Undergravel Filter Carbon?

[cloudburst]

Hi all
i was wondering if anyone could help me, i have an undergravel filter in my tank and was wondering if i can fit the uplift tube with activated carbon. I've seen the interpet cartridge for the uplift but it wont fit my filter. Any ideas?

 

[SPLiSH]

to the forums cloudburst! Sorry, but I don't know about the carbon issue.. you'd get more replies in Tropical Chitchat or Hardware sections.

Enjoy the forum!

 

[83CKS]

Hi Cloudburst,

I have posted up ypur question in the Tropical Chitchat.

To check it out go here- Question

83CKS

 

[ash]

Hi all
i was wondering if anyone could help me, i have an undergravel filter in my tank and was wondering if i can fit the uplift tube with activated carbon. I've seen the interpet cartridge for the uplift but it wont fit my filter. Any ideas?

i had the same problem, i got those carbon filter pads and tied one of them round the main airlift outlet with elastic bands, quick and simple! in my opinion i wouldnt put the activated carbon pieces into the airlift tube as you run the risk of them being sucked up and jamming the powerhead.

while i was trying to get my undergravel to use carbon i thought about the carbon pieces, if you have already bought them, you could perhaps experiment using those little canisters camera film comes in piecing one end with enough holes to allow sufficent waterflow, whilst not letting carbon pieces through, and creating a large hole the other end to fix to your powerhead outlet, i never tried this but did have a little think, it may require some extra tinkering!

hope that helps!

 

[Bignose]

My question is, why are you so eager to use carbon. Many longtime forum members never use carbon unless they need to take medicines out of the tank water.

In my experience, everyday carbon use is kind of pointless. Firstly, the carbon should be become saturated very quickly. My guess is it will be saturated (that is, unable to take up anything else) in about a day. At the very least, it will be sasturated within a week. So, you have to replace it every week if you want it to keep being useful. Very expensive.

You have to take it out whenever you medicate, since it will take up many medicines. If you leave it in for too long, it will exchange some of the absorbed chemicals on it. So, some medicine that maybe it took up a month ago might be slowly released back into the tank. Carbon is very complicated to predict what will happen.

Also, it also takes out some very, very useful chemicals, dissolved organic chemicals (DOCs) like tannins. Tannins and most DOCs are useful in that they bind with heavy metals. Heavy metals are potentially poisonous to your fish, and when they are bound by the DOCs, they are much safer. Also, plants much more easily take up bound up heavy metals, which provide the trace minerals that the plants need. Activated carbon takes away these tannins and all their really useful properties.

So, the real question is why are you trying to use carbon? Considering the difficulties you have and what I consider the disadvantages of using carbon, there may be alternate ways of attacking your problem.

 

[nmonks]

Indeed. Carbon is, 99% of the time, merely a way for retailers to separate you from your money. So long as you're doing your water changes every week, it's totally redundant.

The Interpet cartridges are especially small and useless, needing to be replaced at least every week if they are to do what they say on the box. Avoid.

Undergravel filters are best not messed about with. The more they are left alone, the better they do their job. To optimise an undergravel, simply ensure the depth of gravel is about right (8 cm usually does the job nicely) and rake the gravel over with a stick once a week. Every six months or so, take out the fish and plants (if you have some) and give the gravel a really good clean, siphoning up the stuff that comes out. Never, ever, let the gravel get dry.

Cheers,

Neale

My question is, why are you so eager to use carbon. Many longtime forum members never use carbon unless they need to take medicines out of the tank water....