Do I Really Need Carbon??

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Parrotsrule

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Apr 23, 2012
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United States
I have an aqua clear 70 on my 50 and I was wondering if I really need carbon, if not I just want to do 2 sponges and bio max instead of 1 sponge carbon and bio max.. Plus I don't really want to pay for carbon thanks.


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You don't need carbon. I don't have carbon in any of my tanks. But I'd recommend replacing the carbon with more bio rather than just a sponge. Which might not be cheaper, really.
 
I dont have carbon in my 240g right now and it seems to be doing fine. Carbon does help soak up chemicals in the water which can be good or bad. If you have contamination (choramines, etc) then carbon can help, conversely, if you are using treatments (like those used for sick fish) it will absorb into the carbon instead of treating the fish. Carbon can also polish the water by removing fine particles. If your water quality is good, dont worry about the carbon. If you need to, you can always change up your water changes to maintain your water conditions instead of adding carbon as well.
 
I have 2 aquaclear 110's on my 50. I know overkilll but I never have used carbon and this tank has been setup for 13 years.
 
Parrotsrule said:
Do you have to replace the bio? And why not another sponge?.


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You'd have to replace the bio stuff (assuming it's ceramic or something similar) only really once it actually gets physically broken down by the bacteria in it. So like, you only need to replace it when it gets so broken down it no longer fills its space. You may want to rinse it (in tank water you siphon out during a change) every so often if it gets gunked up. I prefer bio to sponge because I like to have a ton of biological media in my tanks to break down fish waste. Sponges can hold a lot of biology, too, but with one filter in the tank I'd probably lean towards bio rather than more mechanical (aka sponge.)

That being said, if you'd like to add a little of both cheaply to your tank you might consider getting a little air pump and hooking it up to a small simple sponge filter.
 
I've never used carbon and only clean out filters when I notice reduction in flow...

Never had a problem with that scheme.
 
Ceramic doesnt break down unless physically broken, try fluval bio max, more pourus then ac bio. Just shake it in tank water once in awhile!

#1 S. Vettel
 
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