As LongTime said carbon removes Nitrate (chemical filtration). If you have plants you should not use carbon because the plants need the nitrate. Actually, a lot of people dose nitrate.
Carbon - What's wrong with it???
- Thread starter hermxl1
- Start date
I doubt it too, atleast in terms of the general activated carbon we use as aquarists. I've researched a bit on carbon before and most technical sources I've found do not recommend carbon. Typical means of removal can most effectively be done via distillation, deionization, or reverse osmosis. I would not be suprised if many internet sources that do suggest activated carbon can remove nitrates are confusing AC with zeolite. As far as I understand, media such as "ion exchange media,' i.e types of zeolite can effectively remove ammonia and nitrates.
I cannot remember which sources I looked at, but New Zealand Aquatic Societies Inc. mentions it:
http://www.fnzas.org.nz/filtration-3.0.html
"Activated carbon adsorbs a small quantity of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, but the quantity is quite small. In most aquariums it would take a large bucket of activated carbon to remove enough nitrate to be effective. Its main use is to adsorb organic compounds"
I cannot remember which sources I looked at, but New Zealand Aquatic Societies Inc. mentions it:
http://www.fnzas.org.nz/filtration-3.0.html
"Activated carbon adsorbs a small quantity of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, but the quantity is quite small. In most aquariums it would take a large bucket of activated carbon to remove enough nitrate to be effective. Its main use is to adsorb organic compounds"
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I personally don't use carbon unless there's something in the tank that needs removing (medications for example, or tannins from fresh driftwood that hasn't been soaked long enough)... Main reason being that I add dissolved organic carbon (flourish excel) and fertiliser (aquamaster plant food) to my tanks regularly for my plants, and the carbon in my filters would just such all those goodies right out of my water again. But there is nothing wrong with using carbon all the time if you don't add fertilisers, as long as the carbon gets changed often enough (every 2 weeks is a good start).
NO LONGTIME DID NOT SAY THAT CARBON REMOVES NITRATE I said the nitrate goes out with your water changes.
