Granted - water changes are the best way to go to get the best water
quality, but sometimes a water change is not adequate:

1. meds removal
2. PH change due to CO2 injection.

Unless you change ALL of the water and clean the tank, residual meds
will be left behind. Carbon run for 7 days will eliminate it (to near
zero). I inject CO2 and the PH has dropped somewhat. Changing the
water will cause the PH to jump too quickly. Using Carbon allows me
'clean' the water without changing it until I am ready to do it...a
little bit at a time to avoid PH shock.

Dick wrote:
On Sun, 07 Jan 2007 13:14:44 GMT, Michael
wrote:

I am trying to remove some medication and lower the organics load. I am
preparing to do a water change, but the water temp here is low and I
don't want to shock the tank temperature wise. (In the summer I do
water changes exclusively). The tank is large so storing water (warming
up to room temp at least) is not practical. I have a great filter
system (series of filters for tap water) which removes chlorine, and a
host of other stuff from tap water.

Zëbulon wrote:
"Michael" wrote in message
...
Can activated carbon used in our aquarium filters be reused if you
clean it, dry it, and then bake it in an oven at 300 degrees?

Or should it just be thrown away?
==========================
I don't bother with carbons because of all the partial water changes I
do. They remove pollutants. Are you trying to remove something in
particular from the water?

I don't use carbon except when there is no choice (prepackaged filter
sleeves).

I don't understand what you are removing, what are "pollutants?"

So far as I can tell, filters hold solids, but the water running over
the solids erodes the solid until it is small enough particles to
return to the tank where the plants and bacteria reprocess it into
useable forms.

I have 5 tanks set up over 3 years. I only wash the filter pads when
they no longer let water through. As far as I can see, the bacteria
remains healthy in the tanks without the bio wheels. I took them off
years ago.

I do partial water changes twice weekly. The 75 and 29 I do with a
Python connected to the kitchen faucet where I can mix hot and cold to
the desired temperature. The three 10 gallon tanks I use a bucket and
syphon then replace with tap water using the buckets to mix the
temperature. I too have water than requires no chemicals to be added.