A sump with charcoal briquettes?

[Ferret_Friend]

I'm not sure if this would even work, but I know charcoal has a habit of removing odors, toxins, etc. from air and water. Are charcoal briquettes close enough where I could make a little sump and put a few into it to help absorb toxins?

This isn't something I plan to do with my current tank, but I was thinking it may not be a bad idea down the road if it actually worked.

Has anyone tried something like this?

 

[QTOFFER]

Charcoal briquettes - definitely NOT!!!
Fuel charcoal usually has additives that make them light faster and burn longer with less smoke. Often, they have chemicals added to give grilled food a 'smoked' flavor. All of these additives could be toxic.

What you would want is activated charcoal -not the same thing as charcoal briquettes. It is specially treated to remove impurities and provide a larger surface area to absorb more unwanted stuff from the water. You can get it by the quart and 1/2 gallon at any pet store. It actually works best if placed in a cloth bag in the filter. Activated charcoal needs to be replaced every 1 - 6 weeks depending on what kind and how much stuff it is pulling out of the water.

The use of charcoal on a regular basis is an often discussed topic here. Some people use it to remove the yellowish color caused by tannins in driftwood, (although boiling the driftwood works too). Alot of people, myself included, don't use it as a rule. I only use charcoal to remove meds from my hospital tank. I figure that any other charcoal-removable pollutant like dissolved organic compounds are best removed by regular water changes.

Tank odors are best prevented by not overfeeding and by doing regular water changes and gravel vacs (every 1 - 2 weeks).

 

[Ferret_Friend]

I was afraid that would be the case. I was hoping that would be a cheap answer to a problem I may incur down the road.

I've got too many plans, most of which will never even happen. Meh.