Activated Carbon - is it needed?
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- čas přidán 29. 08. 2024
- In this video I talk about activated carbon and if carbon is needed in the aquarium
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I've only been in the hobby for a few years, but my experience so far supports this view. I remove the carbon from filter cartridges and replace it with a little more filter floss (in addition to having coarse sponge in the filter housing). The water stays exceptionally clear, and ammonia/nitrite spikes simply aren't a thing. The carbon is definitely not necessary for water clarity.
Also have a tank that sits in front of a large window and takes a bit more effort to keep algae and diatoms under control. I used carbon for a few weeks to clean up some medication in that tank, and in that time, algae growth increased dramatically. I assumed this was due to either the medication killing bacteria that normally compete for nutrients or maybe the more frequent water changes (VERY hard water here). Didn't realize the activated carbon contained phosphates. That would have also contributed to my glass scraping induced carpal tunnel haha. Thanks for the info!
Your channel is best aquarium/ fish related on youtube....and that's out of a billion....all the others say and do the same generic thing....your page is insightful helpful and unique keep up great work dude!!!!!
Thank you I really do appreciate that
Yup, I'm torn myself.. I like that it helps with polishing and odor control, especially when I feed using my Massivore pellets. They stink up the whole fish room without fail! Even light feedings. On the rare occasions I need to treat with meds (typically Ich-X or Prazipro) it's a pain to have to rip my filters apart solely to take out the carbon. Oh well, first-world problems..right!? Great video👍
I agree, thank you
I've been using carbon for a long time and leaving it there for months. I just removed the carbon from my tank and replace the open space with sponge filter on my HOB filter. Thanks for the great info.
Your welcome
Awesome info! You answered all my questions/ I learned a lot 💯💪🏽👍🏼
Your welcome
That square footage is big, but we're talking a layer a micron thick. Thought that was relevant.
If you have an ammonia spike zeolite comes in handy for sure. I use a carbon filter inline on my hose that I fill up the tank with and in the aquarium filter on the day of water changes because that water has a yellow tint to it and doesn't taste good at all and carbon makes it clear and drinkable, also use an inline UV light. I try to make the water as pure as I can, I test water parameters often, I also keep a pH buffer and zeolite on standby just in case.
Good information in this video, thanks.
Your welcome
I feel this way about polyfill.. use it to polish the water..
Yep that's about it
How much grams per gallon of aquarium? To be used
Great clarification thank you! Just got mine in the mail today so I’m exited to get my goldfish tank clear again. How long should I keep it in my filter ? A week or two?
Depends on the reason the tank was cloudy, generally carbon is only good for about 2 weeks and then it can't absorb anything else.
Trafish Aquatics I think I crashed my cycle and I got it back in motion I added bio enhancers for a week but it’s still cloudy. I will change filter too
@SINGLE MOM DOT COM it's likley just a bacteria bloom, carbon won't do much for that but the cloudyness will go away with time as the bacteria colonies rebuild themselves. Just make sure to keep an eye on the ammonia levels while the tank recycles
Hello thanks for your video. I'm a beginer and still becoming familiar with terms. Are water clarity and other products like seachem prime, stability and other water conditioners considered "medications" that carbon will also remove? Or is medication only referring to treating ick, parasite and illnesses?
Ive not had any ill effect with water conditioners, but the medications i have
How long do you run carbon after a medication treatment? I need to treat my tanks for hydra but I have nerites in every tank. I can treat one tank at a time while housing the nerites in different tanks short term, but I’m reading stories of the nerites still dying when going back in to previously treated tanks. No one has mentioned using carbon to remove meds, only water changes. I’m wondering if running carbon would make the tank safe again for the nerites. Thoughts?
Yep, Just leave the carbon out while you're doing the treatment and then put fresh carbon in and run it for 24 to 48 hours (24 should be more than enough but you can leave it in longer just in case). This will remove the medication from the treatment.
Oops. I never have replaced my carbon. I have just rinsed it out.
That's why I don't like the cartridge systems and premade bags and things like that because they don't actually give you any instruction on the carbon itself
How do you rinse it out.
So probably you already got this question but.. I have 4 small goldfish in a 35 gallon tank aprox sorry im not from the US, i got a undergravel filter that comes with the Actiavated Carbon. Which i havent used yet. Im wondering should i use it ? i still do a 30% water change every 3 days and use tap water ( i also put declhoranator ) . Would it be beneficial for my goldfish ?
What's the difference between activated carbon and carbon sponge, does it do the same thing?
Essentially they're the same, One is just chunks of activated carbon and the other one is a sponge that's been infused with activated carbon, They last just as long as each other and do the same thing.
@@TrafishAquatics Thanks from UK
You're welcome
From what i understand, its good for cycled tank process and high ammonia issue, but i still need to change waters regularly. Then i can remove when its over. or im wrong? 😅
I have a question. I haven't used carbon before, because I've just been using sponge filters. But I got given a tank with a hob filter, and a pack of the cartridges.
The home that this tank came from, had a ton of glade plugins, and this tank doesn't have a lid. The tank has technically been airing out for several months now, but would the carbon bind out any potentially left over harmful chemicals from that?
What I know of charcoal says it should, but I'd like a second opinion.
Personally, I was originally thinking I wouldn't be using the cartridges, and just buy some sponge, and bio rings, to soup up the hob. But with how strong the air freshener scent was, I'm considering using the pack, changing it once a month, and then calling it good at that point.
Yes the carbon would remove anything that was residual in the tank that wouldn't of been removed during a cleaning, If you have the carbon packs in my opinion I would use them until they're used up and then just switch over to using a block of sponge.
@@TrafishAquatics Excellent. I did bleach the tank, and filter, but that smelly stuff is stubborn, and the scent was still there afterwards.
Thanks!
Your welcome, also since you used bleach make sure you use a dose a water dechlorinator when you fill it since bleach is just chlorine.
@@TrafishAquatics I was going to do that anyway (I use tap), but the tank is dry, so I don't think there is any chlorine left in the tank from the bleach.
I also plan to add a sponge block either before of after the cartridge so I'm not nuking my beneficial bacteria every time it is changed.
Awesome!
Right.
Thanks
My carbon sponge media was crumbling so had to take it out..is that ok..
Yes that's fine
@@TrafishAquatics Thank you..Yes Goldfishes seem to be much more happier now...
can i use my horicultural activated carbon not an aquarium brand ? same things ?
Generally horticultural carbon is not activated so it wouldn't absorb anything.
Will this help in a turtle tank?
The same principles of it being used in a fish tank would also apply to turtle tanks
I use it for my turtle filter
Nothing wrong with that 😁
@@TrafishAquatics are u being sarcastic?
Not at all, you can use carbon if you want to, or you can not use it, either way works
@@TrafishAquatics oh ok
Can you use it to clean your drinking water too?
yes its the same thing that Britta uses in their water filters
How much do I use for a 29 gallon tank?!
You don't need any but if you want to use it an ounce would work
@@TrafishAquatics thank you!!😊
You're welcome
Awesome video! Just subscribed! I have a channel about fish too!
Awesome I'll check it out
Can I use regular charcoal?
Technically I imagine you could, however it wouldn't be nearly as efficient as activated carbon, activated carbon is heated to 600-900c and then chemicly treated and aerated during the manufacturing process to increase the number of pores to increase the surface area which allows it to absorb/adsorb much more than traditional charcoal.
If its good enough to drink then its good enough for my fish
I have never used Carbon in my aquarium
I only use it in addition to waterchanges to remove meds
@ekul Z awesome thank you