Seems like 50% use it and 50% don`t.I buy the carbon and put it in a piece of nylon stocking then rinse the dust off.Most fish stores will tell you to change it every 6 weeks then some people say it loses its effectness after 2 weeks.
carbon for filter question
- Thread starter laurabb
- Start date
Hmm. So is carbon really unnecessary? Doesn't it help to keep your water clear? Or is that just marketing? I *do* like crystal-clean water
Your water should be clear with or without carbon. It helps to remove toxins, discoloration from things like tannins, and meds, but that is about it. It isn't necessary for a healthy aquarium. If you want to use it go ahead, but it is just another thing to spend money on, since you will have to change it at the very least once a month. It is only good for about 2 weeks, and that is the premium quality carbon.
Some people cut a slit into their filter pad and then fill it with carbon (carbon that was sold in a large jug and is more economical than the filter pads prepackaged with carbon). They then change the carbon leaving the pad and it's beneficial bacteria.
What I do is take the filter pad and cut a slit in the top, take out the carbon, and fill the space with filter floss, so the bacteria has more area to colonize. Then I leave the carbon for when I really need it( ie. chemicals in the tank or removing medications).
Did that make sense?:dance2:
lol really trust what the lfs tells everyone? i dont run carbon in my filters but there are many reasons why people should.
i would look on ebay for a big bag of active carbon. its a lot cheaper that way.
I think that made sense... So I have a Tetra Whisper filter, and I use cartridges. They have a clip at the top of the pad that opens it... Are you saying I could just take out the carbon through this opening, and put filter floss in there? How long would that cartridge last?
The actual cartridge that holds the carbon or filter floss? It lasts until it falls apart.:dance2: Then you can change it for a new one. It is a lot more cost efficient this way. You can also change the filter floss. Generally you only have to rinse the pad and floss in some tank water to help it from getting clogged up, but when you have had it for several months it may have too much decreased flow. At this time, you can change the filter floss, replacing the old floss, but still keeping the bacteria in the filter pad.
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Ahhh. Neat-o. I'm going to start doing that... Thanks. (I meant the entire thing together, but I get it.)
To answer the question about whether carbon will leech back the stuff it adsorbs, the answer is no. Once the particles bind to the carbon, it is there for good. There are no negative effects of leaving carbon in your water well past it's useful state, it will just act as extra bio-filtration.
