cheap media vs expensive media

[wherearepeople]

hey guys im looking at reactors and media. what is you guys expeirience with different price levels of carbon and GFO and is it worth the money for the expensive stuff?

 

[neilanh]

It kind of depends, actually.

For Carbon, to me it's all the same. There's different sizes of it, which have pros and cons, but I generally buy what's cheapest.

Personally, I'm a huge fan of the BRS stuff, both for AC and GFO. They have high capacity stuff that supposedly lasts a lot longer for the extra cost. Personally I don't use the HC stuff.

 

[ccCapt]

There is a huge difference in carbon quality. ROX 0.8 carbon from BRS is the best bang for your money.
Activated Carbon in the Aquarium - Algone.com
An Overview of Activated Carbon in the Marine Tank
seachem matrix better than black diamonds

 

[wherearepeople]

are there any negative effects of cheap carbon or just less performance. and what is the difference between pellet GFO and granular?

 

[ccCapt]

Yes, there can be negative affects from cheap carbon such as releasing phosphate into your system (read the articles I posted).
The major difference between GFO pellets and granular is the dust. The granular is alot dustier and has to be rinsed alot more. It's also softer and can break down easier if tumbled too hard in a reactor. Performance is the same.

 

[wherearepeople]

sorry that was ignorant of me i over looked the articles i thought they were your sig thanks ! very helpful.