Less aggressive and hard water

[Mike Wise]

Some filtering with activated coal is also good, to remove some 'funny stuff' from the water.

But it will remove some of the beneficial chemicals in the peat, too. Unless you use the top grade activated charcoal, like that used in environmental remediation (unavailable in your local pet store - much too expensive for most hobbyists) it becomes quickly depleted.

 

[Siggi]

I meant activated coal for the filter. Smaller filters have custom plastic boxes to insert in the filter, canister filters have separators and you'll be able to insert the coal in a nylon bag. I use a lady's stocking in the sump.
All this is mostly a precaution and my guess is you can put in fish without /before using a/coal.
:-D

 

[Ashenwelt]

Lol. I figured activated charcoal was what you were meaning. Tank has been established about 4 months and has a AQ70 running double biomax, purigen, foam and floss and a whisper ex20 running floss. All dither fish are enjoying life.

Rob aka Ashenwelt - Back in the aquaria hobby. Always searching...

 

[Siggi]

Well then, I guess you are ready for your cichlids any time!

 

[Mike Wise]

Activated charcoal sold for aquariums is next to useless I'm sad to say. It just doesn't absorb pollutants for long. If you want, you can try an experiment. Take some charcoal from a filter that has run for a day in a tank. Then run the filter through water with a few drops of food coloring. How long (if ever) does it take to strip out the color? Truth be told, most activated carbon is better for hosting beneficial bacteria than absorbing pollutants.

 

[Siggi]

Activated charcoal sold for aquariums is next to useless I'm sad to say. It just doesn't absorb pollutants for long. If you want, you can try an experiment. Take some charcoal from a filter that has run for a day in a tank. Then run the filter through water with a few drops of food coloring. How long (if ever) does it take to strip out the color? Truth be told, most activated carbon is better for hosting beneficial bacteria than absorbing pollutants.

What about the first day, then?
If we did the same experiment with new charcoal and not with coal that has "run for a day" - would the result be different?
Thx

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Tank has been established about 4 months and has a AQ70 running double biomax, purigen, foam and floss and a whisper ex20 running floss. All dither fish are enjoying life.

I'd probably take the purigen out of the filter as well, it will remove any tint from dead leaves, peat or Alder cones etc. The humic substances produced by peat etc act as chelators and aren't just aesthetic.

I'm not a fan of floss, or fine sponge, in the filter body either. I like all my mechanical filtration in an easy clean pre-filter, that way you can just have biomedia in the filter body and make sure the media is always fully oxygenated..

I'm not familiar with your filters, but I either use a big PPI10 or <"PPI20 foam block"> from a Koi place (<"Swiss Tropicals"> also sell something suitable) or the <"Eheim Prefilter">.

cheers Darrel

 

[Siggi]

In my community aquarium I have a sump below with mechanical, biologic and plants filtrating. But before the return pumps, I have some white floss/sponge ant although the water looks clean, every 10-15 days I have to change it because it cloggs up with floating particles... Sometimes I put in activated coal or peat...

 

[Mike Wise]

Honestly any activated charcoal sold for aquariums is expended after a few (8 - 10) hours. The best filter carbon I've ever used was expensive and we 'recharged' it once. I was the supervisor for a 'pump & treat' Superfund site where we cleaned up some really nasty organic chemicals. We eventually went to a biological system for treating the groundwater. It took longer but was much less expensive in the long run.