bio media

[farmgirl]

I've heard of people replacing the carbon in their canister filters with these bio-balls, or some kind of ceramic pieces. What is the general consensus on this? I can see where the biological filtration would definately benefit from this. But what about the lack of carbon, although I understand the carbon only works for a few weeks when new anyways.
I have a magnum 350 and a penguin 350 bio wheel on my 90 long. I assume I have enough filtration, and didn't know if something like this would benefit my tank. I have 5 clown loaches, 6 dwarf gouramis, 4 neon tetras, 4 platties, and 1 molly. All the fish are under 3" and will eventually be moves to larger tank down the road when the loaches start getting some size on them. Just curious on others views!!

 

[tropicalfish]

carbon keeps the water crystal clear and odor free.
in planted tanks, carbon is unnecessary, so they add bio balls for more bacteria...
Sometimes carbon is not needed at all, so bioballs can be used as a good replacement.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I don't use carbon at all in any of my tanks (planted and unplanted) since I do not see any benefit. I do however use the ceramic rings. They allow more surface area for bacteria to grow.

 

[TomK2]

I haven't used Activated carbon in years. It loses its adsorption capacity a lot faster than you think, so that it is a high maintenance media for removing things. However, even after AC has lost its adsorption capacity, it remains a somewhat high surface area granule for bacteria to grow on. If you want to replace your AC with media with even more surface area, and the AC is the majority of media in your filter, do it in stages. Seachem sells porous biomedia that is inexpensive, and the eheim stuff is praised but is more costly.

I think that you will find that many aquarists only use AC when they seek to remove something specific, like antibiotics.

 

[justrelax]

I think that you will find that many aquarists only use AC when they seek to remove something specific, like antibiotics.

Or tannins! If I leave the AC out of my filter for two weeks, I get yellow water from my driftwood. With the AC in, the water is crystal clear. Fortunately, I have room for a bunch of ceramic too. I picked up a huge box of it I found on clearance one day.. score!

 

[farmgirl]

Thanx, maybe I'll look into the rings on my next supplyy order, and gradually replacce them into my AC canister over time. Appreciate the replies.