How Long Till Charcoal Clears Water ?

[chicken_tamer]

hey guys, i currently have a tank that has a peat and vermiculite substrate and a peice of driftwood which are both leaching tannins in the water making it very very brown.

yesterday afternoon i added a bag of charcoal to the water and havent really noticed any difference in water clarity.

anyone have any experience in this ??

 

[Timmy_Bee]

i was having a discussion about this last week, but cant remeber the post! a guy recommeded a type of filter media that will do the job (i have found charcoal doesn't do much for wood tannins)
I think it was a Seachem product that basically starts off as white crystals. It cleans the wasy and gradually turns dark / black. You can then recharge it by leaving it in bleach over-night...

But for me, i have to do regular water changes to stop my water looking like tea

Sorry i cant remember the name, but maybe someone else can help...

Edit: Found it!
its called Purigen
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=68951&view=&hl=seachem&fromsearch=1

 

[OldMan47]

Welcome Chicken Tamer.
By itself, the charcoal may struggle trying to control the tea color of your water. Instead I would use an approach of doing enough water changes to satisfy me on the final water color. Tannins are not really harmful to your fish, so if you can ignore the color of the tannins in your tank, you will find some fish that really appreciate the pH drop that they provide. On the other hand, any attempt to move around the parameters of your water will mean constant monitoring and adjustments with each water change. If you manage to drop the tap water pH using peat, what will you do to avoid any pH shock when you add in some water? That is a question that must be answered before you embark on changing your tap water pH or mineral content.

 

[waterdrop]

Agree with OM47: The altering, monitoring and further altering of your water away from the pH and hardness of your local tap water is a major maintenance effort that few find they can sustain for the months and years of typical tank operation. It can be done but often people don't realize the enormity of it. WD