Question About Activated Carbon

[Jazzyc]

So my Tetratec EX700 is up and running and doing wonders.... I just want to know what the Activated Carbon puoch is for and when to use it??

Cheers!

 

[fishlover900]

Carbon is used in tanks mainly to remove bad smells and colours from the water. I havnt found it to be too successful and you do have to replace it every few weeks.

 

[Jazzyc]

Carbon is used in tanks mainly to remove bad smells and colours from the water. I havnt found it to be too successful and you do have to replace it every few weeks.

Excellent.. now I know... cheers.....

 

[loachman]

Carbon is used in tanks mainly to remove bad smells and colours from the water. I havnt found it to be too successful and you do have to replace it every few weeks.

activated carbon is a "1-time use" chemical sponge. it tends to work very well on organic wastes (which usually accounts for odors and some discoloration).

You "can" reactivated it, but it's typically not worth the hassle and not super easy.

In your aquarium, it'll perform that function pretty well initially. Depending on your filter setup, It'll get "fouled" with bacteria and become a biological media fairly quick though.

 

[GoldLenny]

If you do regular filter maintenance and weekly 25% PWC's (partial water changes), you can get by without carbon but if you want to go longer between PWC's, you could use a more advanced chemical filtration product like Seachem Purigen which is 500% more effective than carbon. The small filter packet for up to a 100G tank is under $7.00 at PetsMart.com and the local stores will match online prices if you print the page. This will last several months and changes from white to brown as it gets dirty so you can tell when to recharge it. It can be recharged rather easily (a bleach solution for four hours, then rinse and soak in a dechlor solution and then in a buffer solution) so it would give you several years of use. Some folks find it easier to replace it rather than recharge it though.

One other thing about carbon. Many of the less expensive brands can leech phosphates into your tank causing algae issues. Some of the premium brands supposedly do not have this problem.

 

[Jazzyc]

If you do regular filter maintenance and weekly 25% PWC's (partial water changes), you can get by without carbon but if you want to go longer between PWC's, you could use a more advanced chemical filtration product like Seachem Purigen which is 500% more effective than carbon. The small filter packet for up to a 100G tank is under $7.00 at PetsMart.com and the local stores will match online prices if you print the page. This will last several months and changes from white to brown as it gets dirty so you can tell when to recharge it. It can be recharged rather easily (a bleach solution for four hours, then rinse and soak in a dechlor solution and then in a buffer solution) so it would give you several years of use. Some folks find it easier to replace it rather than recharge it though.

One other thing about carbon. Many of the less expensive brands can leech phosphates into your tank causing algae issues. Some of the premium brands supposedly do not have this problem.

Cool,

On a side note... how often do you guys clean out your external filters? When you do a PWC? Inbetween changes? just wondered what was best....

 

[TF Keeper UK]

Personally I do PWC every other Sunday and a full one (70%) every 6 months. As for my external filter (Fluval 204), I ususally clean that when the water flow starts to degrade.

 

[Jazzyc]

Personally I do PWC every other Sunday and a full one (70%) every 6 months. As for my external filter (Fluval 204), I ususally clean that when the water flow starts to degrade.

OK, I used to have a Fluval 4+ and that had the clog button on it so I knew when to clean it.... I guess ill just clean it once every 2 weeks..... Is that too much?

 

[vinylman]

Jazzyc, I bought an EX700 for my 4ft tank just over two months ago. I removed the carbon bag and replaced it with another black biofilter sponge. Just out of curiosity, I had a look inside the filter a month later - it was a waste of time, hardly anything to rinse out of the sponges. I'd wait a good two months (no, seriously) before cleaning anything. Of course, if you notice the return flow is dropping at all, then check to see if anything needs a clean. I too had a Fluval 4+ before I bought the Tetratec; did a fabulous job for 2 1/2 years, but the Tetratecs are getting such rave reviews that I couldn't resist any longer - best money I've ever spent on my tank. My Pencilfish have been constantly at it ever since - they'll wear themselves out, but what a way to go! So, just keep an eye on the flow from the output, that'll tell you when you need to rinse everything. Use the sponges until they're falling apart, no need to replace them every month. The very top white sponge seems a little ragged though, so I would change that every 4-6 weeks, they're only £4 for a box of two. BTW, I do a 30% water change every ten days.

 

[Jazzyc]

Jazzyc, I bought an EX700 for my 4ft tank just over two months ago. I removed the carbon bag and replaced it with another black biofilter sponge. Just out of curiosity, I had a look inside the filter a month later - it was a waste of time, hardly anything to rinse out of the sponges. I'd wait a good two months (no, seriously) before cleaning anything. Of course, if you notice the return flow is dropping at all, then check to see if anything needs a clean. I too had a Fluval 4+ before I bought the Tetratec; did a fabulous job for 2 1/2 years, but the Tetratecs are getting such rave reviews that I couldn't resist any longer - best money I've ever spent on my tank. My Pencilfish have been constantly at it ever since - they'll wear themselves out, but what a way to go! So, just keep an eye on the flow from the output, that'll tell you when you need to rinse everything. Use the sponges until they're falling apart, no need to replace them every month. The very top white sponge seems a little ragged though, so I would change that every 4-6 weeks, they're only £4 for a box of two. BTW, I do a 30% water change every ten days.

Excellent! thanks for your reply mate.... I will leave it for a while then and see how it goes.... ive had both filters running for a bout 2 weeks now so im gonna take the 4+ out of the tank..... its gonna end up in the for sale section!

Cheers for all your help guys!!