does carbon filter hinder new tank cycling

[napydred]

this is what is going on

the filter on my tank has a bio wheel and a carbon filter in the back. i put a raw srhimp in the water to cycle the tank. a friend of mine came over and told me that the carbon filter would remove all the amonia from the water and kind of defeat the purpose of cycling the tank. he said if i just tack the top off the tank and leave it for a while it will cycle without the use of the shrimp. what are your opinions on this? im gonna just leave the shrimp in for now but i would like to know if the filter is hindering the cycling of the water, thanks

 

[lando]

Carbon will not remove NH3. It's primary purpose is to remove odar from the water and add clairity. It does also absorb some inpurities, chemicals and medications. Using it during the cycle is up to you. Honestly, I do not see how it willhelp or hurt anything. Certainly leave in the shrimp. Carbon will not feed the cycle like a raw shrimp will.

 

[napydred]

lando you are a fish shaman. do you think i shold add a small power head in the water just to move the water around, the filter that hangs on the back pulls water into it, then through a carbon filter, then down a little ramp with a wheel (im not sure what you call those types of filters) anyway, will a power head help?

 

[lando]

the addition of a powerhead is a great idea. SW tanks need flow. Do you know what type of HOB filter you have? You may consider removing the biowheel as it can cause NO3 to climb over time. Basically, the biowheel creates an aerobic (with oxygen) envirornment for benefical bacteria to grow. This type of bacteria does a good job at processing NH3 and NO2, but not a good job at processing NO3. However, with enough LR in the tank (1.5-2lbs/gal) you would likely not notice an increase in NO3. Frequent water changes are another way to combat this issue. Best advice is to remove the biowhell and still add as much LR as you can.