Remove activated carbon from filter?

Brooke Owens

Feeder Fish
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Jan 7, 2017
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Hi I bought an ick treated that informs me to remove the activated carbon from my filter, does this mean to remove my filter cartridges and not run my filter at all during the treatment? I have a powerhead that provides oxygen so if I did not use my filter for a few days would this be okay?
 

kno4te

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Carbon can remove meds from the tank. Take out the carbon and run the filter while treating. Keep the power head for surface agitation. Helps with ick and in case ur keeping temperatures high.
 

Brooke Owens

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jan 7, 2017
49
18
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24
Carbon can remove meds from the tank. Take out the carbon and run the filter while treating. Keep the power head for surface agitation. Helps with ick and in case ur keeping temperatures high.
So just remove the filter cartridges but keep the filter running without them?
 

kno4te

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Can keep it as long as there's no carbon in it.
 

The Mother Confessor

Candiru
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Feb 3, 2017
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Yes. If you turn off your filter for a few days, you will lose your good nitrifying bacteria, have to cycle the tank again when you restart it and your Ammonia > Nitrite > Nitrate cycle will stop. You will end up with an ammonia spike which could seriously impact your sick fish and prevent them from fighting the infection efficiently, or even kill them if it's that severe.

Never turn your filter off for longer than it takes to clean or change your filter media.

Just take out the carbon and turn it back on. As kno4te kno4te said, keep the power head on.

Whack up your temperature to the max your species can handle, it helps kill the ick, but watch for signs of gasping and increase surface movement if they start gasping. Temp increase = less oxygen = potentially more surface agitation needed.
 
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