I have an AC50 with 3 media baskets -- the first has the mechanical (sponge), and I have bio media in the other two. If I want to periodically throw carbon in there (like after water changes when I kick up a ton of crap and want it filtered out better), is it harmful to just remove one bag of bio media and hang it in the tank while the carbon does work? Just wondering if water circulation across the media is imperative or if it wouldn't hurt anything for a night.
Silly Filter Question
- Thread starter Rynofasho
- Start date
Whitey_144
Fishaholic
very good question! i dont know the answer, but i have been thinking about how to get mature media in and keep my new media in the tank, can you just hang it in a small net bag (stockings?) in front of the outlet so that it still has flow over it?
I will say that when I swapped filters mid cycle, I took the biomedia from my old filter and just hung it in the tank in a mesh bag next to the filter. My only thing was I have no idea if it was effective haha. The fish did alright, but I changed the water daily as well so it may have just been that.
Your media will die very quickly if it dries out and even keeping it in water i would expect some die off over night. Carbon will not help with your filter throwing out general cruddiness. Filter carbon is used to remove chemicals(Most often medications) from the water. It is not really used in modern fish keeping for anything else.
If you want your water to have a more polished look get some filter floss and switch it with one of the sponges. But do this permenantly.
The rubbish that is thrown out is harmless even though i realise it doesn't look pretty.
If you want your water to have a more polished look get some filter floss and switch it with one of the sponges. But do this permenantly.
The rubbish that is thrown out is harmless even though i realise it doesn't look pretty.
If the bio-media is loose in the basket i would put it in a media bag and place it on top of a airstone or near the filters flow nozzle then put the carbon in your vacant basket/s. You only want to use carbon media when your removing meds from the water. For stopping fine debri getting from filter back into your tank put a layer of floss filter(polishing pads)on top of your bio-media in the top section of the filter.
hope this has helped in some way, Keith.
FishyWishie
Fishaholic
Like Uriel/Skins said Filter Floss is the way to go here. Carbon wont really do anything to remove rubbish its role is to remove medications from the water column. I personally have filter floss sitting on top of all media baskets that contain bio media its really thin and squashes down fine. The difference adding this floss and changing it when the water goes 'gunky' again for me cannot be overstated.
waterdrop
Enthusiastic "Re-Beginner"
Yes, filter pads are just woven polyfloss (aka filter floss), same thing as if it's loose. Unless your filter is really ineffective, patience will usually get you to the state of a clear aquarium (although on the other extreme I suppose there are people that rig up pump driven floss only cleaner-uppers, lol.)
By the way, having the tank water with ammonia and oxygen -flow- past the biomedia -is- quite a powerful and important factor. It is why the bacteria choose to grow there in the first place (in much greater numbers than elsewhere.) Having said this though, the colony loss if media were to be moved to a bag outside the filter but in the tank water might not be that great, they might hold on ok (no guarantees though) if you were to, say, run carbon for the 3 days it takes carbon to fill up. Ideally, one would not want to do this with more than 1/3 of the biomedia if there were fish in the tank.
~~waterdrop~~
By the way, having the tank water with ammonia and oxygen -flow- past the biomedia -is- quite a powerful and important factor. It is why the bacteria choose to grow there in the first place (in much greater numbers than elsewhere.) Having said this though, the colony loss if media were to be moved to a bag outside the filter but in the tank water might not be that great, they might hold on ok (no guarantees though) if you were to, say, run carbon for the 3 days it takes carbon to fill up. Ideally, one would not want to do this with more than 1/3 of the biomedia if there were fish in the tank.
~~waterdrop~~
Aqua Tom
Fish Gatherer
Sometimes we have to use Carbon to remove meds or tannins, but if we are not sure about the effects of removing the bio-media & hanging it in a bag in the tank.
Why not just hang the carbon in a bag in the tank & leave the filter alone?
Why not just hang the carbon in a bag in the tank & leave the filter alone?
I have problems with 'bits if I decide to do a bit of rescaping or re-planting, or whatever. I have a spare small filter that I fill (loosely) with filter floss and run that for a couple of hours. It's much easier that taking things in/out of your main filter. I'd fill it with carbon and do the same if I ever wanted to use carbon for something.
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