Best internal filter for the lowest price?

[asgard]

prove it. :nono:

Lots of site with info like this one:
http://www.wildryebeadgallery.com/f...rpose-of-activated-carbon-in-aquarium-filters
What is the purpose of activated carbon in aquarium filters?

March 8th, 2010 | Author: admin

Could someone please tell me what the real purpose of activated carbon in aquarium filters is? Does it remove ammonia?

Ghapy has your best answer.
however carbon does not only absorb trace elements but organics as well as inorganics like, metals, ammonia, nitrates/nitrites salts and various chemicals from the water.
the reason carbon won’t remove lots of ammonia. It’s lifespan as was mentioned is about 2 weeks before it becomes useless. Depending on how many other compounds are in the tank like salts, nitrates/nitrites and various chemicals used to adjust algae, medicines etc the carbon quickly becomes clogged and useless. The padded coating will still remove the bulk waste but the carbon has seen its day. It becomes saturated with these unseen components. While it does remove the bad stuff, it also removes the good stuff.
That is not to say everyone should stop using carbon filters, they serve their purpose and especially for beginners.
Going carbonless as G mentioned is something seasoned fishkeepers already know.


I'm not a chemist so if you have other, more accurate info..... show it

 

[dundadundun]

i have no reason or understanding that suggests to me that a/c cannot remove ANY micros BUT i have run it in my filters and my plants have been no worse for wear which suggests to me that the minuscule amounts of ferts i use in my soft (sometimes actually rain) water should be stripped quite rapidly leaving my tank in despair.

to further note on that see what tom suggests using a/c for here... http://www.barrreport.com/showthread.php/1848-How-come-non-CO2-tanks-and-CO2-enriched-tanks-work

now, i admit that has nothing to do with ferts really but assuming what you said was true then enough carbon to prove allelopathy to be a non concern in a planted tank would certainly have an effect in that you could not come to that conclusion. ie: basically enough to prove that true should strip the water of several key nutrients to the point of swift decimation starting with more sensitive plants and working it's way through your tank before you even had a chance to come to a conclusion on allelopathic chemicals produced by the plants themselves. this would definitely make activated carbon not exactly the right tool for such a job as to disprove allelopathy simply because if the known reaction caused by a/c was to strip all micro-nutrients then there would ultimately only be one result... the slow death of all plants in the system.

if you do some researching you will come across some people who use activated carbon in their planted tanks and have no lesser results than other filtering methods.

 

[Jspigs]

Thanks for the help. I have decided to get a whisper 10i because it meets all my requirements and is available locally.