Carbon

captmicha

captmicha

Le tired.
Dec 6, 2006
2,052
0
36
40
Maryland, USA
Does activated carbon do anything for nitrates, nitrites, phosphates, or ammonia?

I was brought up using it and if all it does is remove metals, medications, and odors, neither of which I have, I'm thinking about finally dropping it from my filters. Old habits die hard.
 
I don't think it does.

Check out this well written article:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_7/volume_7_1/carbon.html

Activated carbon does not remove all potential toxins or unwanted chemicals though, including the ammonia produced by livestock, nor does it substantially affect water hardness. Chemicals that activated carbon has little or no ability to remove include: ammonia, calcium, carbon dioxide, fluoride, lime, magnesium, nitrates, nitrites, phosphates, sodium, and iron. Lead and other heavy metals will only be removed by the use of a very specific type of carbon not normally used by aquarists.

My personal opinion is that carbon takes up too much space in power filters to be worth using. You'd be better served with an extra sponge or some more biological media (such as a bag of Biomax)

In a canister filter, a little carbon is good. It's more effective because of being pressurized, there's plenty of room for a filter sock of carbon and you can surround it with ceramic noodles or floss. You can find great deals on it:
http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl3684/cp18408/si4359568/cl0/aquapureactivatedcarbon28oz

Seachem's Purigen often times works as well as carbon for water clarification, and can be recharged with bleach if you have the inclination. If you don't recharge it, it's rather expensive as disposable media.
 
Seachem's Purigen often times works as well as carbon for water clarification, and can be recharged with bleach if you have the inclination. If you don't recharge it, it's rather expensive as disposable media.[/QUOTE]

Purigen DOES help with ammonia, nitrites and nitrates (says seachem). http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/Purigen.html Use it in all my tanks and recharge it, works extremely well, IMO. I Also use carbon, necessary or not, it comes with my filter cartridges, so I just go ahead and make use of it. I really agree with playtudes on this one though, it might not be worth it though, and it does not work for ammonia/nitrites/nitrates. I use it for my fry tanks, to make sure my water in there is as best as it can be, but that's really just to be ultra safe.
 
I think I'll drop it then and maybe give the Purigen a try. But isn't Purigen kind of like zeolite in that it is best used in emergencies for absorbing ammonia and if you use it all the time, it'll deprive the beneficial bacteria of the ammonia they need?
 
I don't think it's much like zeolite. It's a resin, Seachem calls it an "organic scavenging resin" - if anything, it's more like PolyFilter (not polyester fiber fill, the other kind of PolyFilter) than zeolite.

One advantage is that it raises redox potential. This is not something most freshwater aquarists are as familiar with - I couldn't explain it very well myself, but here is more info on it if you are interested:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/redox.htm

Purigen is cheaper than carbon if you recharge it (using bleach), but if you're going to throw it away when it gets brown (sign that it is expended) then carbon is cheaper. It is probably more effective than carbon in a way, but both accomplish similar ends...so in my mind, the decision as to which to use is more about budget than anything else.
 
I find if I don't use carbon for several months my water gets a tiny bit discolored. I then pop in some carbon and in just a few hours the water is crystal clear again. The carbon lasts a long time if used that way.
 
Yeah, I'll probably always keep some on hand for getting rid of odors, discoloration and medicines.
 
Purigen rules and can be easily regenerated. The best water clarifier in my book.
 
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