carbon useless?

[wright4lfe]

on a different fish forum they keep saying there is no reason to keep carbon in my filters and that it is only good for removing medication and really only affective for a week or two and then it loses its effectiveness.

what say you my monsterfishkeeper friends?

 

[elevatethis]

They're right. After a few days and the carbon is exhausted, it becomes nothing more than a bed for your nitrifying bacteria - which isn't a bad thing per se - but its not removing any chemicals and whatnot anymore.

 

[AquataHolic420]

Carbon = Good.

 

[GJC]

I have not used carbon in any of my filters for several years now.

 

[amesbien]

Carbon works for a little while clearing your water and such, but after that it is just mainly used as bio-media. I have heard though that after the carbon has been exhausted, it may start to break down and release harmfull stuff, chemicals I think.(some one will know). Just use the carbon till you get the clear water, then remove it and use the space for extra bio-media.

 

[USMC Sniper]

Carbon works for a little while clearing your water and such, but after that it is just mainly used as bio-media. I have heard though that after the carbon has been exhausted, it may start to break down and release harmfull stuff, chemicals I think.(some one will know). Just use the carbon till you get the clear water, then remove it and use the space for extra bio-media.

No, not true. There is no leeching of the toxins from the carbon. If there was, carbon would be essentially "rechargeable" just by soaking it in water for x-period of time. All the toxins would then simply leech out until it was basically usable again. The adsorption does render carbon useless pretty quickly, but as stated above, it does then become a very good home for the nitrifying bacteria. So if you're aware of that and wish to utilize it as such, you might as well just leave it in so it can continue doing at least that job.

Chuck

 

[johnptc]

i find my large tanks get yellow without carbon.... yes i change alot of water on a 24/7 basis.....( about 10% a day to control nitrates)

i run 7 pounds of carbon on the 2400 gallon and it seems to keep the water clear for 8 to 12 weeks.

when the water starts to yellow. i change carbon and in 24-48 hours its clear again....... cycle reapeats

on a different fish forum they keep saying there is no reason to keep carbon in my filters and that it is only good for removing medication and really only affective for a week or two and then it loses its effectiveness.

what say you my monsterfishkeeper friends?

 

[Connor0729]

i leave the carbon in my filter because it just adds a little more filtering power to your filter, but, although it wears out over time, it is definetly not useless.

 

[wright4lfe]

interesting, thanks for the opinions.

 

[prophets]

No, not true. There is no leeching of the toxins from the carbon. If there was, carbon would be essentially "rechargeable" just by soaking it in water for x-period of time. All the toxins would then simply leech out until it was basically usable again. The adsorption does render carbon useless pretty quickly, but as stated above, it does then become a very good home for the nitrifying bacteria. So if you're aware of that and wish to utilize it as such, you might as well just leave it in so it can continue doing at least that job.

Chuck

Er...carbon breaks down over time, therefore the absorbed chemicals will be leached back, but the difference is, the chemicals absorbed will be altered as carbon is chemically active. Just because it releases back chemicals doesn't mean its "rechargeable" as ammo chips or purigen. Carbon breaks down naturally over time which will re-release a byproduct into your water.

I haven't used carbon at all, only time is to remove any meds I put in or if I notice the water is getting yellowed, which is rare. As someone had stated, your best bet is to remove the carbon after its done its job, and replace with higher quality bio-media.