Party Foul

[pairustwo]

I accidentally spilled a little charcoal into the tank while I was setting up the filter.

I just started a fish-less cycle so no life except for a couple of plants moved from an established tank.

The Charcoal is harmless when mixed in the substrate...right?

 

[LandGhoti]

I would tend to think no harm done, but not sure.

Love the thread title, though! Hahahahaha.

 

[JulieB]

It is my understanding that charcoal filters out impurities like chlorine, etc. It doesn't remove ammonia or bacteria. I'm thinking no harm no foul.

 

[Zagz]

It won't hurt, my stepmom dumped an entire filter of charcoal by accident into her 45 gal. Everything was fine. Water changes were messy but that is about it.

 

[pairustwo]

Thanks for putting my mind at ease.

my stepmom dumped an entire filter of charcoal by accident into her 45 gal. Everything was fine. Water changes were messy but that is about it.

Why was that?

 

[7Enigma]

I'd think about removing the charcoal and going with some ceramic media, filter floss, or a foam pad. The charcoal is pretty much worthless when you're doing a fishless cycle, so I'd just get rid of it. This will give you more room for bacteria to grow, increasing your possible bioload.

You could also just keep the charcoal in and NEVER replace it. Just rinse it out gently when it gets cruddy in tank water, and put it back in. I just don't like charcoal as it can work its way out of the filter inserts, and ceramic media is superior from a biological filtration standpoint.

 

[tropicfishman]

might let off some dust is all lol