what could i use to hold carbon?

[redruckus]

i just purchased some active carbon that i thought was in mesh bags but its just loose.... what could i use that would be safe for my tank and wont degrade over time and let loose carbon mess up my pump

 

[Rscomia]

I have mine in a filter sock

 

[redruckus]

i have a huge sheet of poly wool i use for filter media i also use the clay things for bio media.. i dont want to buy filter socks for like 15 bucks for 2 my lfs charges up the @$$.... is there a cheaper alternative?

 

[MonsterfishGuy]

100% safe: no!
Nylon sock disolve in a toxic form with time and the lfs one are reusable for a years at least! So a pack of 2 can go for at least 2 years!

 

[Rscomia]

Wow they are getting rich because mine was 1.99

 

[MonsterfishGuy]

My lfs sells 2 for 5$ and i do 2-3 years with em!

 

[redruckus]

i just bouught one of those 1 liter cardbord milk things of active carbon and it cost me 15$ and they only sell the replacement filter media for certain filters and they are usualy pre made so idk ill try to find cheese cloth or a nylon stocking i replace my carbon every 4-5 months cuz it stops working after a while.... so idk i would like some ideas on this or a place i could buy cheep filter socks online... i recently moved and the local lfs knows its the only one around for like 5 hours so they get what they can

 

[giants1249er]

I bought mines from Petsmart or Petco for a couple of bucks.

 

[aqua_chem]

I run an eheim 2217 canister filter. Any media that I want to bag (bio media, carbon) I put in a polyester bag that I got 4/dollar at the dollar store. They're like small laundry bags.

I dont like using pantyhose because they are actually fairly flow resistant when wet

 

[redruckus]

alright i will try going to the dollar store and get the mesh bag i just need the carbon filtration so i can put my new drift wood in the tank....

 

[Dale_I]

This is a question, not a suggestion... Could you lay down a layer of poly, layer of carbon, layer of poly, and make a poly/carbon sandwich filter?

 

[aqua_chem]

You would probably be better served going coarse filter-carbon-poly as a lot of larger stuff will muck up your polyester really fast, but poly-carbon-poly should work. Definitely want your carbon contained somehow though (mesh bag, etc)


Eastern Washington represent!

 

[redruckus]

well i have 2 bags of the clay biomedia stones and i couldnt do that carbon snadwich with my filter i wouldnt get the flow i wanted i need to use the bag of carbon just in the back of my hob.. aslo the black carbon poly wool only lasts for mayb 2-3 weeks then the carbon looses efectiveness

 

[Dale_I]

All carbon will loose effectiveness after a month or so (some say earlier, some say later). Go to ebay or amazon and look up filter bags or media bags. I know Hagan makes a universal bag, as well as specific bags fit the AC 50 & 70. There are also generic brands that perform a similar task.

 

[Nubster]

Are you all talking about running carbon long term (all the time)? I was just wondering...I am running carbon right now to remove residual meds and to clear up my water. I bought a container of loose carbon and just filled a stocking I got from Walmart for $.33 a pair. But I won't be using it more than a week or two so longevity isn't an issue.

 

[redruckus]

I just picked up a sheet of cheese cloth like nylon fabric mesh stuff i made a pouch bag out of it and its in now i dont know what kind of hob i have but there is a big space in the back that i have a bag of the ceramic bio pelet things and now the carbon i put in the new drift wood last night and im not seeing any yellowing from the tannins