Carbon bags with orange spots..

[TippyToeX]

Hello Randy, and all that might help.

I just finished a search in this forum looking for other people who have noticed orange/rusty looking sports on their carbon bags. There was no real understanding of what this could be, other then it might be some kind of bacteria. If that bacteria is harmful or not I could not find an answer.

Do you know what this might be? The area of the sump that holds the carbon bag is not illuminated. I skim aggressively, and doing weekly water changes. I don't think I have any issues with a build up of organic matter. The bag in the pictures below was in the sump only one week. It's Black Diamond activated carbon.

TIA!

[Habib]

Does it feel slimey?

A "thick" biofilm of nitrifiers can have this color.

[TippyToeX]

Hi Habib

Hmm.. I don't recall it feeling slimy. It did come off the bag very easily and would coat my fingers with that rusty color.

Is a biofilm of nitrifiers bad (if that is what this is)?

[Habib]

Is a biofilm of nitrifiers bad (if that is what this is)?

IMO not.

I don't recall it feeling slimy.

Then perhaps it is something else.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Some folks had had orange growths inside of tubing, especially in conjunction with CaCO3/CO2 reactors. I wouldn't worry about it, unless it spreads to places where it becomes an aesthetic problem.

[Boomer]

Send it to Randy so he can test it I have seen it in tubing but never on carbon and I have use probably a dump truck full of GAC in 30 years

[TippyToeX]

Sweet. Thanks Habib & Randy. I appreciate the info!

[TippyToeX]

Originally posted by Boomer
Send it to Randy so he can test it I have seen it in tubing but never on carbon and I have use probably a dump truck full of GAC in 30 years

I'd send it if he would want to test it.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

It's probably biological. Send it to one of those types.

[Boomer]

Randy

And I have just the person in mind.... BOMBER....

[TippyToeX]

Bomber will tell me it was growing because I don't run my tank BB.

[Bomber]

[Bomber]

Amy, next time your at the grocery pick up a bottle of Wink - rust remover.
Here's a quick simple test. Squirt some Wink on it. If it disappears right away don't send it to me.
Be careful and don't get any Wink on your skin.

[TippyToeX]

OK, I'll do that.

What does it mean if it disappears with the Wink? Umm.. this wouldn't be rust would it (Amy is easily paranoid)?

[marm64]

I had some rust spots on my carbon bag and could not figure out what it was or what was causing it. I have not had it since I have done my Flat Worm Exit so I thought that it might have been coming from the flat worms, but am no way sure about that. I do run RO/DI so my water should not have any rust in it.

[Habib]

Wait!!!!! Where is my memory!!!

Actiavted carbons often contain significant amounts of iron.

Even those ones without any phosphate leaching.

FWIW, before someone says that the iron in cativated carbon causes bleaching...I have done many experiments by adding ionic iron resulting in more than thousand ppb of iron.

Actually several brands of liquid phosphate removers contain iron and thousands of people use it.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

FWIW, before someone says that the iron in cativated carbon causes bleaching...I have done many experiments by adding ionic iron resulting in more than thousand ppb of iron.

Who might claim such a crazy thing???

[Habib]

Originally posted by Randy Holmes-Farley
FWIW, before someone says that the iron in cativated carbon causes bleaching...I have done many experiments by adding ionic iron resulting in more than thousand ppb of iron.

Who might claim such a crazy thing???

No comment.

[TippyToeX]

marm64 - Thanks. Thankfully I don't have flatworms, I QT all of my corals (3-4 weeks) and treat with FWE (thanks Habib!)

So, too much iron might cause this? & I don't use CaCO3/CO2 reactors or any kind of phosphate remover.

Y'all now see why I don't venture in the chem forum.

[Habib]

and treat with FWE

Thanks Flatworms...uhh I meant Amy!

So, too much iron might cause this?

Not by adding it as a supplement but some/many carbons contain significant amounts of leachable iron.

Nothing to worry about.

However, it can also be something totally different.

[TippyToeX]

Originally posted by Habib
Nothing to worry about.

Whew! That's good to hear.

Would that be the reason for the rust remover test, to prove if it's the iron in the water?

[Habib]

to prove if it's the iron in the water?

Not the water but carbon.

I don't know what wink is and how it would react on anything else what is not rust.

[TippyToeX]

Oh ok.

Thanks so much Habib!!

[Habib]

You're welcome, Amy!

[Bomber]

Originally posted by Randy Holmes-Farley
Who might claim such a crazy thing???

Dr. Tony Harland, who's research in the physiology and ecology of reef building corals led him to write:

Metal tolerance in the scleractinian coral Porites lutea

Which Randy linked in one of his articles.