ok... so can i just keep the 'spent' carbon as a sponge alternative (ie.
bio-collector/host substance) and just replace all the floss?

Of course, this seems pretty much what i have been doing... except i've been keeping
a little of the floss each time.

AcH, the non-compulsive filter maintainer. ( i let the newts tell me when to change
it)


"mindmeld" wrote in message
...
so, i can ditch the carbon and replace it with a sponge?... snip

Yes, as stated before, *unless there is a specific need for it*,
carbon is
generally a waste of time and money, and will make little or no
difference.
It has its uses, though.
snip
your filter is doing it's job. Every time you remove and replace a bit of
media, you're losing some of your bio-filter bacteria colony. If you remove
too much, you may end up with an ammonia spike, and a mini-cycle has to
occur before the bacteria multipy, and everything evens out again.

billy



Here is a article on Activated Carbon that I thought was interesting:

http://www.resintech.com/Content/Tec...Filtration.pdf