4BA1F0BE-CF96-4999-AE77-489156A82F7A.jpeg
 

five.five-six

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#3
That’s crazy.

maybe soak some in fresh saltwater and see if it does the same.
That’s exactly what I was thinking. Just because it looks like rust dosn’t me an it is rust.

Also, there was no lid on the bucket so it’s possible something else got in there like fertilizer which often has iron in it. I’m going to have to play around with it.


The tank seems settled now after 8 months but it’s not “popping” like I’d expect it to be. I think an ICP test is in order.

Also a WC today, been doing every other week for 2 months now.
 

five.five-six

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#4
Well, I looked at the carbon I wetted and it’s got some of the ”rust” look to it. I also sent in my ICP test so I will see if it’s polluting my tank at all.

I don’t know that I’ve ever looked at used carbon after it’s dried out. Perhaps this is normal?
 

Smite

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#5
I'm not sure either, usually goes straight in the trash can. I'm due to run some I'll put it in a bucket and see. I normally run pellets but I think I only have the fine stuff right now.
 

BgFish

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#7
Not sure if this is relevant but cheato grow and some trace elements have iron in them. Possiable the carbon is removing these trace elements? Causing them to concentrate on the carbon thus causing rust?

not sure if that’s a thing lol but grasping for straws here lol.
 

five.five-six

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#8
Not sure if this is relevant but cheato grow and some trace elements have iron in them. Possiable the carbon is removing these trace elements? Causing them to concentrate on the carbon thus causing rust?

not sure if that’s a thing lol but grasping for straws here lol.
I’ve been fighting nuisance algae and been running UNLS for several months, there’s a small amount of chaeto in the fudge but not much and it isn’t thriving.
 

five.five-six

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#9
I'm not sure either, usually goes straight in the trash can. I'm due to run some I'll put it in a bucket and see. I normally run pellets but I think I only have the fine stuff right now.
Lets see if this works.. this is my latest ATI ICP results

https://lab.atiaquaristik.com/share/c6fad123aff51df744a1

you might have to click the American flag to get it in English.

The tank is surviving but not thriving. Antimony throu the roof ( don’t know what that is) is the only real read flag I see.
 

Smite

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#10
Weird, sounds like that comes from cheap PVC, frozen foods and storage bags?

I wonder if that barium can stall things up or if that's just a test error. I do the moonshiners regimen and have never seen mine bottomed out like that. I know barium is used for skeletal growth so maybe that is a limiting factor for you?
 

five.five-six

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#11
Weird, sounds like that comes from cheap PVC, frozen foods and storage bags?

I wonder if that barium can stall things up or if that's just a test error. I do the moonshiners regimen and have never seen mine bottomed out like that. I know barium is used for skeletal growth so maybe that is a limiting factor for you?

The only PVC I used was the spensive colored stuff from BRS and SCH 80 fittings from BRS


I read around and see Randy Homes Farley opining that carbon can strip antimony and that GFO should work as a chelating agent.


I added fresh marinland carbon a few days ago. I will pull it and dry it this evening and looke for “rusty” to isolate if the rusty color was coming from my carbon or from my tank

I added GFO last night, this morning I and seeing significant subjective improvements in coloration and PE.

I think the tank is finally starting to run on all 8 cylinders.
 

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