Coal As A Substrate

[Fella]

I was thinking this morning, would it be possible to use coal or charcoal as a substrate? It would obviously need a very very thorough cleaning, and would make medications null and void for a few weeks perhaps, but would it be possible to use it as a cheap dark substrate?

Would it just be too dirty like soil? Or would there be an adverse chemical reaction? Coal crushed into tiny sand like bits would look pretty much like the tahitian moon sand you can buy for around £20 a bag...

 

[James007]

Never tried it but would think that it would be too brittle and easy to break up. I think that you would be unable to clear it properl;y or keep the tank clear as it would be constantly polluting the tank.

If you touch coal against anything it always leaves a mark and you would think that this would only be made worse by making it wet.

Others may think differently but for the sake of £20 may not be worth it.

 

[big mick]

Im no scientist and may well be wrong but you cant use coal in a fish tank.....ever.

 

[Fella]

How come though? I'm curious about the science really

 

[Qays]

How come though? I'm curious about the science really

Your fish'll catch fire!

I dont think you should!

 

[riverman444]

What kind of coal are you talking about?

Doesn't coal that has been under water produce methane? I may be wrong.

 

[Fella]

How come though? I'm curious about the science really

Your fish'll catch fire!

I dont think you should!

Yeah, coal is probably not suitable for fire fish or flaming tetras


I don't think anyone should really, but, I'm just wondering is all. It's the science that gets me!

What kind of coal are you talking about?

Doesn't coal that has been under water produce methane? I may be wrong.

Any regular standard coal.

http/www.fbas.co.uk/Endlers.html

This article mentions using coal as substrate...

 

[pieman]

To test the effects :

Ideally do this when you would normaly do a water change

1. Get a large bowl
2. Place layer of substrate at bottom (in your case, coal, crushed or whole)
3. Add tank water
4. Monitor water stats

Also you can try holding a match over the top of the bowl just to test for some gases

 

[riverman444]

http/www.chemistry-react.org/go/Faq/Faq_12730.html

Hmm....don't think I would want a substrate of it

 

[BigIan]

coal is made of very tiny particles wich break off at the slightest touch. so you tank water would constantly be dirty

 

[The-Wolf]

yes you can use coke, but not coal (coal still has bitumen in it and that is toxic to aquatic like).
however it will have the same, although limited, effect as running activated carbon in your tank.

 

[ac106]

I think coal is fine. Nmonks over in the brackish forum has used it and he is pretty knowledgable

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=129870&hl=coal


I think people are getting confused between coal and charcoal

Although since giving uninformed opinion passed off as fact is the national past time of TFF, I am not sure

I KID! I KID!

 

[nmonks]

Coal is fine in aquaria, once it's clean. I'm right now looking at page 70 in "Aquarium Plants" by Peter Hiscock, and he even has a photograph of a lump of coal there with the comment that "washed coal is a good choice for a darker display".

Solid coal is very tough and doesn't flake apart. Go try it. It's a rock, after all. The dust does get everywhere, hence cleaning it is essential, but once shiny and clean it looks great and very unusual.

Bituminous coal, lignite, and proper coal (a.k.a. anthracite) are different, although many people muddle them up. Anthracite coal is the type you'll find in homes and the one you would put in an aquarium; the other two are used almost entirely for power generation.

I don't think (but I'm not sure) that coal will have much effect on medication. Activated carbon, the stuff used in filters, is made by grinding and baking the coal, so that it breaks up into tiny pieces with fractured surfaces. Carbon adsorbs (not absorbs) organic compounds, and the degree to which this works depends on the surface area, not the amount, of carbon. So one lump of coal will have a thousandth of the surface are of the same lump broken up into tiny pieces. Hence, I wouldn't worry too much about medicating a tank with coal in it. Other things absorb organic compounds, like fish faeces and plants, but we don't worry much about that when medicating the tank.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[Saedcantas]

I've just answered this elsewhere but I didnt realise the topic was originally spawned here

Sounds to me (as a Biologist/Geologist) like an incredibly bad idea.

The purity of coal is dependent upon it's Carbon percentage and it is then given a "rank" and sold off at varying prices according to that.

Even Anthracite (98% Carbon) the purest rank of coal contains some very nasty elements and secondary minerals, which once leached from the coal into your fishtank will cause you all manner of problems if not rapid deaths.

The things included that you need to know about are Carbonate minerals (Siderite, Calcite and Aragonite)which cause hardening of the water, absolutely horrid sulphate minerals such as Pyrite, which dissolves in water to form sulphuric acid and some lovely trace metals such as Iron, Uranium and more often Cadmium (Especially toxic to aquatic life).

After doing the units; Freshwater microbiology, Geomicrobiology and Oil and Metal Pollution in Water, this year at uni, I just wouldnt dream of putting anything as potentially polluting as coal in with my poor fish!
I hope that helped a bit, any questions on what I've said, ask away!

 

[Fighterfish]

I was thinking this morning, would it be possible to use coal or charcoal as a substrate? It would obviously need a very very thorough cleaning, and would make medications null and void for a few weeks perhaps, but would it be possible to use it as a cheap dark substrate?

Would it just be too dirty like soil? Or would there be an adverse chemical reaction? Coal crushed into tiny sand like bits would look pretty much like the tahitian moon sand you can buy for around £20 a bag...

I wouldn't use coal as it is very alkali. Also it would constanly be polluting the water.