Hi, I am an older guy and have been keeping fish for a few years off and on.

[Billybong1]

Can anyone tell me an approximate amount of charcoal I should put in my filter basket. I use a Fluval 305. Thanks.

 

[jaylach]

Personally I would not add charcoal at all. Add more filter media instead if possible. Charcoal really does nothing except pad the manufacturer's wallet.

Charcoal DOES have its use but only to remove some medications after treatment and sometimes can help clear cloudy water. In both cases it is a specific and temporary use. In normal situations it does nothing to help the tank.

 

[gwand]

Here's a breakdown of its pros and cons:

Pros of putting Activated Carbon in a Freshwater Aquarium Filter:​

• Removes Odors: Activated carbon is highly effective at eliminating unpleasant smells from the tank, keeping the water smelling fresh.
• Improves Water Clarity: It absorbs dissolved organic compounds that cause discoloration (like tannins from driftwood) and cloudiness, resulting in crystal clear water.
• Removes Harmful Chemicals: It's excellent at removing chlorine and chloramines from tap water, which are toxic to fish. It also effectively removes phenols and other dissolved organic waste.
• Removes Medications and Residuals: After treating fish with medication, activated carbon can be used to remove any leftover chemicals from the water, preventing long-term negative effects on fish.
• Helps Control Algae: By removing excess nutrients and organic materials that fuel algae growth, activated carbon can indirectly help reduce algae outbreaks.
• Affordable and Easy to Use: It's a relatively inexpensive filter media and is easy to add and replace in most filter systems.

Cons of putting Activated Carbon in a Freshwater Aquarium Filter:​

• Becomes Saturated Quickly: Activated carbon has a finite capacity. Once its pores are full of adsorbed impurities, it loses its effectiveness. This typically happens within 2-4 weeks, depending on the tank's bioload.
• Needs Regular Replacement: Due to its saturation, activated carbon must be replaced regularly. Failing to do so means it's no longer filtering effectively and is just taking up space.
• Does Not Remove Ammonia, Nitrite, or Nitrate: It's crucial to understand that activated carbon does not remove the primary nitrogenous waste products (ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate). These are handled by biological filtration and regular water changes.
• Can Remove Beneficial Trace Elements: While it removes harmful chemicals, activated carbon can also adsorb some beneficial trace elements that are important for fish and plant health. Regular water changes typically replenish these.
• May Leach Phosphates (in some lower-quality brands): Some lower-quality activated carbon can leach phosphates into the water, which can contribute to algae growth. Look for acid-washed or phosphate-free carbon.

 

[GaryE]

We used charcoal in the sixties and seventies because we didn't change enough water, and our tanks stank. Once we began to do 25-30% or more weekly water changes, charcoal became obsolete. It's still sold, because it doesn't last long and it removes money from your pocket. Aquarium companies aren't fools. But we no longer need it.

 

[Back in the fold]

I beg to differ from my esteemed colleagues . Fill about a third of the filter basket with a good aquarium charcoal . There is always something in the water it can remove to your benefit and your fishes . If you don’t want to throw your carbon away then boil it for a half hour and use it again . That’s an old time aquarium keepers trick . Pay no attention to these new wave naysayers .

 

[fishorama]

I wouldn't worry about removing the carbon. After it quits removing "stuff" in several days, it can still work as a place for beneficial bacteria to grow. You don't need it regularly or to change it often.

Do you have a specific reason for using carbon? Like others, I only use it to remove meds, etc. Weekly water changes will fix many issues & it's a good habit to get into.

 

[emeraldking]

Well, welcome to TFF...
Well, when I'm reading all the responses, your question is already well answered by my fellow members...
Have a great stay on our forum...

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I you want information on the use of carbon written by the microbiologist who discovered the actual bacteria which deal with ammonia and nitrite in tanks, have a look here https://www.drtimsaquatics.com/aquarium-hobby/general-articles/activated-carbon/

 

[Fish Fan1]

Welcome to TFF! I hope you enjoy it as much as I have been

 

[gwand]

I you want information on the use of carbon written by the microbiologist who discovered the actual bacteria which deal with ammonia and nitrite in tanks, have a look here https://www.drtimsaquatics.com/aquarium-hobby/general-articles/activated-carbon/

Carbon works a lot like Purigen resin, with the exception that Purigen resin can be reactivated by a bleach solution.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Re Purigen I read this on the SeaChem site:

Q. On some of the Purigen® documentation I have read it says that some slime coat products can contaminate Purigen® and render it toxic. Can you identify these products?

A: Only certain slime coat products will cause Purigen® to become toxic; the products that do this are amine based. Prime® and Safe™ are not amine based and so will not cause this problem. If you're curious, what happens is that the amine compounds can strongly bind to the resin, then when they (the amines) come into contact with any chlorine they will form chloramines which are highly toxic. We offer a stress coat product, StressGuard, which is not amine based and so can be used in conjunction with Purigen®.

Q, Does AP Stress Coat foul/ruin your Purigen® product?

A: If they use an amine based polymer it will not foul the resin but will render it non-regenerable. What amine based polymers will do is bond not just to Purigen® but to any organic scavenging resin as well as any ion exchange resin and when you attempt to regenerate the resin they will then bond with the chlorine to form chloramine which can be released into the aquarium. This is not just an issue with Purigen® but with all resins being sold in the pet trade. The problem only occurs when one attempts to regenerate the resin, there is no problem unless you wish to regenerate the resin you are using. Seachem products do not contain amine based polymers and are safe to be used in conjunction with not only our resins but also with other companies resins.

Q. If a product contains EDTA, and since EDTA is amine based, will such products cause the same regeneration issues with Purigen® as occur with amine based slime coat products?

A: The type of amine (tertiary, secondary, etc) is immaterial to the issue. It is the specific slime-coat chemical formulation of certain competing slime coat products that causes them to bond to polymer based resin materials in a manner that is highly resistant to oxidative destruction (via chlorine regeneration). If such a slime coat product had no amine as part of its chemical makeup the situation would merely be annoying, however the amine can undergo partial oxidation to a chloramine while still remaining bound to the resin via the slime coat material (likely through non-covalent interactions). It can then be slowly released back into the water through normal chemical breakdown of the slime coat material on the resin over time.

Although this phenomena exists with any polymer type resin (not just Purigen) it is particularly acute with Purigen® because Purigen® predominantly and selectively binds and removes amines (whereas other resins indiscriminately bind amines and other chemical groups). So the point is, it happens with all resins, but it happens more with Purigen®. However it is not merely the fact that there is an amine present since Purigen® removes a whole host of organic amine based nitrogenous waste and this is no issue at all since in those cases since those materials are readily oxidized and "burned" off the Purigen®.

So, to answer your question, EDTA is not of concern in this situation as its overall structure is quite different from the amine based slime coat products (although we can't say what the differences are exactly since those other products are not ours and are proprietary). What we can say is we have never encountered this phenomena with EDTA based products nor have we encountered anecdotal evidence to suggest otherwise.

 

[MaloK]

I use carbon regularly in my shrimps tanks ( 1 week per month and 1 tea spoon per gallon)

Water is like crystal and I want it like that. In the most populated tanks it prevent some haziness to build that always end with water changes.

I use a lot's of botanicals that are consumed at a rapid pace. And it really prevent water from spoiling.

 

[jaylach]

As an aside I noticed Stress Coat mentioned. Stay away from it as it contains aloe which will accumulate in fish gills and hamper gill function.

 

[fishorama]

I have used Chemi-Pure (a resin or resins) in the past to help remove organics & give the water a crisp clear look. That was back in the day of UGF, fewer water changes & we had very hard water then. I have used Purigen only once or twice but I don't remember why. I did like the idea of regenerating it but I don't know if I did that.

Dr Tim's article was interesting as he often is. I'm still not sold on the need for carbon in all tanks all the time. I'll stick to my opinion that carbon can help in some situations but isn't necessary in all. When we used many Whisper filters back in the day, we used it more often just because we had it.

Beside MaloK's shrimp tank, how many of us use carbon all the time? I'm not trying to pick a fight, but I am curious about what everyone does.

 

[MaloK]

Am I the only one ?!?

One of the principal reason to use carbon in high botanical aquariums is to remove initial phenol build up. While they are broken down more rapidly as a tank matures. At initial setup concentration can get pretty high when using large pieces of wood.

And the symptoms of phenol poisoning can lead to arbitrary diagnostics... Respiratory distress, excess of slime production, erratic swimming, lethargy and appetite loss. Convulsion, tremors and finally paralysis. The complete list of other effects is just never ending.

Many species of fishes are completely immune to this because they evolved in environment with high level of decomposing wood... But Many are not in that case. Also some phenol compounds have a much longer degradation speed than others. And many other factors influences their reaction in the environment, light, alkalinity, temperature, bacterial activities...

Since most of my tanks have up to 20% of them in volume just in wood. I normally change 100% of the water at least 2 times before starting cycle then another 100% at the end.

No need to waste good carbon at that stage. But there's no way to have any idea of what is building up at any time. Any water changes under 50% promotes accumulation of everything...

I prefer to err on the safe side. If you're under 50% water changes at a relaxed pace.

Something is building, Even in the most seasoned and under-stocked tanks... Guaranteed.