Carbon to Remove Meds

[WaterBaby]

I just finished medicating my tank with tetracycline. I did a water change and put in a new filter pack with carbon to get rid of the Meds in the tank.

I have an Eclipse system, but bought a Whisper filter pack (you can't open an Eclipse filter pack, but can open a Whisper one) and added a little more carbon to it.

How long should I leave this pack in the filter so the carbon can absorb (or does it actually neutralize) the tetracycline? I probably do need to change it eventually, cause it's not the right one for the filter and really doesn't fit quite right.

 

[VoodooChild]

The way it fits doesn't really matter as long as carbon isn't actually out of the water and that the filter isn't so bulky it's actually clogging the filter. Otherwise you should be fine. Depending on the amount of carbon and the amount of meds, I'd say give it just a few days, then replace. Do that maybe three times and do 3 or so water changes and you should be set to fly.

 

[Sumpin'fishy]

If it doesn't fit correctly, the water tends to move around the filter media as much as possible (path of least resistance). It will still adsorb meds and other chemicals until it is "full". This could take as little as one day to two or three weeks in an unpolluted tank. Since the water isn't forced through the carbon in your filter, I'd give it a bit more time than I normally do (1 or 2 days) and just wait till the next water change. It won't hurt anything, and this will be the least stressful for you too!