OLD CARBON & MEDS

[ghonk]

I always heard carbon no longer works after about a   month,or less.
I normally remove my filter pad anyway when i treat,just to make sure.
But then have to make up fiber pads to catch the crap,which is a pita.

So,  what to do,remove and make sure,or take a chance that it might be removing some of the meds.

[Mugwump]

I always heard carbon no longer works after about a   month,or less.
I normally remove my filter pad anyway when i treat,just to make sure.
But then have to make up fiber pads to catch the crap,which is a pita.

So,  what to do,remove and make sure,or take a chance that it might be removing some of the meds.

...when in doubt, take it out...

why use the store pads?.....use floss and put carbon in the toe of an old cotton sock....you don't need carbon all the time anyway, except to remove med's, or clean the water a bit....frequent water changes do that tho....I have run carbon with floss in my 'hot' mag tho....does a fine job of making sparkling water, without polishing with my Diatom filter....(which does it better imho)

[ghonk]

Most of my power filters are marineland,so they need a cartridge.
I have a couple others,whispers which also use them.

I have optional media baskets for the marineland 400 & 350,so i can put in a fiber pad if i can hunt one up.
But with the whispers that's not an option.
I guess i will just keep pulling the carbon to make sure,would suck if i ended up wasting my time treating  and the carbon was still removing it.

[Mugwump]

Most of my power filters are marineland,so they need a cartridge.
I have a couple others,whispers which also use them.

I have optional media baskets for the marineland 400 & 350,so i can put in a fiber pad if i can hunt one up.
But with the whispers that's not an option.
I guess i will just keep pulling the carbon to make sure,would suck if i ended up wasting my time treating  and the carbon was still removing it.

Mine, that I use, are older filters too......just stuff the floss in the area behind where the pad goes, and forget the pads.....way cheaper and just as effective..carbon in an old sock works just as good too.....

[wsantia1]

I have some 36" square sheets of filter pads that I bought for cheap a while back from Foster & Smith. I cut them down to the size I need for my Marineland filters.

I use Aquaclears on the majority of my tanks. They use sponges and all I have to do is squeeze those out. I no longer use carbon unless I am trying to remove something (medicine, etc.) from the tanks.

[ghonk]

I use the cartridges FOREVER,i only buy new ones after i wash holes in them.  
So the carbon just happens to be in there,not something i'm looking to keep fresh.

[Mugwump]

I use the cartridges FOREVER,i only buy new ones after i wash holes in them.  
So the carbon just happens to be in there,not something i'm looking to keep fresh.

I used to use those once in awhile....you can buy the pads without the carbon and retaining piece.....just keep using the old retaining clamps....

[ilroost]

Mostly Aquaclear here also. Saves money in the long run, never buying cartridges.

[Ron Sower]

I try to do my tanks as natural as possible. There's no carbon filtration in the wild that I know of, except in coal areas, and that makes the water pretty acidic! I had this discussion with Stephan Tanner recently in working with him on designing my new Poret filter project. He totally agrees.

Carbon is definitely useful to remove meds if I find I have to use them. 

[LizStreithorst]

I'm with you on carbon, Ron.  I don't use the stuff.  I see no point in it.  I do big WC's.  I believe that good clean water is best for the fish.  I believe that carbon if for people who don't like changing water.  This is not what the rest of the world believes but going carbon-less has never hurt my fish as far as I can see.  I have had HOB filters in the past.  I always replaced the insert with big sponges.

[BillT]

I mostly don't use carbon for the reasons Ron mentioned, but also because in most cases you can't easily tell when it is full and should be replaced.
It is useful for dechlorinating water and you can test if it is working with a chlorine test, so that makes sense to me.
You can see its ability to filter but adding a colored dye like methylene blue. When all the places in the charcoal for the methylene blue to stick that blue will flow through the filter and you could see it. Otherwise is the charcoal is not filled it should be clear or not as blue as what went in. This should work for removing tannins (yellow-brown) also.
Unfortunately, the sites for binding one chemical can fill up but leave others empty for other chemicals, so a colored chemical indicator is not useful for other chemicals.