Activated Carbon: Yes or No?

[TygGer]

I keep getting mixed answers from various sources. Some are telling me to only use act. carbon when trying to remove medication and some are telling me to use it all the time. I have a Whisper Power filter for my 10 gallon and the media comes with carbon,cotton and foam.

What should I do? I have always used carbon and everything seems to be fine... but I want to do it the "right" way.

Thanks

 

[blue_neon]

do a water change ...bout 25% and keep the carbon going. that is what i have all ways done and everything if fine.

 

[sweetsuvvyb]

I use the exact same kind of filter, and always use the carbon.

I've heard a number of people who say it's bad....but I, for the life of me, cannot figure out why. I personally haven't had any problems.

I've never had to medicate my fish (knockin on wood!), but from what I understand, if you are medicating, you take the carbon out, so the medicine stays in the water....then when you're finished treatin, you add new carbon in to get the medicine out of the water.

Everyone should feel free to jump in and correct me here!

 

[Allivymar]

Activated Carbon is an unnecessary luxury. I ran my first tank with a fluval and no carbon; the current tanks happen to have carbon cause it comes with the filters. I see no difference.

It should be used to remove meds, and is often used to reduce yellow tints from driftwood. But isn't absolutely necessary otherwise, although it won't harm your fish. I have heard some people don't run it when they have a well planted tank; the thought being the carbon removes needed nutrients. I don't know if thats verified tho.

 

[Guppyman]

Greeting,

This is my first post and I hope it is a welcome one.

This subject is debated endlessly by tropical fish hobbyist. In my 40 +years of raising tropicals, mainly live bearers, I have come to the conclusion that except for removing medications after treatment, it is more trouble than it's worth. Since I've stopped using it I have had far fewer problems with my fish. I currently have 200 large corner filters running and you won't find any carbon on the premises. I don't even use it after treating fish. I prefer a large water change with aged water.

I'm providing the following information, which I hope will help. Remember, this is MY experience on the subject. Your mileage may vary!

Granular Activated Carbon

* Activated carbon effectively removes many chemicals and gases, and in some cases it can be effective against microorganisms. However, generally it will not affect total dissolved solids, hardness, or heavy metals.

* Any granular activated carbon filter has three inherent problems.

--First, it can provide a base for the growth of bacteria. When the carbon is fresh, virtually all organic impurities (not organic chemicals) and even some bacteria are removed. Accumulated impurities, though, can become food for bacteria, enabling them to multiply within the filter.

--Second, chemical recontamination of granular activated carbon filters can occur in a similar way. If the filter is used beyond the point at which it becomes saturated with the impurities it has absorbed, the trapped impurities can release from the surface and re-contaminate the water, with even higher concentrations of impurities than in the untreated water. This saturation point is impossible to predict - or detect.

--Third, granular carbon filters are susceptible to channeling. Because the carbon grains are held (relatively) loosely in a filter, open paths can result from the buildup of impurities in the filter. In this situation, contact time between the carbon and the water is reduced, and filtration is less effective.

**************

Hope this helps.

Frank

 

[TankGirl]

I agree with what has been posted here about carbon. Personally, on my 10-gal that comes with pre-constructed filter cartridges containing carbon, I basically rinse them out and re-use them until it is hopelessly tattered (6 months or more) and replace it. I ignore the carbon, or have been known to remove it completely. I don't find it necessary at all. In my canister filters I don't ever use it unless I am removing meds. You can get away with filter floss and a bio-wheel and make your own cartridges, for that matter, and if I did not have 3 little kids and 5 tanks I probably would do that!

 

[tkos]

The problem with carbon is that it uses ionic bonding to hold impurities. When something with a stronger bond comes along it will release the old bonded material in favour of the newer. This is why it is important to remove carbon during medication and why it is important to use new carbon to remove old medications from the tank. Medication will generally form a strong ionic bond with the carbon which then can release older bonded material which could potentially cuase harm to the tank. The chances are slim but they do exist for carbon holding a harmful substance only to release it later.

With activated carbon filter masks for people this can also be a problem. If you have used these filters to protect versus solvents such as acetone then you use the same filter in a very humid environment the solvent has a weaker ionic bond then water and the solvent will then be released into your lungs.

 

[shawmutt]

I don't use it in my 10 gal amazon black water, because I like the tea color effect in the water. However, I will use it in my 30 gal lake malawi, because ime it "polishes" the water and help keeps it clear. I have a HOB filter, with a foam insert and a carbon insert, and I will replace the carbon one week and the foam the next, to keep the bacteria colony healthy and my water clean. I figure if it works for my drinking water (Brita filter) it works for the fish tank.

 

[sweetsuvvyb]

Just a note on tkos' post...

Ionic bonds are among the strongest out there (in fact, they are not "true" chemical bonds, since it is the attraction of the charged particles). But they do indeed disassociate...it's why salt dissolves in water, why we have a thing called "pH", etc etc.

But I don't really honestly see it being a problem in a typical aquarium, unless you introduce a new substance, such as a medication. As shawmutt said....they are used as tap water filters...when you are filtering the same types of junk on a day to day basis, you aren't really going to encounter that killer ion that won't let go of the carbon....and that should be true in your aquarium as well.

I only personally use the stuff, because it comes in the pre-packaged filters, and there's no reason to tear 'em apart.