Do I need Carbon in my filter setup?

[Elwood]

Can't I just use the Seachem Matrix and De Nitrate products with mechanical filter media.

I have never used a canister filter before and have a Marineland c360 that came with my tank.
I think I would have more faith in other canisters that have been around for a very long time. But that is an opinion based on zero experience. I am just a little worried about this canister, so I want the best set up possible. Maybe Marineland is a good product. I'll know soon enough, I guess.

Would I gain anything from dropping a bag of "Nitrastrate" into the tank and leaving it in as part of the substrate?

I am probably going to buy a small odyssey and fill it with Bio and a polishing stage.

I value any experienced opinions, especially since I am just setting up and don't even have fish yet.
So give me a layer by layer setup if you don't mind.

Thanks, Elwood

One thing I remember from years ago is that my Hagen 110 had a massive thick foam block that would get green. And the bio ceramic ring things from Hagen always stayed white. I have always wondered if that meant that my sponge was acting as a biofilter as well as a mechanical filter. And why would the ceramic rings stay so white, even after a year in the filter.

 

[turningitred]

Elwood, I'm a bit new to fish-keeping myself, but being that we've fought many filtration battles over the last few months, I figured I'd weigh in with some of my thoughts. First of all, the type and amount of filtration you need is going to depend a lot on the type of fish you intend on stocking the tank with. The size of your tank and substrate you use can also affect the outcome a little. As far as the question of whether or not you would need to have carbon in your filter? For a while we didn't have any carbon in our turtle tank because the bio filtration seemed to be working so well (levels tested and perfect with crystal clear water), but after a while we started noticing a bit of a 'pond smell.' Being that all the levels were fine, we decided to add a last stage carbon bag to cover the pump inside the filter chamber and the pond smell went away. In other words, do you need it? No. Is it better to keep things natural? Yes. Do you like the smell of a natural pond in your home? We don't lol. As for the Nitrastate and other things you mentioned, I'm not really familiar. I would say that the Marineland filters aren't the best out there, but they do get the job done. You could always build your own as well! DIY is fun and you can do these things in TONS of different ways! In any event, good luck to you and happy fish-keeping!

 

[Jc1119]

I'm not familiar with nitrastrate, but you really don't need the carbon. It is a very good polisher though, unfortunately in most cases, a little too good. It can strip the water column of minerals and trace elements beneficial to your fish. A lot of debate over wehter ii's use/overuse can be linked to Hth. And it loses it's effectiveness rather quickly becoming add biofilter.

The rings most likely are staying white because the foam block mechanical part is doing it's job. I always place extra mech around the bio in my canisters and my bio stays very clean and white. The sponge is definitely acting as a bio filter, but there is much greater surface area in and on the rings so even though the sponge contributes, the rings are always doing the brunt of the work, and they cleaner they stay the better they can ...