Carbon causing lateral line erosion

As it turns out, lignite is the more expensive type of carbon. It's the bituminous that's cheapest. The ROX is even better than the litginous at removing contaminants.

 

it sounds like making sure the carbon is well rinsed is important. What type of carbon is used in chemi pure elite?

 

Using Seachem MatrixCarbon here which they state is bituminous. I do not use it "sparingly" and I have it in high-flow areas. Uh oh, the sky is falling.

 

Yes, my 75 has essentially been running for 10years with a yellow tang. I actually do not maintain it anymore, I gave it to a relative to start my 93, but she is still using carbon. I was there last weekend and still no HLLE, maybe it shows up at 20yrs?

 

What I would ask is whether you give your carbon a really good rinsing every time you've used it?

 

Of course, and I don't use too much. Also, I use a good protein skimmer. There are a few hypotheses floating around regarding why it may be an issue, but if any of them are correct, a protein skimmer and a lot of rinsing should help substantially. Basically, you want to make sure there is no dust in the tank, and toxins such as heavy metals are removed from the tank. Also, there is seems to be some correlation with feeding, feeding more seems to help. Perhaps for nutritional reasons, or because there is more organics to bind toxic metals.

 

I don't think it's fair to dismiss this soon to be published study based on your anecdotal response.

The study does show a direct correlation between activated carbon and HLLE.

You are not citing a study you have made, you're just citing "most people" and your own personal experience. In this study, the fish which were not in the control group and did not have visible signs of HLLE all showed microscopic lesions. I'd be willing to guess you haven't looked at your Tang which you gave to a friend under a microscope for any possible lesions.

As a hobbyist, I think the most important thing to take away from this study is stated in the conclusion of the article:

Even the article is not saying to get rid of carbon completely, but suggests that one should use caution.

Lastly, you mention the benefits of carbon far outweigh the risks... however, I believe there are other methods that can be employed that can easily take the place of carbon. Take my tank for example... I never run carbon in it. I welcome you to look at my tank thread and find anything wrong with the health of my fish and corals. I do use purigen, rotate it out and recharge it about once a month... it could be said that resin based chemical filtration, along with good skimming and water changes can easily take the place of carbon.

Having a Tang and reading this study, I will certainly think twice before using carbon in my tank, as I really don't see ANY benefits that outweigh the risks.

 

Heh, not to sound like a jerk, but this is a FW known belief for quite some time.

Anyone who has kept Oscar fish knows this, I still have my greeny, he is 16 years old this month. He is a perfect Oscar.

Care to see any pics of him and Gpaw the giant pleco?

 

you're right, it has been cited for a long time... not sure if a study as thorough as this one has been conducted before though...

Also, others have cited in the past that it could be due to the carbon removing something beneficial from the water. However, this study seems to suggest that it's the carbon fines being released into the water that causes the issue... this would leave one to believe that the carbon may be directly reacting with the fish. Knowing that tangs generally have much smaller scales than most other fish, it makes me wonder if the carbon fines could be getting in between the scales and "leaching" away the flesh of the fish.

 

It makes sense. Carbon fines (a substance designed to bind organic matter) get on the fish in their most sensitive area, and leech away nutrients from the area. It causes a bit of dieoff of tissue, and gradually eats away at them. That would explain why having the fish extremely well fed would help with the issue (more chances for the carbon to become clogged before it eats away at actual tissue), and why excess organics in the water would help (binds the carbon early).