Red Sea Activated Carbon 2000 ml Reef Spec

REEF-SPEC™ CARBON - 2000ml - Red Sea

Highly activated charcoal for marine and reef aquariums

Red Sea REEF-SPEC™ carbon is the ultimate choice for marine and reef aquariums due to its unique technical characteristics.

The granule size of Red Sea REEF-SPEC™ Carbon and its micro/macro porous structure ensure a very high total adsorption capacity and rapid extraction of specific organic pollutants found in reef aquariums.

REEF-SPEC™ charcoal has an extremely low phosphate release and minimal ash content, without affecting the pH of the aquarium water.

Red Sea REEF-SPEC™ carbon needs to be replaced less frequently than non-reef-specific or lower-quality carbons and represents an effective and cost-efficient solution for providing the best water quality in marine and reef aquariums.

Main features:

- Rapid elimination of organic pollutants
- High total adsorption capacity
- Ultra-low phosphate production
- Ultra-low ash content
- Suitable for sea and freshwater
- Filter bag included (250g, 500g, 1000g)

REEF-SPEC™ Carbon is available in containers of 250g / 9 oz, 500g / 18 oz, and 1000g / 35 oz.

The role of activated carbon in the reef aquarium

Why do we need to use charcoal in a reef aquarium?

There are organic pollutants that can only be removed from reef aquarium water by activated charcoal.

The reef aquarium is a closed artificial ecosystem where living creatures continuously produce organic waste composed of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, organic acids, and phenols.

If allowed to decompose, organic materials will fuel the activity of many undesirable microorganisms in the aquarium, increasing the total oxygen demand (BOD, COD), which will lead to a reduction in the redox potential, as well as excessive CO2 production from bacterial respiration, which will lower the pH. Additionally, there will be an increase in nitrogenous and phosphorous compounds, encouraging the growth of harmful bacteria and potentially harmful algae. The accumulation of organic materials also has a significant effect on light penetration, particularly in the blue and near-UV spectrum that stimulates coral growth.

The removal of organic matter from water is therefore crucial for the success of the aquarium. The use of powerful protein skimming, fine mechanical filtration, and healthy biological filtration (nitrification and denitrification) will address large organic particles and the end products of organic decomposition processes. However, there are many small organic particles that can only be treated by very fine mechanical microfiltration using activated carbon.

How does activated charcoal filter water?

Scientifically speaking, carbon removes organic matter from water through a physical process called adsorption. In a reef aquarium, the submicroscopic pores of activated carbon are the final step in the mechanical filtration process, adsorbing organic molecules that are too small to be removed even by the best mechanical filters or physically removed from the water by protein skimming.

Absorption can be considered as the adhesion of a molecule to the surface through attractive forces. This occurs in the submicroscopic pores of carbon because the attractive forces between organic molecules and the internal surfaces of carbon are much greater than the attractive forces keeping them dissolved in solution. This will continue until the entire surface inside the carbon is exhausted and it becomes saturated with organic matter.

What is activated charcoal?

Activated charcoal is an extremely porous material with a sponge-like structure but with a very large internal surface area relative to its physical size. It is produced from various organic materials with high carbon content such as coconut shells, nut shells, lignite, bituminous coal, or anthracite. The carbon-based material is "activated" through physical modification and thermal decomposition in a furnace under controlled atmosphere and temperature conditions. The activation process significantly increases the specific surface area per unit volume of a fine network of submicroscopic pores, which gives activated charcoal its ability to act as a filtering material. The specific source of the carbon and the specific activation process determine the physical characteristics of the final product.

What makes a specific charcoal ideal for use in reef aquariums ?

There are a number of internationally recognized tests to evaluate and compare activated carbon. However, the most important parameters for selecting carbon for reef aquariums are the iodine number and the methylene blue number. These two parameters measure the carbon's capacity to adsorb all the organic waste in a reef aquarium that is not removed by mechanical filtration and protein skimming. The higher the number, the more organic matter will be removed from the aquarium per gram of activated carbon used. These two figures are roughly equally important and should always be considered together when evaluating test data.

Some manufacturers cite a number of molasses, but molecules in the molasses size range are generally removed by protein skimming and, consequently, this number is not relevant when evaluating the suitability of activated carbon for reef aquariums.

In the past, charcoals have been known to leach phosphate into the water, which is undesirable for a reef aquarium. Therefore, the lowest levels of phosphate release are considered better. In reality, as long as the phosphate released is below a basic threshold level, any difference below that level is not measurable in reef aquariums and is therefore not relevant.

The cleanliness or dustiness of the product is also taken into account and measured as the ash level. The lower the level, the better, because higher levels indicate that a greater quantity of particles will be released into the water and a lower actual mass of carbon will remain to perform the filtration. Ash levels are often indicated by manufacturers, but they are easier to visualize by observing the turbidity when adding the carbon to the water.

In addition to these important indicators, the overall effectiveness of activated charcoal will be affected by its physical parameters such as product density, TSA, pore volume, and mesh size .

Activated charcoal produced from lignite and anthracite is not recommended for reef aquariums due to an excessive amount of fine powder released into the water (which can cause lateral line necrosis "HLLE disease" in some fish). Coconut or bituminous charcoal are the preferred sources.

Tips for use in a reef aquarium

The absorption activity of carbonaceous media relies on good carbon/water contact, and thus a moderately active water flow will increase efficiency. A strong water flow will reduce the contact time and hinder the process of organic molecules adhering to the carbon. A strong water flow can also cause the granules to grind against each other, releasing carbon into the water.

For the best results:

- Remove the fines by rinsing the charcoal under tap water.
- Due to the air trapped in the pores, charcoal floats, and it is therefore recommended to soak the carbon in RO water until all the air is released.
- Place the charcoal in an area with an active flow rate of 1000-1500 lph (250-400 gph) per 50 grams of carbon.
- Replace the charcoal every 1.5 to 2 months. Note: When the charcoal becomes saturated with organic matter, it may begin to absorb certain trace elements from the seawater.

User Guide:

- Removal of organic load and yellow tint:The recommended dose of REEF SPEC carbon from Red Sea is approximately 50 grams (100 ml) for 200 liters (50 gallons) over a period of 1 to 2 months for a moderately stocked reef aquarium.

- Post-medication treatment:The recommended dose of REEF SPEC Carbon from Red Sea to adsorb medication residues is approximately 100 grams (200 ml) per 200 liters (50 gallons) for a period of one week.

- Post-treatment with ozone:The recommended dose of REEF SPEC carbon by Red Sea to eliminate residual ozone is 50 grams per 50 mg/hour of ozone injection. The carbon should be placed at the outlet of the ozone reactor/protein skimmer. The carbon should be replaced once it has reached approximately 50% of its original volume.

Technical terms

- Iodine index: standard test performed to estimate the absorption capacity of small molecules, in the range of 10 Å to 15 Å. The recommended levels for reef aquariums are above 850 mg/g, but the higher the number, the better.

- Number of methylene blue:A standard test conducted to estimate the absorption capacity of medium-sized molecules in the range of 15 Å to 40 Å. The recommended levels for reef aquariums are above 250 mg/g, but the higher the number, the better.

- Number of molasses:Non-standard tests conducted to estimate the absorption capacity of large molecules greater than 40 Å. There is no recommended level for reef aquariums; these molecules are removed by protein skimming.

- Ash level:A measure of the non-carbon content of activated charcoal. It is typically a dust that will be released from the carbon into the water. The less ash there is, the better.

- Release of phosphate:A measure of the amount of residual orthophosphates PO4 that can be released from the charcoal into the aquarium. The less phosphate there is, the better, and for reef aquariums, it should be less than 10 mg/kg. The highest quality carbons will be less than 2 mg/kg.

- Product density:Density of carbon at maximum packing efficiency, indicated in g/ml.

- TSA - Total Surface Area:Quantity of pore surface area available for adsorption for a given mass of carbon, measured using techniques such as nitrogen BET adsorption; reported in units of m²/g. The recommended levels are above 800 m²/g.

- Pore volume:quantity of macro, meso, and micro pores. The ratio between the TSA and the pore volume estimates the active surface area in m²/ml.

- Mesh size:Measurement of the particle size range of the granular product. The recommended mesh size for water treatment is 8 x 30 mesh (0.6 x 2.4 mm).