Thrift store treasure chest! Floss question

Floss is the last thing the water passes through before returning to the tank. It traps small particulate matter.

MaiaDee said:

Excellent, Mike. Thanks. So I need to put it behind the bio sponge too (just want to be clear)? Can the floss replace a carbon filter completely?

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Can floss be used as the only media in most standard filters? Yes.
Carbon is not used in a lot of tanks theses days. What we thought it did, it mostly doesn't. What we hoped it did, it mostly doesn't do. It's great for taking tannins out of the water.
Floss will become "the" bio media in most filters. If you have an HOB (hang on back) filter that includes a bio sponge, the floss can go behind it, or replace it - IF you don't toss it all when it's time to clean (not change) the filter. Many of us just rinse the old floss or quilt batting, in siphoned tank water during water changes.

Activated carbon adsorbs many impurities and is used in most filters that purify drinking water!
The trouble is it does not discriminate and for example, removes nutrients that would otherwise be appreciated by plants. So, although your tank doesn't absolutely need it, it can be very useful if used periodically or as needed.

As for filter floss, the info is correct - it's typically used in the last stage to 'polish' the water before returning to the tank. I would not replace any existing sponge as floss has a much shorter use life. However, adding some floss can produce much cleaner water by trapping the very tiny matter that would just pass through most sponges.

Footnote: In the olden days, all we had was activated carbon and filter floss in our bubble-up filters.

dbosman said:

Carbon is not used in a lot of tanks theses days. What we thought it did, it mostly doesn't. What we hoped it did, it mostly doesn't do.

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This is not correct. Carbon does exactly what it says it does and a lot of people use it today. The issue is that is is only active for a few weeks, but once it stops absorbing impurities, it makes an excellent bio media.

The carbon debate is too full of anecdotal tales and too empty of controlled studies -dealing with aquarium usage- to be anything other than a debate.
For anyone who cares to read further, here are a couple of articles that may help you understand some of the controversy.

http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/management/greenfield straughan_activated carbon.html
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/marineland_carbon.php
http://www.drtimsaquatics.com/resources/library-presentations/aquarium-hobby/activated-carbon
http://www.netpets.com/fish/reference/freshref/carbmeth.html