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i for one think carbon is very good thing to have in a fresh water tank excluding when a medicine is in use and zeolite i don't how important that is

so what does every one else think of these chemical filter meadia

Declan]

Zeolite for ammonia is nice for the salt water tank but unnecessary for the freshwater tank. If you have ammonia in your freshwater tank, zeolite is not going to correct the root causes of the problem. It has some benefit for water softening. Recharging is a pain and it should be used to correct a short term problem not as a long term solution.

Having said that, I realize that I view carbon in much the same fashion as zeolite. Good mechanical and biological filtration in an aquarium with good maintenance results in "polished" water.

Use the products if they make you feel better, but recognize that they are quickly depleted and must be renewed. Carbon has a relatively short period of effectiveness.

The following is an excellent link on the positives and negatives on carbon and zeolite (ion exchanger): http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:05SiMuEpuS0J:www.aquahobby.com/articles/e_chemical.php+aquarium+carbon+effectiveness&hl=en&client=firefox-a

Last edited by bob wesolowski at 06-Jun-2005 01:10

__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

before...was concerned with act. carbon...but since i keep plants in my tank...i dont care much abt it....i do need it if like..im treating my tank and needs to remove as much meds as possible.

I'm with the above on the carbon issue. I dont run carbon in my tanks, mainly because they're planted. I suppose if I had a non planted tank I might run some every few months, just for the extra polishing.
However I think it's important to always have some on hand for when it's needed either to remove meds or in the case of accidents.

^_^[hr width='40%']"Has someone taken your faith? It's real, the pain you feel.
The life, the love, You die to heal.
The hope that starts, The broken hearts...
I’ve got another confession my friend, I’m no fool.
I’m getting tired of starting again, Somewhere new."
*refighting lost battles*

I agree with the above mostly - Carbon is good to run for a bit every couple months or so...zeolite is alright to fix a short term problem, but it's nothing that should be used as a long term solution...

That being said, most of my tanks are planted, but I don't use ferts, so I don't have a problem runnin' carbon every now and then. I usually keep a bit on hand if I happen to need it, and a couple times a year I'll put some in a little mesh bag and throw it in a filter. Right now I've got some in my DIY Cannister on my 29g

I try to stay away from zeolite tho

I run carbon permanently in my 125 uk gallon tank which is a mixed community tank with my precious clown loaches but i dont run it in my malawi setup.I have never had a problem using it and it helps to reduce the tanin staining from my large amount of driftwood.

Gibson SG you know you want one!!

The thing you have to be carful with about carbon is that it has the ability to adsorb, but when its fully saturated it begen to release everything it was working for. so i only use for a short time, and rarely

www.responsiblethrashers.com

Activated carbon can be nice for making the water look 'extra' sparkling/clear, which may be an issue when the parents or inlaws are visiting. A good water change, gravel vacuuming & addition of activated carbon can keep a tank looking nice longer, from what I understand.

Ammonia-binding agents sound like a good upfront quick-fix for ammonia, but I've got to wonder how they impact the formation of cycling bacteria for traditional biological filtration. I don't hear of people getting a new tank, using Zeolite, stocking fully from day one & assuming that over time cycling will just sort of happen. It would be nice to know more about that.

When I start a new tank, I use dirty old crudy biomedia from an established, cycled tank.

Richard.