Carbon related questions

[meBNme]

I know you must remove carbon before medicating, because it neutralizes the medication.

Here are a few other carbon questions.

1) does carbon "go bad" or need to be replaced? if so, how often?
2) does carbon only effect medication, or does it effect everything else too? (Stress coat, prime, plant food like iron and flourish etc.)
3) does it need to be completely removed from the tank or can you just drop the filter in the tank to keep the bio alive?
4) When treating, how long should the carbon be left out?

 

[Jc1119]

It doesn't neutralize the medication, it pulls it out of the water column through adsorption. For that matter, it removes just about everything but ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. It definately needs to be replaced but how often depends on stocking and general husbandry. In a lightly stocked tank it can last for maybe a month. In a heavily stocked tank, maybe a week or so.

Ironically, the only time I use carbon is for removing meds. Then I throw it away. Carbon really isn't neccessity in a well maintained tank and even if you like what it does( removing tannins, etc. ) there are much better and cost effective products that do basically the same thing.

 

[gmann4231]

It doesn't neutralize the medication, it pulls it out of the water column through adsorption. For that matter, it removes just about everything but ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. It definately needs to be replaced but how often depends on stocking and general husbandry. In a lightly stocked tank it can last for maybe a month. In a heavily stocked tank, maybe a week or so.

Ironically, the only time I use carbon is for removing meds. Then I throw it away. Carbon really isn't neccessity in a well maintained tank and even if you like what it does( removing tannins, etc. ) there are much better and cost effective products that do basically the same thing.

What things could I use instead of carbon?

 

[RareExoticFish]

i would just use all sponge and the media

 

[meBNme]

Carbon really isn't neccessity in a well maintained tank and even if you like what it does( removing tannins, etc. ) there are much better and cost effective products that do basically the same thing.

Really! It removes tannins!?!?
Does it need water flowing through it, or could I say, drop a closed net full of carbon in the tank and just let it sit there for a while and still effectively remove tannins?

Can you give me some examples of those other products?

Thanks for your time here!

 

[Jc1119]

I like purigen for tannin removal in my heavily wooded ones. Carbon works well, but I don't really like its full time use "side effects". It isn't very selective with what it removes. It removes everything(except ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.) Including some pretty important trace elements and o2. That's why it's suggested to use smaller amounts more often. Which costs a small fortune if you don't pay attention....

Purigen is actually a synthetic polymer that pulls nitrogenous waste out of the water column. I got lucky with it pulling tannins out as well. Rechargeable, so it costs nothing longterm, but I wouldn't use it to pull meds.

Personally, I'd just do a few water changes to remove the meds and skip the carbon altogether.

Regardless of the product you decide on, I find they all function best with flow through them. Contact time is important but I find some pressure through it really helps. I run a small xp1 on my 300 that has purigen in it so the tank basically passes through the filter once every two hours. Just enough to keep tannins in check, but not really enough to have much effect on the biofilter. I probably recharge it about every 5-6 weeks.

 

[dhjr0915]

I agree with everything JC1119 has had to say about carbon and what to do and what it does...

 

[meBNme]

Yeah.... Glad I asked here!

You folks know so much about this stuff its dangerous!

Mega thanks!

 

[Jc1119]

anytime!

 

[scalesandfins]

purigen is good stuff!