Water Filters...

[sly2kusa]

I purchased a under the sink water filtration system from H2O systems back when I first started up my tank, but used a Chlorine remover when I first put the water in my tank back in May this year. My question is this - the H2O system claims to contain a patented media, KDF® (U.S. Patent 4,642,192), which has been tested to drastically reduce or effectively remove: Chlorine, Lead, Arsenic, Barium, Cadmium, Chromium, Selenium, Mercury, Iron and other metals that may be present in the water. However - it says nothing about Pathogens, and whether or not it's also removing the good nutrients from the water which my fish may need on a regular basis upon weekly water changes.

Do any of you use anything similar in your homes? Or do you use a Chlorine removing solution when you put your new weekly/bi-weekly water back in your setups?

Much thanks in advance

[jm1212]

i saw one of those at the store and i was wondering the very same thing lol
but right now i use tap water conditioner to get rid of the chlorine

[sly2kusa]

i saw one of those at the store and i was wondering the very same thing lol
but right now i use tap water conditioner to get rid of the chlorine


The one thing I know for sure is that my tap water is not registering any Chlorine at all (though these are test strips, and not a liquid test like for Ammonia and Nitrites/Nitrates).

[plah831]

it sounds like your filter uses carbon to remove chemical impurities, like a Brita. those need their filter cartridges replaced regularly to maintain peak performance. Brita does say it removes some pathogens, like protozoa, but I don't know how.

Activated carbon in filter cartridges for your aquarium, will also remove chlorine and some metals, by the same chemical filtration process. I don't use activated carbon, myself, because it needs to be a specific kind (Zeolite, or something) to work best, and carbon also removes metals that my live plants need as fertilizers. Also, you need to replace the carbon very often (like at least every 2 weeks) or else it stops working. Usually, though, it becomes saturated (will not absorb any more stuff), and just becomes a high surface area region for your nitrifying bacteria to live on.

[sly2kusa]

it sounds like your filter uses carbon to remove chemical impurities, like a Brita. those need their filter cartridges replaced regularly to maintain peak performance. Brita does say it removes some pathogens, like protozoa, but I don't know how.

Activated carbon in filter cartridges for your aquarium, will also remove chlorine and some metals, by the same chemical filtration process. I don't use activated carbon, myself, because it needs to be a specific kind (Zeolite, or something) to work best, and carbon also removes metals that my live plants need as fertilizers. Also, you need to replace the carbon very often (like at least every 2 weeks) or else it stops working. Usually, though, it becomes saturated (will not absorb any more stuff), and just becomes a high surface area region for your nitrifying bacteria to live on.


The water filter which is under my sink is registered for 35,000g's. Which if true will most certainly run the length of this project and beyond. The carbon filters for the Emperor's are the only things I have seen for them (though as I originally mentioned in my very first post - I do have some pillows from Algone Corp which I did not go with due to recommendations to hold of on them - they will not truly treat, but just stall, spikes of either Ammonia and Nitrites/Nitrates). I've heard a team called "floss" for the filters. What is this and what will it do for my ecosystem? I'm trying to keep it as natural as possible.

[Rbishop]

Can't find the post right now, but it alluded to not relying on carbon to pull the chlorine out. I think it helps, but the volume you would need of the carbon and the time frame really makes it impractical for a household set up.

As an aside, have you checked with your water department to ensure they do/do not use chloramine? In many areas this is now the norm. Some conditioners will handle chlorine and chloramine, others just chlorine.

I believe the floss you are referring to is used for pre-filtering in the physical sense...

http://www.petsolutions.com/Floss+Foam+Filter+Media-C-10275-C-.aspx

I use the floss in most all of my canister filters along with other media.

I use water from a private well and do not have the need for the conditioner.

[sly2kusa]

Can't find the post right now, but it alluded to not relying on carbon to pull the chlorine out. I think it helps, but the volume you would need of the carbon and the time frame really makes it impractical for a household set up.

As an aside, have you checked with your water department to ensure they do/do not use chloramine? In many areas this is now the norm. Some conditioners will handle chlorine and chloramine, others just chlorine.

I believe the floss you are referring to is used for pre-filtering in the physical sense...

http://www.petsolutions.com/Floss+Foam+Filter+Media-C-10275-C-.aspx

I use the floss in most all of my canister filters along with other media.

I use water from a private well and do not have the need for the conditioner.

In my area of the country they have Water Pump Plants that provide the water to my local area. I would agree that the carbon alone is probably not a great guarantee that the Chlorine is not in the water, so I still use the recommended dose of the Water Conditioning product that I purchased when I got my aquarium. I figure I'd rather be safe than sorry, and it will keep the fish protected in my tank (it claims to not be something that can overdose the tank, but I just use the 1 cap full per 10g recommendation).

The filter did give a zero reading when I used my Chlorine test strip on it, but a few folks out here have said that those test strips (for Chlorine and other testings) are not as accurate as liquid test kits (which I just ordered some last night to do PH, Nitrite/Nitrate, Ammonia testing with). What is you opinion on Chlorine test strips? Are they ample or just as questionable as other test strips for other tests?

[Rbishop]

I have not used the test strips for chlorine or other parameters since seeing their inaccuracies; only use liquid now.

Since I am on a private well, I don't worry about chlorine. The community here also draws from the same aquafier layer as my well, but they add chloramine. We have that water source in the house, but the outside taps, basement plumbing and a seperate heater and tank that are plumbed for the fish tanks, all come from our well.

Search the threads or play with Google and you should be able to find your water company and see what they add and their recent test results. I don't think you have any worries with overdosing on the dechlor.

[BlueSkies]

Hi, just thought I'd ask a quick question, cause it pertains to this thread.

[QUOTE=plah831]I don't use activated carbon, myself, because it needs to be a specific kind (Zeolite, or something) to work best, and carbon also removes metals that my live plants need as fertilizers. QUOTE]
What is in your filter then? I have an Emperor and the carbon comes in the cartridge. My plants aren't doing so hot, and never really have.

[sly2kusa]

Hi, just thought I'd ask a quick question, cause it pertains to this thread.

[QUOTE=plah831]I don't use activated carbon, myself, because it needs to be a specific kind (Zeolite, or something) to work best, and carbon also removes metals that my live plants need as fertilizers. QUOTE]
What is in your filter then? I have an Emperor and the carbon comes in the cartridge. My plants aren't doing so hot, and never really have.

Not to pipe in on this (because I certainly don't know), but I too have the Emperor 400 (2 of them in fact), and they use that black and blue cartridge with the carbon inside. I have plastic plants (yeah I know, but I knew it would be best to start out simple) in my 90g, and they do look pretty natural. The Algae bloom gave them a tinge of brown on the leaves and stems in places that have them looking real. My plecos usually cleans the leaves pretty well, but the plastics have worked well for me.

I thought I read somewhere out here that you should wait until your tank has matured a bit before going with any kind of living plant? Is that true or myth?

[sly2kusa]

I have not used the test strips for chlorine or other parameters since seeing their inaccuracies; only use liquid now.

Since I am on a private well, I don't worry about chlorine. The community here also draws from the same aquafier layer as my well, but they add chloramine. We have that water source in the house, but the outside taps, basement plumbing and a seperate heater and tank that are plumbed for the fish tanks, all come from our well.

Search the threads or play with Google and you should be able to find your water company and see what they add and their recent test results. I don't think you have any worries with overdosing on the dechlor.


That's a great idea, and thanks for the recommendation. I don't know if they post this kind of data (or if it's even public domain), but if it is I will definitely read up on it.

Thanks again

[sumthin fishy]

Hi, just thought I'd ask a quick question, cause it pertains to this thread.

[QUOTE=plah831]I don't use activated carbon, myself, because it needs to be a specific kind (Zeolite, or something) to work best, and carbon also removes metals that my live plants need as fertilizers. QUOTE]
What is in your filter then? I have an Emperor and the carbon comes in the cartridge. My plants aren't doing so hot, and never really have.
While a little off topic, I will answer this briefly here for the sake of discussion. If you want more details, a search of the forums will give you everything you need to know. The carbon in the filters is only active short period of time. After only a few weeks at stops working as anything other than a bed for your benificial bacteria. While the carbon will serve to remove ferts and other things your plants need, it will only do this for a short time. If you are constantly replacing your filters(not recomended despite the manufactureres recomendation) this could be your plant issue. If you do not replace filter cartridges, you may need to look elsewhere for your problem. Try a new post in the plant forum.

[plah831]

Hi, just thought I'd ask a quick question, cause it pertains to this thread.

[QUOTE=plah831]I don't use activated carbon, myself, because it needs to be a specific kind (Zeolite, or something) to work best, and carbon also removes metals that my live plants need as fertilizers. QUOTE]
What is in your filter then? I have an Emperor and the carbon comes in the cartridge. My plants aren't doing so hot, and never really have.

I use straight mechanical filter media. It came in a big roll of fabric that looks like thick felt. I just cut out a piece that fits my filter frame (that I used to put the white cotton bag with carbon in it around). Now I just clip the felt thing to it. All I need my filter to do is mechanical filtration (remove particles larger than 100 microns) and biological filtration (Bio Foam for bacteria to live on), and circulate water of course.

[BlueSkies]

Mmm. Very interesting. Thanks! I've been stealing my plants nutrients all this time with the carbon! I'll be stopping that now.

[jnguyen4007]

carbon works best in the first 24 hours to remove odors, chemicals and medication from the water. After that, it's used in a nitrification process. If you want to remove harmful bacteria and pathogen from your water, then you need a dedicated UV filter.