Removing medication

I've been treating my tank for ich over the past two weeks. I moved my
african dwarf frog to a separate tank during treatment. My question is,
how long should I keep activated carbon in the tank in order to remove
all medication? (I am using Rid Ich at half dose) Can I, say, introduce
the frog after 2 days of carbon filtration, or should I wait longer
that this? I am planning to do a 50% water change before adding the
carbon.

Thanks for your help.

Jan

Jan wrote,
My question is,
how long should I keep activated carbon in the tank in order to remove
all medication?

Depends on the tank size, filter size, the quality of carbon and how
much. If your filter/s turn the tanks volume over 4 to 5 times per
hour, your carbon was heat activated (not chemical or acid washed
activation), and you use enough (ie; one cup for 55 gals.), 2 or 3
hours would be enough.......... Frank

On 15 Mar 2006 05:21:53 -0800, wrote:
I do buy a brand new activated filter pack when I need to remove meds,
but I still leave it in after it has removed whatever I wanted
(meds/color/etc.).

Seconded. I do exactly the same.

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I was planning to leave the carbon for 2 weeks, or so. I rely mainly on
plants for biological filtration. My tank (20 gallon) is heavily
planted. Last count was 17 plant species, and I still can't resist
buying more... I also grow peace lilies in the aquaclear filter (I
plant them in porous filter media). So in order to put the carbon in,
I'll have to break down the filter. I guess I could just leave the
carbon in there - that way I won't have to disturb the plants for a
second time.

I have read somewhere that carbon breaks down over time. But that may
not be an issue, based on your responces here.

Thanks a lot everyone!

Jan

wrote in message
ups.com...
Is there a particular reason you want to remove the carbon?

I typically leave my carbon in the filter long past it's usable life.
I use filters that hold the carbon in the same pack as the filter
floss. When I clean the filter, I simply rinse the floss and pop it
back in. In my mind, the Carbon is not performing any chemical
filtration and is simply another surface for the bacteria to grow on.

I do buy a brand new activated filter pack when I need to remove meds,
but I still leave it in after it has removed whatever I wanted
(meds/color/etc.).
hth


My understanding is that if you leave the carbon in longer than 2-3 weeks,
it has lost its effectiveness at removing stuff. If you leave it
significantly longer, it eventually reverses its process of adsorption,
polluting the water by releasing everything it removed.

I used to do the same thing as you (just more surface for bacteria). Now I
use inert materials such as sintered ceramic/glass.
--
www.NetMax.tk

In article ,
NetMax wrote:
My understanding is that if you leave the carbon in longer than 2-3 weeks,
it has lost its effectiveness at removing stuff.

Never use absolute numbers! One neon in a 100 gallon tank that eats
naturally occuring protozoans will not mess up a carbon filter the
same way a full grown oscae in a 10 gallon tank eating catfood 3X
a day will.

If you're unsure about the goodness of your carbon add a few drops
of methyene blue. If you do this when the carbn is new you'll have a
basline feel for how efective it is (it should be filtered out pretty
quickly) and you can repeat this test as often as you see fit. When
carbon will no longer take methylene blue out it's spent; throw it
away.

I've, um, neer actually seen carbon that won't filter out methylene
blue and I have teenage kids younger than some carbon I have.

If you leave it
significantly longer, it eventually reverses its process of adsorption,
polluting the water by releasing everything it removed.

I hadn't heard that, but, no matter how good the prefilter, gunk
will clogthe carbon bed. When you can't see spaces between the
carbon granules any more take it out, rinse the crap out of it
and put it back. This is a good time to pour some methylene blue
tinted water through it, when it comes out clear or much much lighter
blue (some passes around all the grains of carbon) it gives you
some confidence the stuff actually works.


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"Richard Sexton" wrote in message
...
In article ,
NetMax wrote:
My understanding is that if you leave the carbon in longer than 2-3
weeks,
it has lost its effectiveness at removing stuff.

Never use absolute numbers! One neon in a 100 gallon tank that eats
naturally occuring protozoans will not mess up a carbon filter the
same way a full grown oscae in a 10 gallon tank eating catfood 3X
a day will.

absolute numbers, I know, but dad! ;~) Carbon's period of
effectivity ranges from hours (in extreme conditions) to 18 months (the
longest I got a 2sq.ft carbon canister to last. Frank (posts here & in
a.a) will attest to the shorter periods. Speaking with a very credible
rep, manufacturer's recommend changing the carbon on a monthly basis on
the premise that under most conditions, it will have exhausted most of
its useful life after 3 weeks in a home aquarium. To the other extreme,
I've tested to about 18 months (commercial pressurized cyclinder).
Emailing back & forth with Calgon Carbon on replacement periods, testing,
grades and flow rates, I have some sense of it's characteristics

If you're unsure about the goodness of your carbon add a few drops
of methyene blue. If you do this when the carbn is new you'll have a
basline feel for how efective it is (it should be filtered out pretty
quickly) and you can repeat this test as often as you see fit. When
carbon will no longer take methylene blue out it's spent; throw it
away.

I've, um, neer actually seen carbon that won't filter out methylene
blue and I have teenage kids younger than some carbon I have.

If you leave it
significantly longer, it eventually reverses its process of adsorption,
polluting the water by releasing everything it removed.

I hadn't heard that, but, no matter how good the prefilter, gunk
will clogthe carbon bed. When you can't see spaces between the
carbon granules any more take it out, rinse the crap out of it
and put it back. This is a good time to pour some methylene blue
tinted water through it, when it comes out clear or much much lighter
blue (some passes around all the grains of carbon) it gives you
some confidence the stuff actually works.

I've heard about the M.blue test. Seems reasonable. To get long life,
our carbon beds were inline with the supply lines (to dechlorinate the
water), so they never saw DOCs coming back from the fishload. Supports
your clogged pores statement. It all tends to be empirical.
--
www.NetMax.tk

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"Frank" wrote in message
oups.com...
Jan wrote,
I have read somewhere that carbon breaks down over time...

That's been going around for the 40+ years I've been keeping fish -
don't know if there is ant truth to it, but it's never happened in my
tanks, or any of the store tanks the few years I was into that. Back
when I brought in fish shipments for our stores and All-Pets we used a
*lot* of activated carbon. Once the carbon was spent (full), the only
way I could use it again was to burn the pollutants out, and even then,
I'm sure some pollutants remained behind.

I rely mainly on plants for biological filtration.....

Weekly water changes/gravel vacs? ........... Frank

reverse adsorption (true or false), I'm contacting a manufacturer on
this one. We shall unearth the truth.
--
www.NetMax.tk

That's been going around for the 40+ years I've been keeping fish -
don't know if there is ant truth to it, but it's never happened in my
tanks, or any of the store tanks the few years I was into that. Back
when I brought in fish shipments for our stores and All-Pets we used a
*lot* of activated carbon. Once the carbon was spent (full), the only
way I could use it again was to burn the pollutants out, and even then,
I'm sure some pollutants remained behind.

The only way to re-activate carbon is at 400F in an inert (usually nitrogen)
atmosphere.

Haeting it in an oven just makes the oven stink and may burn the carbon
up.

--
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Richard Sexton | Mercedes stuff: http://mbz.org
1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Home pages: http://rs79.vrx.net
633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | http://aquaria.net http://killi.net

Richard wrote,
Haeting it in an oven just makes the oven stink and may burn the carbon
up.

Heating it in an oven at 500º doesn't re-activate 100%, but it does
destroy some of the sorbed pollutants. I suspect mostly organic
pollutants burn out, leaving other pollutants like heavy metals, etc.
behind. The second time around it only last about half the time as new
carbon... My wife is into ceramics - carbon refired in a kiln, the
temperature/time (forget cone #, but I think it's #8), is high enough
to destroy the sorbed pollutants and restore sorptive capacity...
............. Frank