carbon in tank

[chinaman]

do u think its a good idea to put carbon in a cichlid tank and how long does carbon last in a tank?

[musky48in]

In general, you don't need it. The only times that I have used it is when I want to clean the medication out of a tank and I have only done that twice in many years. I am pretty sure that most carbon is very short lived.

[reptileguy2727]

it wont hurt to have it in there and it can definitely help. it will last until it is saturated, and that can vary dramatically. i tried running tanks without it, and they look and smell MUCH better with the carbon.

[musky48in]

Maybe the smell has something to do with your water supply. I have never noticed a smell in my tanks after they have been fully cycled. I do agree with reptileguy; they won't hurt anything being in there. Just remember to take them out if you put any medication in.

[reptileguy2727]

not the water supply, fine until a few weeks after i pulled the carbon out, and other tanks were fine. i have had tanks on the same water supply for about 10 years and it smelled when i didnt have the carbon in, and it went away the day i put it back in.

[jason2894]

i was told and this isnt gospel but typically carbon lasts anywhere from 7-14 days and then its done but after it wears out it collects bacteria so i guess its a win win situation.

[Raf]

Nope, after its saturated (I thought it was up to a month but might be even less) it starts to leach what it absorbed back into the tank. Sooo, if you leave it in there your just back where you started.

I used to put carbon in my tank when I first started and thought you needed it. I soon found out and stopped using it and have noticed no difference (for years). I will still use carbon to take meds out of the water.

There's not harm in running it intially on a new setup but IMO its not nessecary to buy a new carbon packet every two weeks, its just a waste of money.


-Diana
*oops posted as Raf again*

[liv2padl]

after its saturated it starts to leach what it absorbed back into the tank.

myth !!! the only way this can happen is for the carbon to "capture" its organic load at one pH and then release it at a different ph. that different pH must be extremely different and the pH required for this to happen is FAR OUTSIDE the normal ph range of aquariums.

in so far as whether one should or should not use carbon in the filter, one needs to recognize that there are many types of carbon sold for aquarium use but VERY FEW of these are actually capable of adsorption in water. only HIGH QUALITY ACTIVATED GRANULAR carbon which has been degassed in an oxygen oven at temperatures close to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit is functional --- anything else is worthless. i can recommend Marineland activated granular carbon in this regard though there may be others. degassing enlarges the apparent surface area of each carbon granule, thus greatly increasing the adsorptive capacity.

also, a great many carbon grades are washed with phosphoric acid in an effort to support the adsorption sites since this is cheaper than degassing. this phosphate will leach into your aquarium water and can reult in a major algae problem.

and, if your filter uses prepackaged cartridges containing carbon, realize that these cartridges typically contain poor quality carbon and if quality carbon is used, only 20 percent or less of the recommended amounts of GAC is present. you can slit open the cartridge and fill them with more GAC but many pad filter types simply will not hold that much. thus, the carbon in the vast majority of filter pads on the market simply are not functioning. therefor why pay for it.

finally, if you're going to use activated carbon, you've got to use QUALITY material, you've got use ENOUGH of it to work and you've got to CHANGE IT often enough to keep it functional. how often is that? far more often than most aquarists think ... weeks, not months for most hobbyists. naturally this depends on fish load, tank size, amount of filtration, water change schedule and alot more and i'm generalizing ... but a weekly water change schedule taylored to your bioload will work equally well however and is certainly less expensive.

[mooman]

Agree with everything liv2padl said (once again). The idea that you have to use carbon in a tank is IMO the #1 hoax/myth/scam perpetrated by the aquarium industry. They rely on the ignorance of novice hobbiests, and the need for LFS to sell product, in order to get your money.

I'll also add that A simple filter sponge (cut to fit) and a square of quilt batting from wal-mart (100% polyester) can replace any "cartridge" filter. The sponge will last forever and you aren't constantly cycling your tank when you throw out your filter cartridge every month.

[~*LuvMyKribs*~]

Excellent post liv2padl, as always ;).

I dont know where I heard that carbon eventually leaches back into the tank, but I heard it somewhere a few times.

I agree that its a waste of money to continually add carbon to the tank, and the high grade carbon is a must. I use BlackDiamond, I'm not sure if thats good or not but its much better than some.

:)
-Diana