charcoal in filter thing

[SneakBetta]

How often should the charcoal in the filter thing be changed? Also, what is the purpose of it??

 

[knutty]

here is my take on charcoal ( carbon ). keep in mind that this is just my opinion. carbon in your fish tank works like a water pitcher in the fridge. it removes chemicals from the water. like a chem sponge. the best carbon stays active for about 15 days. it is expensive and messy. i think you should use carbon when setting up a new tank and when trying to remove something from the water you added like medice or fertilizers if it needs to come out. once you have a stable tank and nothing new is being added, what is there to remove? condition your water with a dechlorinizer when you do water changes or top offs. so....in essence, no need for it after the tank is stable. i keep my 55 gallon tank happy happy without using carbon in my fluval cannister filter. i do use it after a week of dosing with medication if it is needed. that is it.

 

[SneakBetta]

I didn't know the charcoal stuff was carbon! So, really you don't need to use it at all?

 

[smb]

I didn't know the charcoal stuff was carbon! So, really you don't need to use it at all?

I haven't used it in my tanks for years. I use filter floss instead as it's only about $1.50 for a couple years worth.

 

[Bubble]

filter floss? what is that?

 

[Alien Anna]

Quilt stuffing. Or at least that's what it looks like.

And just to confirm, yes, charcoal is a sort of carbon.

 

[Kossy]

Yes I've also stopped using carbon with my filter floss however yes i do use it for removing medications etc...and it can cause many problems if its not rinsed properly

 

[Jht]

a keep my activated carbon in for 3 weeks B)

 

[aquamanis]

There seems to be a difference of opinion on the effectiveness of carbon. So many people swear by it yet others say you don,t need it and not to waste your money. It is used in filtered water (reverse osmosis etc) to remove chemicals and minerals. In a planted tank, plants need those minute quantities of minerals and trace elements to grow well. Because I treated for whitespot I used carbon ( I just hung it in a sock near the flow of water from the powerhead) . It could be my imagination but I thought the water looked clearer after a couple of days. Funny thing happened too, the Bristlenoses would come back to the carbon filled sock and lay on it for a few minutes before taking off to do cleaning duties. Now I don,t know if it was the carbon in the sock that attracted them or the fact the sock was catching a lot of aeration bubbles from the powerhead. I have since removed the sock and the Bristlenoses look like they keep looking for it. I,m still divided on the merits of carbon.