do alot of you use carbon? in a canister filter,sump ect.? i know in ponds its just bio no carbon so do you thinkthe same could apply to aquarium's ?
input would be great. thanks
input would be great. thanks
CARBON,is it a must?
- Thread starter nastyfish
- Start date
I've read that it can absorb minerals and nutrients from the water the are beneficial for fish and plants. That absence of these elements may be one of the causes of HITH. Also heard that once the carbon gets completely saturated, it can actually leech toxins back into the water. For these reasons I only use it infrequently for no longer than week at a time<usually after medicating>.
i don't use Carbon, but not because of all the stories/myths... if u have lots of filtration, flow and turnover rate in the tank there should be no need for it. also routine filter/tank maintenance is a key to pristine looking water.
its most commonly used when removing medication or tannins from the water which is caused by drift wood. i use driftwood but i pre-soak it and boil it to get most of the tannins out..
IMO Carbon is a waste of space. you could be using that space for more bio media! now that's the stuff u cant get enough of!!
FYI.. there may or may not be long term effects from using carbon. when i say long term i mean years and years. if u use carbon on and off for brief periods of time, there should be no real problem.... ever..
its most commonly used when removing medication or tannins from the water which is caused by drift wood. i use driftwood but i pre-soak it and boil it to get most of the tannins out..
IMO Carbon is a waste of space. you could be using that space for more bio media! now that's the stuff u cant get enough of!!
FYI.. there may or may not be long term effects from using carbon. when i say long term i mean years and years. if u use carbon on and off for brief periods of time, there should be no real problem.... ever..
Carbon black's got enormous specific area, and it'll adsorb (not absorb) several substances but all of them will be of organic nature, not minerals as someone said. It'll remove tanins, organic weak acids, and phenols along with excess of any chemicals you could have added. Vitamins will be removed too. Odours too, and many other. Produce no harm. The best is from burned coconut shells
It's a cheap chemical sponge...
..If your tank is looking/smelling funny.. or as someone said..added a medication. use it for a short time to pull most of the junk out of the tank. Think of it as a simple water polisher.. You wax your car right.. but you have to take the wax off or it will cause problems to the finish of the car
..If your tank is looking/smelling funny.. or as someone said..added a medication. use it for a short time to pull most of the junk out of the tank. Think of it as a simple water polisher.. You wax your car right.. but you have to take the wax off or it will cause problems to the finish of the car