Any way Activated Carbon filter pads will hurt my mollies?

HI everyone. I've just removed a filter pad from the mechanical filter compartment of my hex tank to put it in the filter compartment of a cycling tank to kick-start the cycle. Then, I realised I was short of the right-sized normal filter foam pads. So I used one that was too small, then the only foam material I had left was these activated carbon ones. I cut a bit of the AC and put it tight next to the other foam one, so that there was no gaps and all the water had to flow through there. As I was cutting the AC pad, I realised some bits of charcoal were coming out.

Would this construction hurt my mollies? Like would more carbon bits fall out directly in the water, and somehow be bad for the mollies? The only thing between the compartment with the AC and the water is the biological filter compartment.

Am I being a paranoid, doting fishie mom again, and it's fine, or are you not meant to cut ac filter pads to size?

 

I don't think a few bits getting loose would hurt, but I also don't think you would more to continue escaping. Any carbon that stays in the water long enough will eventually absorb its full capacity of contaminents and then start leaching them back into the water.

 

Ooo, I see. It's not a lot of bits that escaped, so I think I might leave it. I guess it's not toxic, it just reaches full absorption powers, then spits out what it can't take in anymore, which was in the water in the first place anyways. I think I"ll leave it 2 weeks or so, then change the carbon bits with normal filter pads again. I needed to carbon filter some meds out of my tank anyway, so can't be such a bad thing that I'd run out of the normal pads.

 

You have to be more careful with the dust than the bits themselves. The dust can get into their kills and will kill the fish. But I would vacuum them up the next time you do your gravel vacuuming. As someone said, over time carbon becomes saturated and will eventually leech contaminants back into the water.

 

Yes they will release contaminants back into the water, but only one's that are in the water anyway. It's not like they add them to the water, they just delay the time it takes them to get there. Leave those little pieces in, or take them out, it won't make a difference.

 

OK, I see. I do pretty regular maintenance (vacuuming at least every 4 days or so), and I was going to remove the AC pad after 2 weeks (I was told to leave it in for 2 weeks to get rid of the meds).

Dust sounds concerning, but as it's not visible and I vacuum a lot, I should be OK, provided it sinks and doesn't just float around. If it floats around, there's not much I can do short of drastic water changes.

 

carbon sinks. you're fine

as far as carbon absorbing stuff and then leaching - I don't see it being a huge issue. it will not add "additional" contaminants to the water. it will reach its capacity, and stop being effective. however, it's not going to "leach" anything that wasn't there to begin with. also, anything it leaches will be replaced by stuff it absorbs. so, basically, it doesn't really do anything once it's "full."

 

Pfeeeew. That's good news.

 

No, it won't leach anything that wasn't there to begin with, but the whole idea of AC is to remove the compounds you don't want in your water....So leaching them back in isn't exactly harmless either.....

As for the dust - if you don't rinse the AC pads you will see dust as soon as the water hits the pad and runs through the discharge....But since you're using a used pad, dust shouldn't be a factor.

 

Oh you should rinse it first? Because it was not a used pad. It's a new pad. I figured if I rinse it, I am going to get rid of the carbon which I thought should stay in there.

 

Before you put a carbon filter into the tank, you should rinse it throughly. The dust is bad, the chunks are good. LOL That stated, unless you are trying to remove medications from the tank, the carbon isn't really doing much anyways. Honestly, it's not something I knew either, but rather was informed of this via reading on several forum sites. The recommendations that I see say remove the carbon or change the filter pad over to filter wool(the stuff that holds carbon in) with no wool.

I'm testing the theory myself, on my 10 gallon crayfish tank.

 

Gee, now there's something that I was told the opposite by a fish keeper at a very large, reputable aquarium in New England....He said that AC will help to polish your water and keep it crystal clear...I've also read that on a number of sites...We had this discussion a while back and I linked articles from several reputable sites who all use and recommend using AC.....But to each his own I guess...

I use it all the time....

But yes Armadillo - you should rinse your AC pads in used tank water prior to installing as the carbon dust is toxic.

 

Before you put a carbon filter into the tank, you should rinse it throughly. The dust is bad, the chunks are good. LOL

Ooops, really didn't even give it a quick rinse. It seems really strange to have to rinse it, though. Doesn't that remove all that 'carbon goodness'? I was given this sock net thing to put carbon chunks in. Maybe I should just wrap the AC pad in that, to avoid further AC spillage?

Unless you are trying to remove medications from the tank, the carbon isn't really doing much anyways. Honestly, it's not something I knew either, but rather was informed of this via reading on several forum sites.

Yes, I am trying to remove some meds, and I was avoiding using AC because I'd never tried it, but then I ran out of normal filter pads and I figured: now's the time to try. So I actually cut a bit of the AC filter pad and added it next to another filter pad I had, that was too small.

change the filter pad over to filter wool(the stuff that holds carbon in) with no wool.

Sorry, I don't understand that last one.

But yes Armadillo - you should rinse your AC pads in used tank water prior to installing as the carbon dust is toxic.

So much for my theory about 'all that carbon goodness'!

 

Gee, now there's something that I was told the opposite by a fish keeper at a very large, reputable aquarium in New England....He said that AC will help to polish your water and keep it crystal clear...I've also read that on a number of sites...We had this discussion a while back and I linked articles from several reputable sites who all use and recommend using AC.....But to each his own I guess...

I use it all the time....

But yes Armadillo - you should rinse your AC pads in used tank water prior to installing as the carbon dust is toxic.

Interesting...Sheesh...I swear I have found people that say to do anything and then the opposite too.... No wonder a lot of people stop this hobby at the research...who should you believe??? I guess it's true...you can find positively ANYTHING on the internet. That stated....my 55 gallon does have it in there. I figure, as long as it isn't hurting anything....it's helping do something. So...I'll take your reputable fish-dude over the internet and it's multitudes of bad info any day. LOL

As I stated, I'm using my 10 gallon cray tank as anti-carbon test. Honestly, Charlie has proven, thus far, to be rather hardy and forgiving, health wise. As for attitude-wise....well, that's a different story. LOL

In the 55, I do have a filter that has one of those purchased filter pad/activated carbon things.

And Armadillo....that last wool, should be carbon. Sorry. Sometimes I think too fast and type too slow. LOL

 

Sorry, DarkWolf, I still don't get it:

'change the filter pad over to filter wool(the stuff that holds carbon in) with no carbon.'

Please dont' hit me on the side of the head with a bat. Am really terrible at understanding information of the practical type. Are you advising me to ditch the carbon-'equipped/infused' filter pad immediately, and to switch over to a 'normal', carbon-free pad again?

 

At this point, use vin's information. I would say that a good reputable fish guy is worth 10 sites on the internet. So...no, I'm saying to ignore what I posted. LOL

 

Activated Carbon is an interesting thing in that some people swear by it while others won't touch it. Outside of the fish tank it has a lot of uses for humans. If you have kids, having some of this in your medicine cabinet could be life saving. A child that just drank something poisonous that immediately takes a dose of activated carbon (more commonly referred to in the pharmacy as activated charcoal) can have a large portion of that poison absorbed into the AC effectively removing it from their system or at least delaying it's release until a trip to the hospital can be made. Some doctors have said that AC can be the fountain of youth to people as well. The normal chemicals that cause us to age are said to be absorbed by taking daily doses of AC. So there are a lot of pluses to AC in more ways then just your fish tank. However, AC isn't exactly an intelligent life form that is able to look at a line up of chemicals and say "ok that one is bad, I'll absorb it... but that one is good so I'll leave it alone". In fact not only does it remove the bad chemicals in your body it will also remove the good. This is why those same 'fountain of youth' doctors that say to take AC every day also go on to say that if you do ingest it every morning, you should wait 2 hours before eating. The reason is because the vitamins that are in the food you are eating for breakfast won't have a chance to make it into your system because the AC will absorb them. This same plus and minus system goes on in your fish tank as well. Yes AC will remove a lot of chemicals that aren't good for your fish, but it will also remove a lot of the vitamins and minerals that are in the water as well. Now fish tend to get a good deal of their nutrients from the foods they eat, so this may not be all that harmful to the fish, but if you have live plants in your tank they might miss the nutrients in the water. Granted some plants get most of their nutrients from the soil or substrate that you keep them in (i.e. via their roots) and even the one's that don't may still be happy in a tank with AC in the filter. However, it might be worth taking the AC out for a month and see if their growth improves or doesn't improve. On the flip side, does removing the AC make your tank smell worse (one of the benefits of AC is that it does help remove some of the smells) enough to negate the little extra growth in your plants? Or if you use Prime or Amquel+ in your tank, whatever doesn't get bound up to toxic ammonia or nitrite, etc. just sits in the tank waiting for some bad stuff to show itself so it can do it's job. That's a good thing, except we keep adding more Prime or Amquel+ to our tanks with each water change. This can add up over time to make for quite a bit of the stuff sitting around in your tank. Having AC in your filter will actually remove some of this left over stuff making for a cleaner tank. Of course on the flip side, removing it from the tank means that it won't be waiting around to bind with any toxic ammonia or whatever that shows up between water changes. So as you can see, there are all kinds of positives and negatives to having AC in your filter. I currently run with AC because I don't have live plants and I use Prime. Also my tank is in my dinning room and if it were to smell bad it would be pretty unappetizing in there. So I like using it and will probably continue to use it in my tank and future tanks. Others have never used it and have had no problems in their tanks either. So it's really a personal choice. The best thing to do it try it for a month and then try without it for a month and see what seems to work best for your quality of water and the inhabitants of the tank.

 

I agree with luniyn, but only partially.

if you have weird/stinky smells coming out of your tank, I think it would be better to find/eliminate the source of the smell as opposed to just "covering" it up with carbon. if you're not running carbon, and you notice a smell, you'll know to investigate, but if you're running carbon, you might not notice until too late.

 

I run with AC based upon what the marine biologist told me...I also have live plants that grow out of control!! So in my case, the AC doesn't seem to have an effect on the plant growth ....Most of the plant food comes in the form of nitrates as I don't and never have added any fertilizer to the tank.

As for odors, AC will help keep the odor down as was mentioned...But finding the source of the odor can be challenge in itself. Since we are running a closed system there are bound to be odors.

 

As for odors, AC will help keep the odor down as was mentioned...But finding the source of the odor can be challenge in itself. Since we are running a closed system there are bound to be odors.

I don't think a well kept tank will have significant odors. I know my tanks don't have strong odors (basically, you can smell maybe something if you're about an inch above the water and looking for something to smell, but not really) unless something is awry. I have had smells clue me in that something was going on though.

 

I've been running my tank carbon free for over a year now. Simply because I have no tank odors, no meds, no dirty water and simply because carbon costs extra money and it's an extra thing to keep changing. I've had no problems whatsoever. My personal opinion on it is basically what Vin said. It is a personal choice whether to use it or not as it won't have a drastic effect on your tank, at least not if your taking care of your tank correctly. I do however agree with griffin, if you have a persistent ordor it would be a good idea to at least try to figure out what it is. It could be a dead fish somewhere or a fish stockpiling food in a hiding place or time for a filter change. Then again it's your opinion on whether to investigate on it or not, I personally like to know why something is wrong and what is causing it.

Sorry, DarkWolf, I still don't get it:

'change the filter pad over to filter wool(the stuff that holds carbon in) with no carbon.'

Please dont' hit me on the side of the head with a bat. Am really terrible at understanding information of the practical type. Are you advising me to ditch the carbon-'equipped/infused' filter pad immediately, and to switch over to a 'normal', carbon-free pad again?

I do not quite understand this myself, though my answer would be use what you wish armadillo, if you use carbon it really won't effect your tank, just make sure to change it every two weeks so you are using it to your full benefit. If you have doubts about it you can try using it for a several months and not use it for several months.

 

I'm not talking about dead fish smells or other strong scents like that as AC won't have a chance at actually covering that kind of stench up. I'm referring to the smell that all tanks have, especially in the filter area and yeah you can usually only smell it if you stick your nose in the tank. I just happen to have my tank literally right next to my dinner table and being in Florida, even with a good air conditioner I usually run a ceiling fan which can waft the scent away from the tank. Smelling that even slightly while eating isn't the most pleasant thing in the world, and with AC I don't have to worry about that. But no, if you actually have a problem in your tank... AC or not you will smell it.

 

That's the same odor I was talking about Luniyn...There will be an odor when running a closed system...It's inevitable.....

 

At this point, use vin's information. I would say that a good reputable fish guy is worth 10 sites on the internet. So...no, I'm saying to ignore what I posted. LOL

Ha! After all that head scratching!

 

I'm not talking about dead fish smells or other strong scents like that as AC won't have a chance at actually covering that kind of stench up. I'm referring to the smell that all tanks have, especially in the filter area and yeah you can usually only smell it if you stick your nose in the tank. I just happen to have my tank literally right next to my dinner table and being in Florida, even with a good air conditioner I usually run a ceiling fan which can waft the scent away from the tank. Smelling that even slightly while eating isn't the most pleasant thing in the world, and with AC I don't have to worry about that. But no, if you actually have a problem in your tank... AC or not you will smell it.

Makes sense wouldn't want that when you have guests over or while youeat

 

Bah! That's how you find out who your REAL friends are. REAL friends don't care if your house reeks!

 

:-\ Well one of my mollies is sick again. Her eye is completely swollen. I just gave her the same med my boyfriend had before, and removed the AC. I really hope she's OK.

 

Ooo...sorry to hear that. I hope the meds take care of that eye!

 

Mmmmh, am getting quite worried, actually. Only 1 side seems to be swollen. I'd assumed she was pregnant, but it's becoming obvious it's only one side now (the side of the bad eye). And she seems to twist the other way now as well. As if there was a kink in her spine. Gawd I really hope it's not TB, as I have absolutely no isolation tank at the mo (one is expected for - 2-week late - delivery next week). There's no way I can isolate her at the moment.

 

Mmmmh, am getting quite worried, actually. Only 1 side seems to be swollen. I'd assumed she was pregnant, but it's becoming obvious it's only one side now (the side of the bad eye). And she seems to twist the other way now as well. As if there was a kink in her spine. Gawd I really hope it's not TB, as I have absolutely no isolation tank at the mo (one is expected for - 2-week late - delivery next week). There's no way I can isolate her at the moment.

If you have a spare heater, a bucket and an air pump w/ airstone you can try that.....

 

I don't have a spare bucket or airpump. But I do have a spare heater, funnily enough. I would feel really bad moving her in her state. If they were going to get contaminated, it will have happened already.

 

OK. Bit of an update on my carbon situation. I had to remove the carbon-infiltrated filter pad as as I had to medicate the tank again. I found the sick fish dead in her little house this morning, so I am going to stop medicating immediately, for the sake of the other fish. Now I want to use AC again, to clear the meds. This time using the little cylindrical carbon sticks, not the carbon-infiltrated foam pad.

Here's my question: My built-in filter in this tank only has 2 little compartments, one for mechanical and one for biological. I put a handful of AC in a tight where the biological filter used to be. I took the basket with the biological filter ceramic wheels and rinsed it in tank water in a bucket, then I placed it directly on the tank's substrate.

Here's my question: should I do it the other way round? Should I put the tight full of AC on the substrate, and leave the biological filter as is?

 

I think your current method will be more efficient at removing the meds because you'll have a lot more water flow in your filter than in your substrate. if possible though, i'd put the bio filter in a bag or something and hang it near the output of the filter to get more flow going past it.

 

Oooo, what a good idea. Thanks, Griffin.

 

np - glad to be of help

 

Actually, I've had a smaller hex custom-made as a hospital tank. The beauty is it's basically my tall hex, made shorter. So as I am cycling that one since Saturday, I've now taken the used biol filter that was on the floor of the tall hex, and use that in the filter compartment of the new tank. So the bacteria are getting aerated + my tank is getting cycled. Et voilaaaa!