Activated Carbon

[tiger terror]

Wanting to start a discussion over activated carbon&the positive/negative affects in the freshwater planted or unplanted aquariums..as I am on the fence on this one let's here what everyone has to say..thank you

 

[BlitzCraze]

I'm removing my post I refuse to argue carbon is very important

 

[ilostnemo]

Carbon is everything without it your fish would die plain and simple we test for nitrates ammonia and nitrites but what about the other impurities? That's where the carbon comes into play

Activated carbon absorbs those impurities now remember the carbon can only absorb so much before it starts releasing the impurities back into the water so make sure you change the activated carbon is your filters when the time is dues

So in short
+ takes away impurities
+ polishes the water leaving it nice and clear

- if you don't change the carbon it all leaks back I to the tank
- if you don't rinse the loose particles from your carbon they can be harmful to the fish

I don't run carbon in any of my tanks my fish don't die. I only use carbon to take away medications when I have too treat a fish. Carbon isnt needed at all in my opinion. I would rather have more mechanical filtration and phosguard or chemi pure.

 

[bs6749]

I don't use carbon and I see some of the myths about it releasing toxins back into the tank continue to be spread. It can help remove odors and discoloration of your water, but the amounts needed to keep it that way are ridiculously high. It is primarily used to remove medications and it doesn't have that long of a lifespan in the tank. Think days and not weeks/months...that's how short it is in working.

 

[Cichlid Kid]

No Blitz craze carbon isnot "everything" your fish willnot die without it. Those other impurities you speak of are why we do pwc's on a regular basis. As stated already, carbon is usefull in absorbing meds.
I have 2 veiltail goldfish that ive had for 11yrs and they have only had carbon introduced to them 1 time. Btw they're not just surviving they're THRIVING!

 

[mfdrookie516]

Carbon does NOT leech things back in to the tank... unless your tanks temperature is well over 2000 degrees. It's good for stuff like tannins , odors, and chemicals... but as said, isn't useful very long. Essentially, it's a huge waste of money unless you're using it for a specific purpose.