Activated Carbon VS. No Carbon?
- Thread starter mx4ever
- Start date
Gunner....might want to read a bit more on that recharge metod...while the steam cleaning in the microwave may help dissolve general physical clogging of carbon surfaces, it takes high heat in the area of 2400-2700 degrees to break the chemical bonds of the purification and absorbtion it performs.
That is a false myth. The temperatures required for that to happen are in the thousands (degrees Fahrenheit). Too high a temperature for any home aquarium to reach and your fish would be dead from the high temperatures long before the temperature got to the point where the carbon could leach toxins back into the water. Also the aquarium water would turn to steam long before the temperature reached the point where carbon leached the toxins back.
If your tank isn't planted then just keep the carbon in. Just remember if you need to treat the fish for some illness remove the carbon because it will absorbe the meds leaving none for the fish. The reason I said not planted is because carbon can pull stuff out of the water that your plants would want to absorb.
Alot of carbon is washed with phosphoric acid during the manufacturing process. This carbon can and does leach phosphate into a tank in which it's used. Carbon to me is something that would allow me to get away with more in regards to maintenance. But I'm not in the position of needing to get away with anything, so I don't use it except to remove meds when necessary.
From what I understood, the microwave method will remove some of the organics from the carbon but none of the chems. As far as being able to use it indefinatly, no way. Twice maybe...........
IMHO activated carbon is a MUST in any tank post treatment, to remove the trace antibiotics left in the tank that water changes miss. Leaving trace anti-biotics in the tank water can lead to the developement of resistant strains of bacteria.
While it may not be neccesary in every tank, it won't hurt anything either (unless your treating for disease). After about 10 days it is pretty much just more surface area for BB.
IMHO activated carbon is a MUST in any tank post treatment, to remove the trace antibiotics left in the tank that water changes miss. Leaving trace anti-biotics in the tank water can lead to the developement of resistant strains of bacteria.
While it may not be neccesary in every tank, it won't hurt anything either (unless your treating for disease). After about 10 days it is pretty much just more surface area for BB.
CWO4GUNNER
USN/USCG 1974-2004 Weps
Steam method is very new requiring only 300-500F becsue it does not use heat but rather high pressurized steam to super boil and pressurize the cavities inside the carbon rapidly expelling 80-90% of all organics and dissolved compounds.
The carbon about 1/2 gallon, is first washed in tap water repeatedly until little to no visible residue is washed up then completely dried in a net stocking low humidity. Then soaked in RO water DI better with 10% WDV for 2 days.
Then drained quickly and placed wet in a microwave over on high for 40 minutes. The water inside the thousands of passages inside the carbon begin to super boil and pressurize to tremendous pressures. You will hear it hissing and popping and sparking blowing off steam everywhere around the oven. Once the volatility stops the recharge is complete. DO NOT open the microwave mid cycle no matter how many sparks, steam or noises you hear or you will disrupt the boil off have to start over again.
But don't take my word for it. Takes the oldest depleted intact carbon you can find, verify its ineffectiveness by trying to filter tanin or methane blue, or food coloring. Then use this recharge process and be amazed.
Incidentally this is a new method just starting being used by industry using generated steam becasue its not the heat that does the work here but the pressure of water to gas rapid expansion, just like gas expansion out of a gun barrel, most everything comes out.
PS, make sure you take your microwave outside, its not messy at all but allot of steam will set off smoke alarms.
The carbon about 1/2 gallon, is first washed in tap water repeatedly until little to no visible residue is washed up then completely dried in a net stocking low humidity. Then soaked in RO water DI better with 10% WDV for 2 days.
Then drained quickly and placed wet in a microwave over on high for 40 minutes. The water inside the thousands of passages inside the carbon begin to super boil and pressurize to tremendous pressures. You will hear it hissing and popping and sparking blowing off steam everywhere around the oven. Once the volatility stops the recharge is complete. DO NOT open the microwave mid cycle no matter how many sparks, steam or noises you hear or you will disrupt the boil off have to start over again.
But don't take my word for it. Takes the oldest depleted intact carbon you can find, verify its ineffectiveness by trying to filter tanin or methane blue, or food coloring. Then use this recharge process and be amazed.
Incidentally this is a new method just starting being used by industry using generated steam becasue its not the heat that does the work here but the pressure of water to gas rapid expansion, just like gas expansion out of a gun barrel, most everything comes out.
PS, make sure you take your microwave outside, its not messy at all but allot of steam will set off smoke alarms.
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CWO4GUNNER
USN/USCG 1974-2004 Weps
Well you know your using a magnetron gun to fire high frequency radio waves who's properties pass right through most solids like carbon and get absorbed by water which unlike a conventional oven which heat matter from the outside in slowly, magnetron radiation heats from the inside out, absorbed and converted directly into atomic motion (heat) by water all at once and almost instantaneously. So a gram of water will instantly expand to 800 times its volume of water generating tremendous pressure energy and so almost all of the material inhabiting the network of passages in carbon have no choice but to be expelled almost supersonically to the degree that the difference between 90% contamination and 80% evacuated is like night and day and the carbon is virtually recharged. And as long as the carbon remains at a size that is functionally intact the process can be repeated again and again with the same results. Eventually though the carbon fractures into smaller and smaller pieces and become unusable about 20-50 recharges depending on what grit size you buy.
But to answer your question Bituminous coal with its impurities causes way more sparking them coconut shell carbon but the latter has more endurance and is much cheaper so I use it. The sparks are a little hard on the magnetron gun but not nearly as hard as some of the foil used in microwave food boxes for browning your food.
