carbon needed??

smallfry

Member
I just started my 90 gal. I got for x-mas. It is up and running and doing great. My other tanks I have been using hang on back filter mostly because I had them from changing from fw to sw. In my 90 we are using a wet/dry I never even thought much about it but should I be using carbon,,, if so where would i put it??:notsure: :notsure:
 

mudplayerx

Active Member
If you are setting up a reef tank you really don't need carbon unless your water yellows, in which case you can remove it when it clears back up.
As far as where to put the carbon, you can buy pouches of it and just float it anywhere it will fit, like in the sump or any free space in the filter.
 

smallfry

Member
This is a fowlr and the water does seem a little yellow , not as clear as my others,, I only have 1 fish as of yet, (mostly because I cant make up my mind..lol. ) Could I put the carbon with the bio balls?? :thinking:
 

mudplayerx

Active Member
I think you can leave the carbon in all the time for a fish only tank. The problem is that the carbon has a very short lifespan in saltwater and will be expensive to replace all the time. It has to be replaced every other week or so, I've been told.
I have no experience with wet-dry filters as I think the devil made them, so I can't offer advice about putting carbon in one. :p
 

scoobydoo

Active Member
mudplayer,
what if you only have a protein skimmer and 3 MaxiJet1200 PH's, can you float the pouches in your tank for a day or two to "polish" the water? My filtation is LR/LS.
 

smallfry

Member
I also have heard that the carbon looses effect in sw quickly. That is why I am not sure if truly needed or not. Thanks for replying....:happy:
 

mudplayerx

Active Member
Yes, if you can find carbon in pouches, you can just float them in the water. If you cant find pouches, just buy one of the jars full of it and you can use nylon stockings as a homemade pouch.
Just make sure to rinse off both the carbon and the nylon.
Also, use only carbon made specifically for aquarium use or they may have high phosphates or worse.
 

scoobydoo

Active Member
ok I have a drawstring bag specifically made for aquariums and Black Diamond Premium Activated Carbon by Marineland that I used to add to my Eclipse system. Should I let the bag float around the tank or tie it to the side? How long should I leave it in for?
 

mudplayerx

Active Member
You can let it float around as long as there is no chance of it getting sucked up by a powerhead/filter, etc. I would leave it in there as long as it takes to clear up your water.
Keep in mind that if your water is yellow or cloudy that it will significantly shorten the lifespan of the carbon.
 

scoobydoo

Active Member
Thanks for you help. I was thinking about buying a canister filter just so I could run carbon. My water seems to be fine and all the tests are normal but not as clear as some of the pictures I've seen on here. I guess I'll let it float. I have prefilters on all my PH's and on my Protein Skimmer. Wish me luck and thanks for your help.
 

smallfry

Member
Thanks again for some answers. When i did FW tanks I had heard you can recharge carbon. has any one heard of this??
 
C

crm13

Guest
As far as recharging carbon, I don't think that there is an effective way to do that simply because of the temperature that is required. As far as floating it in your tank, I think that you'll get a much better result in terms of effeciency by placing the bag in a place where water flows through it, and not around it. Try and place it in the wetdry where water has to flow between baffles, or between chambers. Just leave it in there all the time. Use two bags, side by side, or one above the other, and just swap out one bag every week, and alternate them. If you are using the filter media bags, just use two of them, and put the same amount you would use in just the one, just split it between the two bags. I think that should work more effectively than switching out the one big bag every other week. You're still leaving the bags in there for two weeks, but you're getting a fresh bag in every week. Get the big canister of Black Diamond carbon (online for around 15 bucks) and that should last you for quite some time.
 
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