Filtering a Planted Tank?

[jec0995]

Hi everyone,

I'm new here. Everyone here seems quite helpful with everyone's questions and I have one of my own. First, I'll describe my tank and conditions, as that's always helpful.

29 gallon moderately planted
1 Synodontis cat (lace cat)
4 clown loaches
1 weather loach
1pearl gourami
2 gold killifish
1 siamensis

I know I'll need a much larger tank in the future for the Syno and the clowns but they love what they are in now. The tank has been set up for 3 years now. I've tried plants a few times before but they all end up dying after a few months. Now I've gotten serious about it. I have various Crypts, java fern and water wisteria. I'm going for the SE Asia tank (exception being the Syno cat). Water parameters are all great and I do 30-40% water changes every week. I use a Fluval 2plus internal canister filter (with carbon filter pads) and a standard over the back filter (with carbon media).

My question is whether the carbon filtering is removing the fertilizer and not really helping the plants. The substrate is standard gravel and I've inserted plant fertilizer sticks (slow release, last for 1 year). I also fertilize with Flourish and Flourish Excel. Is this too much? The plants look good now (the crypts are currently going through a melt). I've just read in a few places that carbon filter media will remove many of the fertilizer chemicals needed for plant growth. Is this true? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance and sorry the post is so long. I just wanted to be descriptive.

Jimmy

 

[Captain Hook]

If I were you I wouldn't have carbon in the filter. Just sponges. If the one you have in there has been going for a while the carbon will be useless anyway. It doesn't last long once you start using it.

Carbon is good if you need to remove medication from the tank. I've heard it will absorb some of the nutrients so generally it's not recommended for a planted tank. I personally just use sponges and sometimes filter floss as well.

 

[jec0995]

If I were you I wouldn't have carbon in the filter. Just sponges. If the one you have in there has been going for a while the carbon will be useless anyway. It doesn't last long once you start using it.

Carbon is good if you need to remove medication from the tank. I've heard it will absorb some of the nutrients so generally it's not recommended for a planted tank. I personally just use sponges and sometimes filter floss as well.

Thanks for the advise. I will try this. BTW, I change the carbon filter pad every 2 weeks or so. Same for the Fluval. Let me get this straight. Essentially, it's just mechanical and biological filtration? I was worried about the buildup of toxins, that's why I used the carbon. Any comments on the fertilization? Thanks again.

Jimmy

 

[RTR]

Carbon is highly specific in what and how much it captures of anything.

Of the materials used in planted tanks, it will be best at catching the cheated minerals such as iron, Fe, which is commonly chelated to hold it in the ferrous state (Fe++) which most soluble and the form plants use. Ferric iron (Fe+++) tends to form insoluble compounds with common water ions and preciputate out of solution.

Some other trace elements (Flourish is a trace element mix) will be similarly affected.

I do not know is Excel is adsorbed or not, but as it is added in some non-trivial quantity, I doubt that carbon would be able to hold much. For most traces, etc., addition of about 10% additional material will compensate for any loss to carbon - and since our measurements are at least +/- 10% on most dosing, none of it matters very much other than chelated materials.

But I do any reason to use carbon routinely in my tanks and do not. Carbon for me is reserved for specific use, such as removing tannins or other colorants from water.