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Hi have removed my carbon at the mo as we are using medication. We have read conflicting info some sites say you really need carbon all the time, others say that it is not needed at all. We had activated carbon as a media in our Fluval 404, so we want to know is it worth putting back after we finish medicating?

I have the fluval 404 and i run activated carbon in one of my trays all the time. I have tried with out but the water is not so crysal clear because i have lots of wood the water goes browny without it.

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The truth about carbon is, no you don't NEED it. Some people like to use it because it keeps the water clear and filters certian chemicals out of the water. if you left the carbon in while medicating the tank, the activated carbon would filter out the medicine as your water passes through the filter, thereby lessening the effect of the meds on your fish. This, obviously, is a bad thing when you need those meds to treat your fish. After the medication period is over, however, it's often a good thing to use some activated carbon for a period of time, just to take the excess meds out of the water.

Others dont like to use it because they may like the color of water with tannins leeched out into it. Some aquarists with planted tanks don't use it because it may take some nutrients that are beneficial to plant health out of the water - this point has been debated a lot, with some poeple swearing it's true, while others have seen no noticable difference. In any case, it's a matter of preference when it comes to using carbon full time.

If you do use it, though, you probably need to replace it every 2-3 weeks, since activated carbon becomes "de-activated", so to speak, after a relatively brief period of time. It then becomes just another form of mechanical filtration.

Last edited by nowherman6 at 09-May-2005 09:41

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Back in the saddle!

In addition to what has been said...

I dont use it in any of my tanks, mainly because they're planted . Carbon will remove ferts and nutrients that the plants appreaciate. For me this was the biggest reason to stop using it on a regular basis. I do keep some on hand for emergencies and if medications are needed. I'll also run it from time to time to remove impurities from the water then do an extra dose of ferts.
If you have a non planted tank, and don't mind the extra expense and hassle of replacing it every few weeks then keep it running.

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And to make matters more complicated... I have a planted tank and I do use activated carbon. I also heard it being said that activated carbon removes nutrients necessary for plants, and I have stopped using it for a while and then went back, and felt no change in plant health. I use it because I like my water crystal clear and with a driftwood in my tank, my water would become tinted without carbon.

But I do agree with NowhereMan that it's not needed. It's a matter of personal choice. If you don't know what your personal choice is, just try to run your filter without it for a few weeks and see for yourself. Not using it doesn't mean your risking your fish's health.

There are also alternatives for carbon. Seachem's purigen is one such alternative. It is said to polish the water and remove impurities without removing essential elements like activated carbon. It is also said to polish the water better than carbon, and it is also more cost effective as you can renew when it's exhausted after few months of using it, unlike activated carbon which needs to be replaced every few weeks. I've not used it myself yet, but I've ordered it and will start using it later this week.

Hi C D and All,
As the others have all stated carbon is used or not used for many different reasons, depending on which water conditions you want. The best way to clean and clear up water is to pass the water under pressure through the carbon to polish the water. ( Remove all the smaller floating particles that can cloud the water ) In a larger commercial systems carbon is used to remove meds used to treat sick fish, and tanins from driftwood, cloudy water from marine systems and is one of the most effective for clearing water quickly, as it is only good for a short time, it has to be replaced often at least every 10/14 days. Reusing old carbon can be a problem as to reactivate carbon it has to be heat treated at very high temerature to reactivate it, commericaly unviable. Use only for the right purpose and correct manor it is safe and responsible disposal of the used carbon. Hope this may help. Muss

One problem with carbon can be its inconsistecy, and what is known as the "breakthrough volume" or how much water can pass through the carbon before it can no longer absorb impurities.

Using carbon may remove some undesirable compounds (such as unwanted medications), but it is difficult to know when or if the absorption capacity is exceeded. For this reason, you may need to change the carbon much more than you think. Conversely, you may be spending a lot of money replacing perfectly good carbon!

Other than for removing meds or tannins from your tank, I don't think carbon is a necessity to maintain clear water. Filter floss will "polish" your water quite well, is cheaper than carbon, and it is easy to see when it should be replaced.

All best,
Joe

Ahhhhh .... Overload of conflicting info that ironically all say the same thing. Why are we not warned of the mental stress of keeping fish!!!!!

So its up to me. Well we have 2 bog wood pieces. Are trying to sell the house so although we want to plant out are going to wait and see about the house first as we feel we can only give the fish so much stress in a short space of time, (changing substrate, planting out, potentially moving from uk to canada (with fish) or staying in this country a bit longer but still having to move fish to another part of uk), so when all these matters are delt with then I think that as we use another media to polish water then carbon might stay out.

There said it made a decision. Carbon stay out.

Bottom line with carbon is it's an unnecessary expense and an add'l thing to maintenance. I have a planted tank that has alot of dark driftwood and my tank is crystal clear without carbon and has no odor.

I really don't think you even need it to remove meds, becuase water changes, which all of us should be doing will take care of that.





My Scapes

Carbon is a fantastic thing to have lying around.

One day, without thinking, you spray body spray near the tank. Yikes!!! Chuck in the carbon and it impurities will be removed much faster than any other way, and hopefully all will be well.

Or, medication. Suspected ich, medicating for ich. Then you see the neurological symptoms of Columnaris. It would be very dangerous to add antibiotics on top of the ich med, so you run carbon for 12 hours, then remove and add the new med.

But I wouldnt bother with it all the time.

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I like to think that whoever designed marine life was thinking of it as basically an entertainment medium. That would explain some of the things down there, some of the unearthly biological contraptions