What is your opinion on carbon?

[EhfiYann]

Hello everyone,

I'm puzzled :(

Do you use carbon for filtration?
Opinions vary a great deal from hobbyist to hobbyist...

Help :eek:

[Cearbhaill]

Short term use for a specific reason.

[Leopardess]

"Short term use for a specific reason."

Ditto. Maybe I'll use it to remove tanins from my tank, or after completing a medication cycle, but I don't use it regularly.

[JSchmidt]

Same here. I see no reason to use carbon except on an as-needed basis. I always have some on hand for emergency use (e.g., toxin in water) but rarely use it.

Jim

[EhfiYann]

Besides the $$$ factor of course, how is it that some companies advise to replace the carbon insert once a month or more often if necessary? Carbon is not necessary, right?

[RTR]

If you stock sensibly, pre-soak/boil driftwood/bogwood, and are good at water changes, activated carbon is rarely needed IMHO.

[ChicoRaton]

I use it for funny smells, tannins, etc. I do a 30-40% change about weekly- every 5 days, so I don't need it often, but running it for a few days every now and then helps make the water sparkle.

[daveedka]

Just like Meds and/or salt, I use it only when a situation deems it necessary, for instance removing meds, or if there is a possibility of chemicals getting into the tank from an outside source etc. Otherwise it's sponges and floss, nothing more is needed IMO.
dave

[beviking]

Ditto daveedka, RTR, JSchmidt. I have yet (I better not be cursing myself!) to have to medicate my main tank and I do water changes to remove meds from the Q-tank.

[LongTime]

Originally posted by ChicoRaton
I use it for funny smells, tannins, etc. I do a 30-40% change about weekly- every 5 days, so I don't need it often, but running it for a few days every now and then helps make the water sparkle.

Even in the best tanks you can have some slight tint from a lot of sources and carbon does remove those.

Still, I rarely use it. I have some that is so old it is probably useless.

[Leopardess]

I don't medicate my main tanks either, but I will very occasionally use it as an extra boost to pull out any remnants of meds in the q-tine tanks.

[got_nailed]

I use about 5oz. in my 75 gallon tank every 3 months. I leave it in for 3 days. I have only had to medicate one time (fungus). For my Tetra breading setup I use it some once a month in the sump for about a week. I have been trying to cut back on it a bit but I think it is necessary unless you do huge water changes to get out some of the nasty stuff. I’m basing this on that I have well water and I don’t filter it as well as I could before putting it in my tanks.

[RTR]

If you are not doing water modifications (I rarely do), water changes are much cheaper than carbon.

[wynn]

Once I found out that it wasn't necessary, I stopped using it too. This hobby can be expensive enough without adding to the expense unnecessarily. I still keep some around "just in case", but haven't ran into a situation where I needed it.

[brian_moons]

i have an aquaclear filter, in it, it says i should have a layer of sponge/foam and a layer of carbon and then biomax stuff, i heard that it wasnt necessary to have the carbon but instead add an extra sponge layer? anyone have an idea? :confused:

[Swimfins]

I have an aquaclear 200, I used to use 3 sponges, now I use 2 sponges and stuff polyester wool fill between the 2 sponges, or polyester wool fill stuffed into a mesh bag or nylon sock as the top layer works well for water polishing.

[sublime1184]

I used to use carbon with my UGF until i bought powerheads, now, I will probably use carbon only as needed with meds.

[SCU33ZE]

I have no other choice since it comes packed im my eclipse cartriges.
When i change to a generic sponge itll be gone and will only be used for other reasons.

[Tightdog1]

carbon is great if you need to remove things like impurities, etc on a select basis, but they ar not necessary for everyday use, but otherwise they work good for biological filtration when they are old and unusable

[SnakeIce]

Carbon only works optimaly on the removal of stuff for a few days, a week at most as the spots that do the absorbing get full. after that you have basicly bio rocks. I am adding chemicals to the water to feed my plants so I don't want carbon removeing those befor the plants get to them. 50% water changes a week removes what the plants don't use.

[hey]

I thought that carbon released the stuff they absorbed after a while

[OrionGirl]

Not under tank conditions. The chemical bond can be broken, but won't happen in a healthy tank environment. And, activated carbon can not be 'reactivated' at home--the required temp is well beyond the ability of home appliances.

[cyberbeer65]

I have a pouch of carbon that came with my AC 500.I haven't removed it from the filter since I bought it 5 months ago.I am using the pouch to harbor benificial bacteria.I just give the pouch a rinse in tank water every two weeks when I do tank maintenance,eg:50%water change,thourough gravel vac.As for my Whisper filter I haven't used carbon in it since I threw the original stuff out when I cleaned the floss out the first time.

[Swimfins]

The carbon will break down into little particles that can foul up the water. Its best removed after its no longer useful.

[fishcatch22]

I use carbon, and I replace it once every two weeks.

[ChileRelleno]

I have it on hand for the very rare instance when I might need it.
Carbon has it uses, but it is not for everyday use IMO.
It is good for removing certain chemicals, medicines, tannins and odors.
It is only good for a short time period, after which it may become oversaturated and leech contaminants back into the water column.
Carbon, more specifically carbon dust is a suspected causitive agent of HITH/HLLE.

IMO the everyday use of carbon is a waste of money and could pose a threat to the health of fish.

[dorkfish]

I use it as and when needed (almost never).

[Rbishop]

Other than cost, what is the down side of everyday use?

It helps clear minor odor issues that can be minimized by proper tank cleaning and water changes.

It clears out discoloration and DOC's that only constant water changes will do.

Since most people seem not to do regular water changes of a constant nature, and most do not seem to clean as well as they should, and most do not run enough volume of carbon they should and change it weekly at a minimum, we have decided that it is not needed.

I would support that, IF,

every one did a 50% water change weekly

never over fed

never over stocked

never failed to clean filters and hoods as they should

and cleaned substrate on a regular basis.

None of that will happen except for a few of us old timers.

No matter how many water changes you do, the water will not be as clear as it would if carbon filtered. It is small difference, but noticeable.

[plah831]

I was told that, because I have live plants, I should omit carbon because it can actually absorb nutrients (like metals) that the plants need. For instance, if I dose fertilizers when I have carbon in, it just negates it by sucking it all up. That's IF the carbon is still in good shape.

Like you said, rbishop, carbon does keep the water beautifully clean. I do miss that, but would rather let my plants act as my biochemical filter naturally. But I do miss the sparkling clean water... sigh. Now I just change waer religiously (twice a week) and it seems to work nearly if not as well.

I guess I don't need any more excuses to be lazy :) and carbon would give me that.

[Rbishop]

The OP didn't state a live plant premise. I agree that the carbon can affect the nutrient issues with them.

To bad the plants can not be as efficient of a filter as carbon when coming to clarity, but better in other ways that carbon can not achieve. But then again, I don't care for all the additives such as ferts to have that "natural" looking tank of live fish and plants.

To each his own. Carbon, in a non-planted tank, should definitely not make you lazy. If it does, you do not understand it's capabilities/limitations.

[plah831]

Carbon, in a non-planted tank, should definitely not make you lazy. If it does, you do not understand it's capabilities/limitations.

Agreed. I've cleaned up my act (pun intended) a lot since I've been on this forum.