Carbon filter filters out everything....????????????

[dragonfisher33]

Hi AA members. This question has been bugging me. The carbon cartilages that we all use inside the filters are supposed to filter out junks and sometimes meds in the water. But does it filter out liquid fertilizers and carbon from my pressurized CO2 system? if so, what's the point of spending all these money for the setup where it all eventually gets wasted...Whats a good replacement for carbon filters? i heard floss filter is good

 

[Coryluv]

I just bought some of that blue and white sheet filter stuff and cut it to size. Two layers take up the space the carbon would have been in. I slosh in used tank water to clean. They dont need to be replaced until they fall apart. These are also great seed material for cycling other tanks, and they can be cut down to fit a smaller filter.

 

[dragonfisher33]

can you post a picture of your filter setup? i understand there's DIY filter cartilages out there. Do you know the answers to the question about whether the filter filters out fertilizers and carbon?

 

[Coryluv]

Actually I can't really get a picture right now because I just cycled my tank and got fish yesterday. I don't want to disturb the filter again for another week at least. The outside of it is semi transparent, but too dark to get a good pic without removing it fron the tank and opening it. My filter is an Aquaclear 50 and all the filter material goes into a little plastic holder that then drops into a plastic box which is the main filtration chamber. So on the bottom I have the foam block, next I have the two pieces of filter sheet, and on top of that is the bio max, which are little ceramic pellets in a mesh bag for the beneficial bacteria to grow on. The truth is the beneficial bacteria grows on all of it even though the bio max is designed specifically for it. It serves the same function as a bio wheel without the moving parts.

Here is a link to the instructions to my filter. There are diagrams that should give you an idea of how the materials are installed.

http://usa.hagen.com/File/ede567c9-42ac-4895-b81e-f032a71517e6

Here is a link to the kind of filter sheet I bought and cut to size

Marineland Bonded Filter Pads at PETCO

Because it is a tidy sheet form this stuff can be fit into a number of different filters. What kind of filter do you have?

Ps. I don't know if carbon filters out fertilizers. I'd have to do more research. Im guessing that it does but i just haven't looked into it. I don't use carbon partly because I have plants. Before I had plants I used carbon. I have also read research that implicates carbon in hole in the head disease. That bothers me. If it is not good for some fish, it is good for any fish? Does the good outweigh the potential harm? It's an expense I can do without, that for certain.

 

[dragonfisher33]

i have an Aqueon Quiet Filter for up to 60gal for my 25gal.

 

[Coryluv]

Ill look that up. I just added a ps to my post above about the fertilizer, but the short answer is I don't really know.

Ps. I just looked it up and it looks like you could just cut the filter padding and put it where th carbon cartridge would go, but I can't tell without having it in my hands. I've heard these are real nice filters. I like Aqueon products.

 

[Coryluv]

But does it filter out liquid fertilizers and carbon from my pressurized CO2 system?

First I'm sorry about the Ps's but I didn't want a string of little posts as I thought of things.

Of course, your question that I snipped out above caused me to do some checking. I did a web search and it seems to be a matter of great debate across many forums. From what I'm reading it seems logical that the carbon would remove the fretilizers and trace organics that the plants would use. Also that since you should be doing weekly water changes anyway, the carbon is wasted. I've also read that the plants serve a similar function in maintaining the water quality that the carbon does. However, I still have no science to refer you to that backs any of that up.

 

[BBradbury]

Using Carbon (Chemical) Medium

Hi AA members. This question has been bugging me. The carbon cartilages that we all use inside the filters are supposed to filter out junks and sometimes meds in the water. But does it filter out liquid fertilizers and carbon from my pressurized CO2 system? if so, what's the point of spending all these money for the setup where it all eventually gets wasted...Whats a good replacement for carbon filters? i heard floss filter is good

Hello huiz...

If you're going a good job of replacing the tank water, you don't need to use carbon. The water change removes toxins, odors and replaces nutrients. At best, carbon can remove odors and some toxins. Frequent water changes will do much more for your tank than chemical medium.

I do my water changes and rarely use carbon medium. Water keeping isn't an exact science. You'll get different opinions and conflicting information. Experiment with different filtration and find out what works best for your tank.

B

 

[MMantelli]

carbon wont filter it out faster than plants use it you just mainly have to watch out for carbons with added resins like chemi pure and bio chem zorb. yes it is a great debate but ime i havent noticed a diference in my fert levels in my planted tank with or without carbon