cloudy water question, what happened???

[TheCanuck]

Carbon helps out with the water parameters, like removing odors, discoloration, and ammonia. SO please tell me how its useless. ITs made to keep ur water crispy. Im not saying if u dont have it, ur water wont be crispy. BUT it will definitely HELP!!! Specially if you have a life and u cant do a WC everyday or for that matter every week.

CARBON HELPS OUT,POINT BLANK!!!

Yes, it does absorb ammonia, but if your tank is cycled and you aren't overstocked and/or you don't overfeed your fish, the beneficial bacteria should remove all the ammonia created by converting it to nitrite and nitrate, so this shoudn't really be necessary. If your tank is cycling, you want to allow a small amount of ammonia to be present - if it's not there for the bacteria to use, you won't build up enough of a bacterial population to handle the wastes your fish will produce.

As far as the carbon, it adsorbs a number of chemicals, including some that are good as well as bad. The major reason for using it is to remove medications that are used in the tank. It will also remove small amounts of dyes, discoloration from tannins leached from wood, and some odors. It's used in some specialized tanks for removing toxins produced by corals (also some fish species) in saltwater tanks. It can also remove some harmful metals in you tapwater (if these exist).

It's not necessary to use carbon on a daily basis, unless there's a specific reason you have for doing so (lessen water discoloration from driftwood, removal of metals from tapwater, etc.). In most cases, regular water changes will do just as much if not more to benefit your water quality. It's still good to keep some onhand, however, for emergencies (someone sprays a chemical in the room and some accidently gets in the tank).


...... doesn't sound useless , just a waste of money and a waste of time.....


Did you know it becomes toxic and aneriobic after 2weeks and begins poisining your tank?

 

[cichlid fiend]

Yes, it does absorb ammonia, but if your tank is cycled and you aren't overstocked and/or you don't overfeed your fish, the beneficial bacteria should remove all the ammonia created by converting it to nitrite and nitrate, so this shoudn't really be necessary. If your tank is cycling, you want to allow a small amount of ammonia to be present - if it's not there for the bacteria to use, you won't build up enough of a bacterial population to handle the wastes your fish will produce.

As far as the carbon, it adsorbs a number of chemicals, including some that are good as well as bad. The major reason for using it is to remove medications that are used in the tank. It will also remove small amounts of dyes, discoloration from tannins leached from wood, and some odors. It's used in some specialized tanks for removing toxins produced by corals (also some fish species) in saltwater tanks. It can also remove some harmful metals in you tapwater (if these exist).

It's not necessary to use carbon on a daily basis, unless there's a specific reason you have for doing so (lessen water discoloration from driftwood, removal of metals from tapwater, etc.). In most cases, regular water changes will do just as much if not more to benefit your water quality. It's still good to keep some onhand, however, for emergencies (someone sprays a chemical in the room and some accidently gets in the tank).


...... doesn't sound useless , just a waste of money and a waste of time.....


Did you know it becomes toxic and aneriobic after 2weeks and begins poisining your tank?

I hear you and everything right and ur right. BUT-you no what to each its own!!

In my opinion- CARBON HELP!!!

 

[bitteraspects]

Carbon helps out with the water parameters, like removing odors, discoloration, and ammonia. SO please tell me how its useless. ITs made to keep ur water crispy. Im not saying if u dont have it, ur water wont be crispy. BUT it will definitely HELP!!! Specially if you have a life and u cant do a WC everyday or for that matter every week.

CARBON HELPS OUT,POINT BLANK!!!

First, odor has absolutely nothing to do with water parameters. Unless of course you have so much ammonia in your tank that you can smell it (in which case carbon will not help at all and you have much bigger problems on your hands)
As far as ammonia removal, the carbon itself has nothing to do with that. Your bacteria does that without the carbon. Carbon will provide another surface for bacteria to grow on, but considering it has the surface area of aquarium gravel (which you likely already have), and it needs to be regularly removed and replaced (since carbon is only "active" for up to a week) , it makes a very poor choice for a biological media.
The only "discoloration" it removes are tannins from driftwood. this is not a service that needs even be mentioned.
If you properly treat your DW before putting it in your tank (by rinsing/soaking/boiling out the tannins) there would be no "discoloration" in the first place. And if you didn't bother to pre treat your DW long enough (or at all) tannins will be removed by simple WC.
And that's besides the fact that tannins aren't even harmful at all. In fact some fish (and fishleepers) prefer the natural look the tannins give the water.

carbon provides absolutely nothing to your system that is not taken care of by routine maintenence and WC. that's how its useless.

 

[cichlid fiend]

Well y'all go ahead and live in ur tank, I'll spend my time out fishing and enjoying life. I feel that it's helps with maintaining the tank. I don't want to have to clean out my filiter every week, and if I don't want to do a water change every week. I still come home to CRISPYNESS!!

I like carbon and u don't. How cares, do what u thinks works for you. I bet if the person who started this thread puts carbon in his filiters in about a day or so he'll beable to post a pic in the "crispy water pics" thread.

 

[dr_sudz]

Isn't this a thread about getting rid of cloudy water not the debate of the use of carbon or not?

I would think that if you have cloudy water, it sounds like your filters have crashed for one reason or another. Have you checked your parameters for ammonia and nitrite? Are your fish showing signs of stress? Is it possible someone dumped in too much food, or something that shouldn't be there that could have caused a spike in your system? There is a good chance this will just clear itself back up. Though you said that it was cloudy when your added your sand, is there anything that might be stirring the sand? like a fish trying to nest? Just some thoughts.

 

[TheCanuck]

Well y'all go ahead and live in ur tank, I'll spend my time out fishing and enjoying life. I feel that it's helps with maintaining the tank. I don't want to have to clean out my filiter every week, and if I don't want to do a water change every week. I still come home to CRISPYNESS!!

I like carbon and u don't. How cares, do what u thinks works for you. I bet if the person who started this thread puts carbon in his filiters in about a day or so he'll beable to post a pic in the "crispy water pics" thread.

Let me start off with this.... i like the enthusiasm lol.

But!

Carbon does not help with cloudy water. I understand that you will use it either way. I use to live with carbon in my back pocket. Until i replaced the carbon with more bio stuff and BAM!! My water was 2x as crispy. Lol so you can use your carbon , i wont try to stop you or argue that you shouldnt use it. I just remember when i threw away my saftey blanket away "carbon" , and made the lunge of running a tank without carbon it was scarey. Though my water was better , because with the carbon gone leaving me more bio room my params where better. Also i didnt have to waste cash on that black crap that gets all over your hands. Also bio media never needs to be cleaned if you have a good prefilter to your bio media. Carbon needs to be changed every 2 weeks MAX. I dont mess with my bio filters for months at a time. When i do i just swish them in the tank. I just change the prefilter ..... Haha just more uneeded work for a false cause of saftey.... that was my personal experiance

 

[cichla81]

Isn't this a thread about getting rid of cloudy water not the debate of the use of carbon or not?

I would think that if you have cloudy water, it sounds like your filters have crashed for one reason or another. Have you checked your parameters for ammonia and nitrite? Are your fish showing signs of stress? Is it possible someone dumped in too much food, or something that shouldn't be there that could have caused a spike in your system? There is a good chance this will just clear itself back up. Though you said that it was cloudy when your added your sand, is there anything that might be stirring the sand? like a fish trying to nest? Just some thoughts.

when i left for the weekend all was fine. last time i checked my water it was all good about week ago. the cichla dont stir up the sand too much. i cant think of what it is unless one of the filters is acting up or something.

 

[TheCanuck]

when i left for the weekend all was fine. last time i checked my water it was all good about week ago. the cichla dont stir up the sand too much. i cant think of what it is unless one of the filters is acting up or something.

Have you tryed cleaing the inside and outside of the glass? I know it sounds dumb but this has happened to me , the inside can grab alot of "dust" give a very cloudy look.

o i think i just found the problem.... Your doing a 40% water change every 3-4 days!? you are probly taking to much water out causing mini cycles.... I would stick to the 20% a week. Then test water , if you need to do more then do more. But your WC amount is insane.

And is the tank cycled? What size tank? how many fish and size?

I think your causing mini cycles...

 

[bitteraspects]

that WC alone will not cause a cycle unless it wasn't done properly. (letting the media dry out, adding chlorinated water back to the tank, temp/ph shock, etc).
You can do daily 40% WC without causing a mini cycle if done properly.

Have you cleaned your filters/ media lately?

 

[TheCanuck]

that WC alone will not cause a cycle unless it wasn't done properly. (letting the media dry out, adding chlorinated water back to the tank, temp/ph shock, etc).
You can do daily 40% WC without causing a mini cycle if done properly.

Have you cleaned your filters/ media lately?

If i took out that much water i would decloritnate it and let it sit for a day while i mix it. Because with that much chlorine to kill if its not completely mixed before added that much could kill all your bio..... I think to many percautions must be taken when doing such a large water change. Im sure you know all about it and can exicute it perfectly but why would you want to? smaller water changes a week will decrease the risk of losing bb. Also it reduces work , and stress on yourself about yoru tank. Why not give it a try?