why not?

[Slim2634]

everyone always recommends to take out the carbon with ac's and put in extra biomax or cut a hole in vertical cartridges and dump out the carbon. but why take out the carbon i mean it comes with the filters for a reason. can someone give me some reasons why ppl take them out of their filters.

 

[johno27]

There are many reason here are a few

1. Carbon is suspected to either cause or worsen HITH disease in cichlids

2. Most people do not change their carbon often enough. when carbon is in the water for longer than the recommended time it will start to leech any impurities it has removed back into the water.

3.Carbon can remove ammonia too well which can starve your beneficial bacteria hence destroying your biological filtration.

There are pretty much only 2 reasons to use carbon

1. TO remove medication

2. To remove a foul odor from the water that water changes do not seem to affect.

Basically If you have a clean tank with healthy fish and good biological and mechanical filtration Carbon is not needed and in some cases can become harmful.

I am sure I left something out but you get the point.

 

[skillzdatkillz]

There are many reason here are a few

1. Carbon is suspected to either cause or worsen HITH disease in cichlids

2. Most people do not change their carbon often enough. when carbon is in the water for longer than the recommended time it will start to leech any impurities it has removed back into the water.

3.Carbon can remove ammonia too well which can starve your beneficial bacteria hence destroying your biological filtration.

There are pretty much only 2 reasons to use carbon

1. TO remove medication

2. To remove a foul odor from the water that water changes do not seem to affect.

Basically If you have a clean tank with healthy fish and good biological and mechanical filtration Carbon is not needed and in some cases can become harmful.

I am sure I left something out but you get the point.

yep u pretty much covered it

 

[Slim2634]

thanks, next time i go to the store i will pick up two more things of biomax for my filters. and i have two more packs of carbon so i will use that in case i need to remove meds or odors. i have two ac 50s so the carbon is easy to take out. but is it easy to remove the carbon out of the whisper filter cartridge

 

[rallysman]

I dont use it because it isnt necessary and I'm cheap.

 

[DeLgAdO]

Carbon is suspected to either cause or worsen HITH disease in cichlids

i have a REALLY hard time believing that carbon causes or worsens HITH disease.

i need to find the issue of TFH with that article on carbon.

2. Most people do not change their carbon often enough. when carbon is in the water for longer than the recommended time it will start to leech any impurities it has removed back into the water.

people need to stop being lazy!!!, lol

3.Carbon can remove ammonia too well which can starve your beneficial bacteria hence destroying your biological filtration.

thats the white media called zeolite, that removes ammonia. carbon does not. carbon just removes odors, organic pollutants, toxic compounds and medications.

but yes zeolite does remove ammonia alittle too well to the point where bacteria dont get the chance to live and grow.