The Problem With Carbon

[MstrLinks]

I've read some comments some of you have post in this thread: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=139488.

Here is some interesting quotes I saw:

It is also important to realise carbon is an excellent medium for filter bacteria. After a few weeks, the surface of the carbon is so completely covered in bacteria that any adsorbtion properties it orginally had will have diminished almost to zero. Hence, if you want to use carbon as a chemical medium, you need to clean it and/or replace it on a regular basis (i.e., every few weeks).

and

How long carbon lasts will vary, but we're talking a few weeks, not months.

No, sunshine isn't hot enough to "repair" spent carbon. As I understand it, a hot oven breaks down the organic compounds that is stuck to the carbon particles, and also cracks the carbon, restoring its surface area.

Unless you actually need to use carbon because there are organics in the water, I personally don't think it's worthwhile. It's mostly a marketing gimmick for conning people into buying the stuff each month. There are much better options for marine tanks (e.g., skimmers) and in freshwater tanks, regular water changes will get rid of organics as well as nitrates and phosphates.

My questions now are:

1. Is there really a way to clean them efficently without replacing the carbon (some argued in the thread there is not way to clean it really)?

2. Would replacing the carbon once every few weeks (or whatever the directions say) get rid of your "good" bacteria company?

3. Because I have a whisper power filter that uses carbon is there any alternative I can taking if carbon isn't really that good for the tank?

Comments and suggestions highly appreciated.

 

[rdd1952]

In short:

1) No
2) Yes
3) See if you can find some small ceramic rings or a product called Matrix Bio Max. Both are excellent.

Very few people on here use carbon. I have a box full that is included in the box every time I buy filter packs for my whisper filters. Maybe I can grill out somewhere along the line. I haven't read that thread but basically carbon is a chemical filter. Most people only use it after they have had to treat a tank with medications so they can remove it. To me and I guess most others that don't use it, it's just not worth messing with.

Another issue that stopped me from using it is that you have to wash all the dust out of it before puttiing it in your tank. If you put it in your filter pack and the run tap water on it to remove the dust, you have washed out a lot of your bacteria or killed it with the chlorine in the water.

Just a side note, nmonks, the author of that thread, has written several books on fish keeping.

 

[MstrLinks]

In short:

1) No
2) Yes
3) See if you can find some small ceramic rings or a product called Matrix Bio Max. Both are excellent.

Very few people on here use carbon. I have a box full that is included in the box every time I buy filter packs for my whisper filters. Maybe I can grill out somewhere along the line. I haven't read that thread but basically carbon is a chemical filter. Most people only use it after they have had to treat a tank with medications so they can remove it. To me and I guess most others that don't use it, it's just not worth messing with.

Another issue that stopped me from using it is that you have to wash all the dust out of it before puttiing it in your tank. If you put it in your filter pack and the run tap water on it to remove the dust, you have washed out a lot of your bacteria or killed it with the chlorine in the water.

Just a side note, nmonks, the author of that thread, has written several books on fish keeping.

Thank you very much for clearing things up.

So from my understanding you said possibly I can use small ceramic rings or Matrix bio max in lieu of the carbon that I place into the filter packet for my whisper power filter?

EDIT: Regarding ceramic rings I could of swore I heard they only work for canister filters.

 

[Meds081603]

The rings will work in any filter you can fit them in. In lieu of carbon in whisper filters I have 2 different techniques. I either use slivers of sponge or biomax. I just rinse them in a bucket of tank water every so often. If they get real worn after time you can replace just the filter bag or just the spong/biomax leaving the other which still contains plenty of bacteria.

 

[rdd1952]

Most of the rings are too large to fit in a filter pack but you can break them. The biomax particles are generally smaller and will fit easily.

 

[MstrLinks]

If they get real worn after time you can replace just the filter bag or just the spong/biomax leaving the other which still contains plenty of bacteria.

Sorry I got a little lost here...

thanks agains everyone.

 

[Meds081603]

After a long time the filter bag may become worn out. When it does, you save the media that you put inside the filter bag. That media can go into the new filter bag. This will preserve a lot of your good bacteria. Hopefully that explains it...

 

[darkwolf29a]

I wish I could take a picture of the instructions that came with my Eheim Ecco 2234 last week. It was very interesting to see a company state, in the instructions, that the only reason you should be using carbon is to remove medications. I've been using carbon for awhile, until I put a carbonless thing in my cray tank, as a test. I hooked my Eheim up without it as well.

 

[rdd1952]

After a long time the filter bag may become worn out. When it does, you save the media that you put inside the filter bag. That media can go into the new filter bag. This will preserve a lot of your good bacteria. Hopefully that explains it...

That's exactly what I do. I pour the media from the old bag into the new one and never have any kind of mini-cycle.

 

[MstrLinks]

ooooh ok I get it now. But after a long, long time you may have to replace the media. Does that mean you have to cycle your tank again?

 

[Meds081603]

NO. If you have to change the media inside the bag for some reason, put the new media in the old bag until the bag wears out. You only change either the internal media OR the bag. You never do both at the same time, which means you always keep bacteria!

 

[Scunny]

It is also important to realise carbon is an excellent medium for filter bacteria. After a few weeks, the surface of the carbon is so completely covered in bacteria that any adsorbtion properties it orginally had will have diminished almost to zero. Hence, if you want to use carbon as a chemical medium, you need to clean it and/or replace it on a regular basis (i.e., every few weeks).

I have an interpet PF1 filter which currently has a standard pad, a carbon pad, and a super-fine pad in it. If carbon is such an excellent medium for bacteria is it worthwhile me keeping carbon pads in my filter, even if i dont need them to remove meds etc?

 

[MstrLinks]

NO. If you have to change the media inside the bag for some reason, put the new media in the old bag until the bag wears out. You only change either the internal media OR the bag. You never do both at the same time, which means you always keep bacteria!

Oh I get it. In that case the bacteria transfers over to the new bag/media. thanks.

 

[rdd1952]

Anything carbon related is pretty much saturated in anywhere from a day to a couple weeks. Although the carbon pads would indeed house bacteria, there are other pads that are just as good without the carbon issue. Same as with the regular carbon. It does function as a biological filter and has plenty of surface area for bacteria to colonize but there are better types of ceramic media available.

 

[MstrLinks]

Anything carbon related is pretty much saturated in anywhere from a day to a couple weeks. Although the carbon pads would indeed house bacteria, there are other pads that are just as good without the carbon issue. Same as with the regular carbon. It does function as a biological filter and has plenty of surface area for bacteria to colonize but there are better types of ceramic media available.

I've read from several sources that you should only use carbon after you use some kind of medication since you cleans the the medication let overs very well. I assuming that's the only filter media that can do that....