jbj nanocubes

[greenbananas87]

i think theres only a few on here with them but how often do you change the carbon in the filter, and where do you buy the bags of carbon or can i make my own out of nylons or something, just bored and overthinking things before i add my first fish,
also any advice on what to add first the fish w/ the whole clean-up crew, just fish... etc

 

[aarone]

I would not run carbon all the time...I would just leave it out except one day a month. It takes out alot of chems from the tank...including the good ones.
aaron

 

[greenbananas87]

ok thanks for the advice, i thought it was good for water quality b/c it came with the set up, is there anything i can put in that space to replace the carbon (more bioballs...)

 

[aarone]

nah...bioballs need to have oxygen exposure...just use it for water movement.
aaron

 

[cliffrouse11bas]

I say ditch the bioballs all together. Some say they are a nitrate factory.

 

[daniel411]

Originally posted by aarone
nah...bioballs need to have oxygen exposure...just use it for water movement.
aaron
I'm going to disagree that bio-balls needing to be above water to have any benefit.

 

[j21kickster]

they are just additional surface area for your bacteria to grow- just like LR- and they are only nitrate factories if you let them get nasty and covered in detritus

 

[greenbananas87]

thanks for all the replies, lets make sure i got this all right:
only run carbon 1 day a month, keep space clear for water flow, make sure not to let bioballs get nasty (rinse? how often?). is that right

 

[daniel411]

Originally posted by greenbananas87
thanks for all the replies, lets make sure i got this all right:
only run carbon 1 day a month, keep space clear for water flow, make sure not to let bioballs get nasty (rinse? how often?). is that right
As long as you're doing regular water changes. Upon doing them, save the water, remove 1/4 - 1/3 of the bio-balls, and rinse them in that water. The water will be the same temp, ph, NO chlorine, etc and safe to use.
You may want to research how often you use carbon a bit more.

 

[greenbananas87]

ok thanks, (they need a place to stick notes in our cp's) and the carbon is just what aarone said earlier so... i just was following his advice