Filter
- Thread starter gabrie30
- Start date
If you run carbon in your tank on a regular basis, then I think I would just pitch the old carbon and replace it with new. I think by now all of the beneficial bacteria that was on the carbon in that filter has long since died. It would be safer not to mention easier to just replace it with new carbon.
Marinemom
Marinemom
If I'm not mistaken, I believe carbon goes inert and therefore stops working completely after a maximum of 4 weeks. I run a bio-zorb with carbon in it as one of the 4 media in my canister filter, and I replace it every month or so. Since I never replace any of the other media (just rinse it off in tank water), I have never had an issue with a mini-cycle. As long as you've got other established media in your filter, I agree with marinemom, just ditch it and replace with new carbon.
I really only use carbon for med removal. Suggest when you're finnished medicating for parasites, add fresh carbon. Toss the old one, it's probably outlived it's usefullness. You don't have to run it all the time but if that's your choice, changing out the carbon every month or so is necessary for it to be optimum. An alternative is to fill the void w/ xtra bio. "T"
The bacteria will all stay alive for several days little or no food. Then they will start to die. Bacteria die off the same way that they grow-- logarythmically. So once they start dieing, every 20 hours or so there will be 1/2 as many bacteria. This means it can take several weeks for the filter to be completely dead without any addition of food. If you put the filter floating in an open container in the fridge, this process can take several months.
It really isn't a bad idea to store part of your biological filter in a separate place while treating for pathogens. Many chemicals will kill off a large part or all of your filter. Even if the carbon is used up in the pad it still has it's uses.
As for the life expectancy of the carbon. It all depends on how much stuff it has to absorb. Carbon in a heavily stocked tank can be used up in a just a week while in a very lightly stocked tank might stretch out over months. In my moderately stocked 125, I have to change out the carbon every 6 weeks. When I remove med's using carbon I will change it out in 2 or 3 days.
Beneficial Bacteria is aerobic, so if you keep the carbon in a bucket of stagnant water without any water movement or any air stone/pump, they're most likely dead. It shouldn't be a problem though as the carbon is most likely not your main bio-media. Normally its the filter pads that house the most BB so as long as you're still using your old one you should be fine.
^unless your bucket is 10 feet deep and the filter is at the bottom of it, there should be plenty of oxygen for the bacteria to survive.
The major genus that breaks down nitrite to nitrate in freshwater Nitrobacter is all facultative anaerobes. There are also Nitrosomas, and Nitrospira species that have been found recently that are also facultative anaerobes.
http://books.google.com/books?id=jt...-c-bTqk&sig=SsiDWHzCMCx7cJ2Ts1at6A6g--0&hl=en
The major genus that breaks down nitrite to nitrate in freshwater Nitrobacter is all facultative anaerobes. There are also Nitrosomas, and Nitrospira species that have been found recently that are also facultative anaerobes.
http://books.google.com/books?id=jt...-c-bTqk&sig=SsiDWHzCMCx7cJ2Ts1at6A6g--0&hl=en
