View Full Version : Carbon
Marion
02-17-2003, 1:09 PM
How often should the carbon be changed in a filter ? We have a Fluval
304 & it hold 3 bags of carbon.
mt_marcy
02-17-2003, 2:16 PM
I'm not 100% for sure, but they could be changed after 2 or 3 months of being used.
mt_marcy!
famman
02-17-2003, 2:54 PM
Carbon shouldn't be used in a filter except on a new tank or to remove medicines or other similiar purposes.
Carbon will generally become inert after about 4 or 5 weeks and thereafter only becomes a place for your bioculture to grow.
I would suggest that you remove the carbon and replace it with biological media.
good luck
:)
wetmanNY
02-17-2003, 7:08 PM
Tim Hovanec's studies showed that the efficacy of carbon dropped away severely after a couple of days!! His carbon articles, from Aquarium Fish are archived at www.marineland.com in the Marineland Labs section, under "Dr Tim's articles.
Check em out. And read the rest of his stuff. It's all outstanding. Bookmarkable!
superstein61
02-18-2003, 4:57 PM
If you are concerned with the efficiency of carbon after a week or so, but want to filter out some of the things Carbon does, there are some synthetic alternatives you could consider.
Purigen by Seachem works very weel for me - and it turns color when exhausted - so no guessing. Plus you can regenerate it - so you save money.