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

[jaylach]

I think I'm learning things about carbon I never knew...

 

[fishorama]

@MaloK I get the new tank new wood set up & using carbon then. But I have to say I have some "well loved" old wood I've used off & on for years. Way past leaching tannins or anything else much.

I soak new wood with several water changes & call it good enough. Maybe more with wood collected in the "wild". No telling what it may have been exposed to even from my drinking water reservoir. It's funny, my husband & I walked around our old "rez" looking for some big wood for a new tank. We found a nice big 4 or 5ft piece actually in the water. Carrying it back to the car we heard "I hope that's going in a fish tank". So of course we stopped to chat. By the time I removed the soft rotted parts with a Dremel & metal brush it was down to 2 smaller pieces, darn! It smelled like cherry maybe. So, I researched & it would (wood? lol) have been safe but I chickened out using it.

Now I have a nice big piece of manzanita I was given before covid. I've soaked it but it doesn't all fit in a tub at a time. Then we had wildfire smoke & it smelled of it soon after. So, I'm thinking I may put in my no fish plant tank with carbon before I risk fish with it.

No MaloK, I don't think you're the only 1 using carbon all the time, but I'd like to know what others do...& why.

Sorry @Billybong1 if this seems to hijack your thread. I think it's related enough to your original question to merit more discussion. I hope you think so too, it's how we all learn

A belated welcome!

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I do not run carbon at all unless I need to clear meds or something else it will remove. I do keep it on hand along with meds. We have our own private well for water which I do not treat for tanks. I do add liquid and substrate ferts and Excel to most of my planted tanks. I do not need to run carbon often

Don't forget the article by Dr. Tim to which I linked was written--> March 21, 2012 // by DrTim

Also, here is a link to the site of a company which deals with activated carbon commercially. This is their up to date information and is very similar to what Sr. Tim wrote over 12 years ago. The company, the General Carbon Corporation is in New Jersey in the states. Here is their info on activated carbon. which is something they also do. Understanding Granular Activated Carbon for Water Treatment and General Carbon also accepts back spent carbons for regeneration.

The need for running carbon regularly mostly depends on one's source water. Other than that it may be necessary for spot use for a number of reasons. So I look at this as being one of those: "It's better to have it and not need it than not to have it and need it."

 

[MaloK]

From what I read it is still widely used and even if not used, I'm pretty sure that a good % of hobbyist have it very close in case...

@fishorama When I collect wood on river sides, I use a small knife to test the pieces and if it too soft, it's an automatic hard pass.

One of the worst and one of the most beautiful at the same time is mopani, does that look good... But sometimes they will give brown diatoms that will last for a long time and create a real mess before coming around. I soaked it for 2 weeks and changed water ever 2 days and still messed up the water in the first weeks in the tank. It took a good 6 months and more before it starts to be inert enough to be acceptable.

After the fact I remembered that using carbon would have helped a lot limiting the diatom rash.

Also I use carbon if a tank shows signs of tendency to have an algae or bacterial bloom and that always cut it off instantly. Carbon and fine mechanical media are both the best polisher you can combine.

 

[fishorama]

Thanks @MaloK for the wood collection & manzi tips.

I think I last used carbon to remove a dead fish stink that water changing didn't fix fast enough. There may have bit of rotting body that I couldn't find, bleh!