Using Carbon In Filters
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Lol ok thanks. I was thinking of adding more rings once I ditch the carbon but I’ve always used sponges... however they can get pretty gross when they start to really darken up. I’m thinking of adding a black sponge later on. It’s always good to add extra I think. This way you already have sponges and rings established in case you cave in and buy another tank lol
That is a very good idea. Thank you for the tip.
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ACtivated carbon will increase phosphate levels in the tank which increases algae growth. The super cheap stuff will boost pH in your tank due to ash. The cheap stuff also is heavy on the phosphate leeching.
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I feel bad for hijacking this thread and I’m very sorry but thank you all for the help. Just a few more questions, do I need to place the poly fill in a media bag since it’s loose? Or can I just curl in a ball or something then stuff it in the filter? And throw it out when it gets really really dirty? Or make it a habit to change it once a month like you would with carbon?
Yes l am aware of this. I was referring to the crowd that thinks the heavy metals and toxins start going back into the tank when the carbon is spent.
I have suggested to people that they remove carbon when they have a bad algae bloom.
This reminds me to mention something else. If you have lead issues with your source water, carbon helps remove lead.
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The amount of carbon we use in tank filters is not enough to cause issues with phosphates unless your source water already has high phosphates. If you are having an algae problem and have exhausted all of the other usual fixes such as less ligh exposure and stopping over feeding then maybe you have high phosphates.
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Oh thank goodness! Good to know. Yeah I know about raising KH but I don’t want my ph raised. My KH out from the water I use is a 4. Tank was at 3 but dropped to 2 even with water changes. I guess that’s where my KH wants to stay. As long as my ph is stable I am ok with that.
That's why I use SeaChem Matrix carbon.........expensive but a great product.
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My tank is still cycling (almost 2 months in and stalled). I use spring water... I should check for phosphates in the water I use. However I think the green algae is just from the lighting as it’s hitting directly onto the rocks. I also did over feed once or twice. I hate flake food and it’s always hard to try to only get one flake in per fish.
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That's what I use in my QT. Pricey but it does what it is supposed to do. None of my other tanks have carbon.
How many gallons and what is your lighting setup?
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NavyChief20 , I think while I was typing up my previous response to post the pic of Polyfil, you had already posted your pics of it a min or 2 before me.
Didn't even realize it til a min ago.
I wasn't trying to one-up you. Ha
TheBettaSushI , you had asked about how to insert polyfil as loose stuffing (as opposed the batting type) in your HOB.
When I bought a bag of Polyfil for the first time, it was the loose fill also.
I attempted to stuff it into a media bag for a HOB, but found that didnt work as well compared to just placing a layer down in my HOB and throw the bag of bio-media on top.
Here are some pics I already had showing the Polyfil layered in my AC30 and AC110 baskets....
Here is a method of stuffing it into a Top Fin Silenstream HOB.
Didn't even realize it til a min ago.
I wasn't trying to one-up you. Ha
TheBettaSushI , you had asked about how to insert polyfil as loose stuffing (as opposed the batting type) in your HOB.
When I bought a bag of Polyfil for the first time, it was the loose fill also.
I attempted to stuff it into a media bag for a HOB, but found that didnt work as well compared to just placing a layer down in my HOB and throw the bag of bio-media on top.
Here are some pics I already had showing the Polyfil layered in my AC30 and AC110 baskets....
Here is a method of stuffing it into a Top Fin Silenstream HOB.
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No worries dude. You n I donalot of the same stuff.NavyChief20 , I think while I was typing up my previous response to post the pic of Polyfil, you had already posted your pics of it a min or 2 before me.
Didn't even realize it til a min ago.
I wasn't trying to one-up you. Ha
TheBettaSushI , you had asked about how to insert polyfil as loose stuffing (as opposed the batting type) in your HOB.
When I bought a bag of Polyfil for the first time, it was the loose fill also.
I attempted to stuff it into a media bag for a HOB, but found that didnt work as well compared to just placing a layer down in my HOB and throw the bag of bio-media on top.
Here are some pics I already had showing the Polyfil layered in my AC30 and AC110 baskets....
Here is a method of stuffing it into a Top Fin Silenstream HOB.
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here's my little HOB. this isn't something to go by, by the way. after learning about the carbon and such this will be changed very soon.
the front is a sponge, which was dirty, but I just now squeezed it out. we, of course, have my gross, old, aged filter cartridge, and behind it is a smaller cartridge meant for the itty bitty tetra filters. before this thread, I had these laying around and decided "why not put it in here?" so I did. I'll be keeping it in for now as temporary mechanical filtration. I have some tannins in my water, too.
so, the new filter setup would be...
1. remove the blue thingy meant to hold the cartridge
2. stuff the rings in where that was
3. in front of the rings, put in the poly fil
4. out through the sponge
correct? or would I have to move the sponge?
(on second thought, I may have to take out the other blue thing too. there is literally no space. lol. would I just set it up vertical and pack it in there like Islandvic did?
the front is a sponge, which was dirty, but I just now squeezed it out. we, of course, have my gross, old, aged filter cartridge, and behind it is a smaller cartridge meant for the itty bitty tetra filters. before this thread, I had these laying around and decided "why not put it in here?" so I did. I'll be keeping it in for now as temporary mechanical filtration. I have some tannins in my water, too.
so, the new filter setup would be...
1. remove the blue thingy meant to hold the cartridge
2. stuff the rings in where that was
3. in front of the rings, put in the poly fil
4. out through the sponge
correct? or would I have to move the sponge?
(on second thought, I may have to take out the other blue thing too. there is literally no space. lol. would I just set it up vertical and pack it in there like Islandvic did?
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firesflightt , you prob will have to play around with any type of configuration of the media you put in.
Those Aqeuon have a slI'm reservoir, so it may take a couple of tries at arranging everything to get it the way you want.
The main this if you do stop using the cartridges, is to do your best at cutting out a lot of the old material from the plastic inner frame of the cartridge and transfer it to mix with the new media.
That was you keep a lot of the beneficial bacteria.
Keep that sponge also.
There might be some room to throw something in the left side of the reservoir, but you would have to make sure the flow doesn't become too restricted. We don't want any over flow accidents!
Here are the sponges I like to use. They can be cut up and fit into most any space you want.
They are 3-pk Aquaclear foam sponge refills, either for the AC50 or AC70 sizes.
Online, they are $3-$5. The in-store cashiers at Petsmart/Petco will price match their own lower online prices. Usually they are $8-$10 in the store.
If there is Petsmart near where you live, they have these 2-packs of sponges for about $3 that are perfect for using as a pre-filter on the intake tube.
A plastic zip tie or a rubberband will secure it
Those Aqeuon have a slI'm reservoir, so it may take a couple of tries at arranging everything to get it the way you want.
The main this if you do stop using the cartridges, is to do your best at cutting out a lot of the old material from the plastic inner frame of the cartridge and transfer it to mix with the new media.
That was you keep a lot of the beneficial bacteria.
Keep that sponge also.
There might be some room to throw something in the left side of the reservoir, but you would have to make sure the flow doesn't become too restricted. We don't want any over flow accidents!
Here are the sponges I like to use. They can be cut up and fit into most any space you want.
They are 3-pk Aquaclear foam sponge refills, either for the AC50 or AC70 sizes.
Online, they are $3-$5. The in-store cashiers at Petsmart/Petco will price match their own lower online prices. Usually they are $8-$10 in the store.
If there is Petsmart near where you live, they have these 2-packs of sponges for about $3 that are perfect for using as a pre-filter on the intake tube.
A plastic zip tie or a rubberband will secure it
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looks good! thanks for all the ideas! and yes I'll have to fiddle with it a little. if I end up not having enough room (which is very likely), ill take out the little basket for the sponge and put the sponge in another spot. I might consider one of those sponges you mentioned. ill be on my way to petsmart and walmart sometime this week to get the media. I might have to order on amazon, too. seems like they might have better deals on some things.firesflightt , you prob will have to play around with any type of configuration of the media you put in.
Those Aqeuon have a slI'm reservoir, so it may take a couple of tries at arranging everything to get it the way you want.
The main this if you do stop using the cartridges, is to do your best at cutting out a lot of the old material from the plastic inner frame of the cartridge and transfer it to mix with the new media.
That was you keep a lot of the beneficial bacteria.
Keep that sponge also.
There might be some room to throw something in the left side of the reservoir, but you would have to make sure the flow doesn't become too restricted. We don't want any over flow accidents!
Here are the sponges I like to use. They can be cut up and fit into most any space you want.
They are 3-pk Aquaclear foam sponge refills, either for the AC50 or AC70 sizes.
Online, they are $3-$5. The in-store cashiers at Petsmart/Petco will price match their own lower online prices. Usually they are $8-$10 in the store.
If there is Petsmart near where you live, they have these 2-packs of sponges for about $3 that are perfect for using as a pre-filter on the intake tube.
A plastic zip tie or a rubberband will secure it
thanks for all the helpful tips! I really appreciate it, and glad i've learned about better filter media instead of using carbon cartridges
Random Great Topic!
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