the carbon in bags ( Fluval F3 external filter) is going through

[LuluH]

Hello, please advise me - I've only had this larger tank 7 months with external filter in cabinet below 220 litres (200 ) tank-today i cleaned the media inside the filter into the bucket of fish tank water. When I emptied the filter the little mesh bags that the black carbon is in had split and i found fragments in the bottom of the filter container and in the bucket water when i poured it away - shall i ditch this layer of media ? the fluval has a 3 tiered media on one half of the filter - using ceramic rings in one,, optional carbon ( in mesh sacks ) and sponge / foam in 3rd... thanks

 

[Slaphppy7]

Yes, ditch the carbon, it's not needed except for certain circumstances...add other media in it's place

 

[LuluH]

thanks, its making a mess in there

 

[eatyourpeas]

Discard the carbon and use a sponge media. It will double as mechanical and biological media and will last for a very long time. Just rinse it in tank water when cleaning the filter.

 

[LuluH]

why do they supply carbon with filters ?

 

[Slaphppy7]

why do they supply carbon with filters ?

To make you think you need it, to make you think you need more, and to get more of your $...

The only time carbon is needed, IME, is to remove medications from the tank after a treatment for various ailments...all of the meds I've ever used, dissipate on their own, so I don't even keep it around...

 

[Essjay]

Decades ago carbon was the only media used in filters, according to a book my parents had which was printed in the 1960s. It was a 'how to mend' book on various items, and one section was on fish tanks. The filter it showed was a box filled with carbon and a layer of filter wool/floss on top, and it was powered by an air pump.

My guess is that when newer filters were invented, fish keepers still wanted their carbon. The manufacturers were quite happy to include it as it was cheap to produce, they could charge a lot for it, and it needs replacing on a regular basis. So if they continued including it, new fish keepers thought they needed to use it and so new generations of fishkeepers provided income for the filter makers.

 

[LuluH]

Decades ago carbon was the only media used in filters, according to a book my parents had which was printed in the 1960s. It was a 'how to mend' book on various items, and one section was on fish tanks. The filter it showed was a box filled with carbon and a layer of filter wool/floss on top, and it was powered by an air pump.

My guess is that when newer filters were invented, fish keepers still wanted their carbon. The manufacturers were quite happy to include it as it was cheap to produce, they could change a lot for it, and it needs replacing on a regular basis. So if they continued including it, new fish keepers thought they needed to use it and so new generations of fishkeepers provided income for the filter makers.

FASCinating thank you for this bit of history

 

[Slaphppy7]

Decades ago carbon was the only media used in filters, according to a book my parents had which was printed in the 1960s. It was a 'how to mend' book on various items, and one section was on fish tanks. The filter it showed was a box filled with carbon and a layer of filter wool/floss on top, and it was powered by an air pump.

My guess is that when newer filters were invented, fish keepers still wanted their carbon. The manufacturers were quite happy to include it as it was cheap to produce, they could change a lot for it, and it needs replacing on a regular basis. So if they continued including it, new fish keepers thought they needed to use it and so new generations of fishkeepers provided income for the filter makers.

This is the exact filter setup I had on my first tank, bought for me on my 5th birthday...52 years ago...decades indeed, lol.
My oldest sister would break down the filter every Saturday, and REPLACE the floss and carbon, weekly...and rinse the clown-puke gravel.

And we wondered why we couldn't keep fish alive for very long...