Medication Dilemma

[Stephan]

I want to medicate my tank but the filter I have only has an insert with active carbon. I got it secondhand and the other more wooly or spongy part isnt there.

If I remove the cartridge I'll lose all my bio. If I keep it I'll lose my meds.

Now one cartridge is pretty old, so would that carbon be like useless at this point and it would be ok to medicate with that one or not?

I'm tired of losing fish.

 

[karin]

I think you need to sort out a filter first. A carbon insert does have the capacity for supporting a biological colony but not efficiently. You need to get other media in there. Even if the filter has cartridges you can just pull them out and do your own media. You really do need a sponge and biological media (ceramic noodles or bio balls) and eventually forget the carbon cartridge. You are probably losing fish because of this filter I would say? Alternatively you could buy an Aquaclear and just get a new filter. They are not too expensive.

But since it is all you got now, you can't take it out yet. What medication do you intend to use? With meds that will not affect your biologial colonies you can just leave the carbon cartridge in... is is only affective at removing medications for a couple of days/weeks. Then that function is spent.

Most of us do not use carbon at all unless we want to remove meds... and I don't even do it for that, rely on water changes instead.

Hope this is helpful.

 

[CrazyAirborne]

like Karin said, if youve had that carbon insert in there for a while now, chances are the carbon part is used up, and you can go ahead and medicate. once ur all done medicating etc, you could add some more media to the filter, because u definately want more media than just one carbon insert.

 

[Stephan]

Well the carbon insert has the rough spongy part too but it's attached. I do need some of the soft spongy stuff. Just need to find some that fits

 

[fluttermoth]

Buy some pond filter sponge from your LFS or Ebay and cut it to size; much cheaper than the proper ones

 

[Stephan]

Ok did this and dosed with rid ich plus by kordon. I saw fungus on one fish last week so I figured there was a better chance with a Protozoa / fungus med than an antibiotic type at this point. I took out the newer carbon filter. Left the really old one in. And added the foam to help create a perm bacteria colony there.

Since there's room in the filter could I get some of the ceramic little things that bacteria grow on in my aqua clear filter and drop a bag of those in there too?

 

[CrazyAirborne]

yeah, fill er up.