Okay, I'm prepared for an open debate here...
Upon recommendation, I have removed the activated carbon from all of my filter cartridges in the past. My plants grow fabulously, but so does algae. Also, sometimes my office where most of my aquariums are smells of fish (2 tanks, 2 totes, and a 5 gallon bucket), but I can understand that given there are more aquariums than office furniture in here. So I did an experiment, and now I would like some opinions and scientific theory on the matter.
The 5 gallon bucket is full of giant amounts of hair algae... 3/4 full of it initially. There is some java moss in there with it that got pulled out with the mass of algae. The bucket is white, it has no light aside from the ambient overhead lighting 8 feet above it. Just for fun, I threw a filter in it with an unaltered, carbon intact, filter cartridge because the last time I did the bucket o algae experiment it STUNK to high heaven! Well the water is as clear as it can be, algae seems to be shrinking, and the java moss is looking good! Also some rough looking frogbit that was pulled out with the algae is sprouting like it's spring time in there.
So... I know that carbon removes things from the water, and most planted tank enthusiasts say to remove the carbon. I'm looking at a healthy tank of something that would otherwise be a stinky sludge and wondering if carbon might help in the big tank I removed the algae from. What do you think and why?
Upon recommendation, I have removed the activated carbon from all of my filter cartridges in the past. My plants grow fabulously, but so does algae. Also, sometimes my office where most of my aquariums are smells of fish (2 tanks, 2 totes, and a 5 gallon bucket), but I can understand that given there are more aquariums than office furniture in here. So I did an experiment, and now I would like some opinions and scientific theory on the matter.
The 5 gallon bucket is full of giant amounts of hair algae... 3/4 full of it initially. There is some java moss in there with it that got pulled out with the mass of algae. The bucket is white, it has no light aside from the ambient overhead lighting 8 feet above it. Just for fun, I threw a filter in it with an unaltered, carbon intact, filter cartridge because the last time I did the bucket o algae experiment it STUNK to high heaven! Well the water is as clear as it can be, algae seems to be shrinking, and the java moss is looking good! Also some rough looking frogbit that was pulled out with the algae is sprouting like it's spring time in there.
So... I know that carbon removes things from the water, and most planted tank enthusiasts say to remove the carbon. I'm looking at a healthy tank of something that would otherwise be a stinky sludge and wondering if carbon might help in the big tank I removed the algae from. What do you think and why?