Carbon filter question

Hi...

I have just installed my first undergravel filter. I have had many exterior
filter units before and they have always had a carbon filter. I see that the
undergravel filter has a way to have a tube with an air pump and carbon
filter head. My question is, do I really need the carbon filter... or am I
fine without it?

Detail info
.. this is the only filter on the tank
.. freshwater
.. 29 gal
.. 3 electric blues (2.5" each)
..tank has been stable for 3 years

Thank you,
Jeff

|| I have just installed my first undergravel filter. I have had many
|| exterior filter units before and they have always had a carbon
|| filter. I see that the undergravel filter has a way to have a tube
|| with an air pump and carbon filter head. My question is, do I really
|| need the carbon filter... or am I fine without it?

Don't need it, if it's an established tank, carbon is used to take out
smells or medications....

|| Detail info
|| . this is the only filter on the tank
|| . freshwater
|| . 29 gal
|| . 3 electric blues (2.5" each)
|| .tank has been stable for 3 years

New tank or up and running for 3 years?? I'm confused....

If I were setting up a new tank today, i'd very much guarantee I'd skip the
UGF.. simply put, it's a ticking pH crash waiting to happen....


--
| RedForeman ©® fabricator and creator of the ratbike streetfighter!!!
| ==========================
| 2003 TRX450ES
| 1992 TRX-350 XX (For Sale)
| '98 Tacoma Ext Cab 4X4 Lifted....
| ==========================
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| for any questions you may have....
| Gmail - the ultimate in disappointment...

"Aquarijen" wrote in message
...

"JFF KRWD" wrote in message
ink.net...
Thanks for the info RedForeman....

You ask if it is a new tank or an up and running one. The tank is in
my
bedroom and I've been putting up with the noise of external filter
units
for
years... I finally decided to just switch to undergravel (since it
would
be
quiet) and be done with it. So, that is what I did... took off the
external
and install the undergravel. Was that an unwise thing to do? Anything
I
need
to do differently?

I appreciate your help...
Jeff.

Ackhhh! Maybe it is just me, but I'd put the power filter back and let
both
run for a while before removing the power filter. The UGF needs time
to
establish a good bacterial colony under there. That's the only way it
works. I have a UGF and a power filter...
Good Luck,
-Jen

ditto, check your ammonia and nitrite levels - now. If your external
filter has dried out, then your nitrifying bacteria population has taken
a hit and not yet re-established itself in the UGF, and if you installed
a UGF, you cleaned the gravel (another helpful bacteria colony). Three
carnivores (or big eaters) in an un-cycled tank will build ammonia real
fast.

btw: UGF don't generally work with fish which dig (ie: African mbuna),
unless you have a grill separator (otherwise they expose the UGF grill,
and they partially defeat the operation).

Quiet operation could be achieved with a canister filter, seeded from
your powerfilter (doh!).
--
www.NetMax.tk

Thanks for the info RedForeman....

You ask if it is a new tank or an up and running one. The tank is in my
bedroom and I've been putting up with the noise of external filter units for
years... I finally decided to just switch to undergravel (since it would be
quiet) and be done with it. So, that is what I did... took off the external
and install the undergravel. Was that an unwise thing to do? Anything I need
to do differently?

I appreciate your help...
Jeff.


"RedForeman ©®" wrote in message
...
|| I have just installed my first undergravel filter. I have had many
|| exterior filter units before and they have always had a carbon
|| filter. I see that the undergravel filter has a way to have a tube
|| with an air pump and carbon filter head. My question is, do I really
|| need the carbon filter... or am I fine without it?

Don't need it, if it's an established tank, carbon is used to take out
smells or medications....

|| Detail info
|| . this is the only filter on the tank
|| . freshwater
|| . 29 gal
|| . 3 electric blues (2.5" each)
|| .tank has been stable for 3 years

New tank or up and running for 3 years?? I'm confused....

If I were setting up a new tank today, i'd very much guarantee I'd skip
the
UGF.. simply put, it's a ticking pH crash waiting to happen....


--
| RedForeman ©® fabricator and creator of the ratbike streetfighter!!!
| ==========================
| 2003 TRX450ES
| 1992 TRX-350 XX (For Sale)
| '98 Tacoma Ext Cab 4X4 Lifted....
| ==========================
| ø¤°`°¤ø,¸¸¸,ø¤°`°¤ø,¸¸¸,ø¤°`°¤ø,¸¸,ø¤°`°¤ø,¸¸¸,ø¤° `°¤ø,¸¸,ø¤°`°¤ø
| ((((º`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·.¸. ((((º ·´¯`·. , .·´¯`·.. ((((º
| for any questions you may have....
| Gmail - the ultimate in disappointment...

|| Thanks for the info RedForeman....
||
|| You ask if it is a new tank or an up and running one. The tank is in
|| my bedroom and I've been putting up with the noise of external
|| filter units for years... I finally decided to just switch to
|| undergravel (since it would be quiet) and be done with it. So, that
|| is what I did... took off the external and install the undergravel.
|| Was that an unwise thing to do? Anything I need to do differently?
||
|| I appreciate your help...
|| Jeff.

Not unwise, just as a precautionary measure I wanted to FYI you.... if you
run a low stocked tank it's great... if you have plants, they'll usually
clog it up is a 'bigger' concern for me at the time.. I had it, ran it, and
had 2 pH crashes before I was informed of 'why' mine failed...
29g, whisper 30-60 filter, press. CO2 w/Reactor, and a UGF with powerheads
on uplift tubes. I did the powerheads thinking they'd help pull stuff into
the UGF, and because it was a planted tank, I never vacuumed it... in that
statement were 2 big mistakes... Powerhead caused the plates to become full
of stuff, and the lack of vacuuming it caused a buildup of detrius, dead
stuff, which caused a buildup of toxins, or ammonium, which became toxic,
enough to kill all of my peacock cichlids, (9) and 3 rainbows, 4 zebras, but
my favorite clowns made it, as did my amazon sized common pl*co...

2nd time, mixed reasons, but all seemed to rotate around the plates getting
clogged again... this time, no fatalities...

Lesson learned... I asked around, and after some very indepth explaining, I
was convinced that I needed to pull it... for my own reasons, I wanted the
plant roots to reach as far as they possibly could and I didn't want to
vacuum it anymore....

Like I said, it always depends on your specific situation...and if you have
a light stocking, you might get away with it... for me, it simply had to
go...

Good luck anyway...

--
| RedForeman ©® fabricator and creator of the ratbike streetfighter!!!
| ==========================
| 2003 TRX450ES
| 1992 TRX-350 XX (For Sale)
| '98 Tacoma Ext Cab 4X4 Lifted....
| ==========================
| ø¤°`°¤ø,¸¸¸,ø¤°`°¤ø,¸¸¸,ø¤°`°¤ø,¸¸,ø¤°`°¤ø,¸¸¸,ø¤° `°¤ø,¸¸,ø¤°`°¤ø
| ((((º`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·.¸. ((((º ·´¯`·. , .·´¯`·.. ((((º
| for any questions you may have....
| Gmail - the ultimate in disappointment...

In message . net, JFF
KRWD writes
Thanks for the info RedForeman....

You ask if it is a new tank or an up and running one. The tank is in my
bedroom and I've been putting up with the noise of external filter units for
years... I finally decided to just switch to undergravel (since it would be
quiet)

I've got an internal canister filter (the kind that you stick to the
inside of the tank with suckers) and its a lot quieter than the
undergravel filters I've come across...


and be done with it. So, that is what I did... took off the external
and install the undergravel. Was that an unwise thing to do? Anything I need
to do differently?

I appreciate your help...
Jeff.


"RedForeman ©®" wrote in message
...
|| I have just installed my first undergravel filter. I have had many
|| exterior filter units before and they have always had a carbon
|| filter. I see that the undergravel filter has a way to have a tube
|| with an air pump and carbon filter head. My question is, do I really
|| need the carbon filter... or am I fine without it?

Don't need it, if it's an established tank, carbon is used to take out
smells or medications....

|| Detail info
|| . this is the only filter on the tank
|| . freshwater
|| . 29 gal
|| . 3 electric blues (2.5" each)
|| .tank has been stable for 3 years

New tank or up and running for 3 years?? I'm confused....

If I were setting up a new tank today, i'd very much guarantee I'd skip
the
UGF.. simply put, it's a ticking pH crash waiting to happen....


--
| RedForeman ©® fabricator and creator of the ratbike streetfighter!!!
| ==========================
| 2003 TRX450ES
| 1992 TRX-350 XX (For Sale)
| '98 Tacoma Ext Cab 4X4 Lifted....
| ==========================
| ø¤°`°¤ø,¸¸¸,ø¤°`°¤ø,¸¸¸,ø¤°`°¤ø,¸¸,ø¤°`°¤ø,¸¸¸,ø¤° `°¤ø,¸¸,ø¤°`°¤ø
| ((((º`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·.¸. ((((º ·´¯`·. , .·´¯`·.. ((((º
| for any questions you may have....
| Gmail - the ultimate in disappointment...





--
sophie

"JFF KRWD" wrote in message
ink.net...
Thanks for the info RedForeman....

You ask if it is a new tank or an up and running one. The tank is in my
bedroom and I've been putting up with the noise of external filter units
for
years... I finally decided to just switch to undergravel (since it would
be
quiet) and be done with it. So, that is what I did... took off the
external
and install the undergravel. Was that an unwise thing to do? Anything I
need
to do differently?

I appreciate your help...
Jeff.

Ackhhh! Maybe it is just me, but I'd put the power filter back and let both
run for a while before removing the power filter. The UGF needs time to
establish a good bacterial colony under there. That's the only way it
works. I have a UGF and a power filter...
Good Luck,
-Jen

Keep the carbon head off. It only restricts the water flow and provides
little if any useful filtration. You only need carbon to remove smells,
medications, or a coloration in the water. Buy a corner filter or small
power filter if you want to use carbon.

Undergravel filters work excellent if you keep the gravel free of excess
waste by vacuuming and doing regular weekly or bi-weekly 15-25% water
changes.

With live plants, keeping the gravel clean can be very difficult and another
filter type is recommended.

Jim


"JFF KRWD" wrote in message
ink.net...
Hi...

I have just installed my first undergravel filter. I have had many
exterior
filter units before and they have always had a carbon filter. I see that
the
undergravel filter has a way to have a tube with an air pump and carbon
filter head. My question is, do I really need the carbon filter... or am I
fine without it?

Detail info
. this is the only filter on the tank
. freshwater
. 29 gal
. 3 electric blues (2.5" each)
.tank has been stable for 3 years

Thank you,
Jeff

On Tue, 21 Sep 2004 12:26:36 GMT, "JFF KRWD"
wrote:

Hi...

I have just installed my first undergravel filter. I have had many exterior
filter units before and they have always had a carbon filter. I see that the
undergravel filter has a way to have a tube with an air pump and carbon
filter head. My question is, do I really need the carbon filter... or am I
fine without it?

Detail info
. this is the only filter on the tank
. freshwater
. 29 gal
. 3 electric blues (2.5" each)
.tank has been stable for 3 years

Thank you,
Jeff




I have 5 tanks, the largest 75 gallon. Three months ago I removed
carbon from all the tanks. I rely on 20%, twice weekly water changes
to keep the water healthy. So far I am pleased with the decision.

dick

"NetMax" wrote in message
. ..
"Aquarijen" wrote in message
...

"JFF KRWD" wrote in message
ink.net...
Thanks for the info RedForeman....

You ask if it is a new tank or an up and running one. The tank is in
my
bedroom and I've been putting up with the noise of external filter
units
for
years... I finally decided to just switch to undergravel (since it
would
be
quiet) and be done with it. So, that is what I did... took off the
external
and install the undergravel. Was that an unwise thing to do? Anything
I
need
to do differently?

I appreciate your help...
Jeff.

Ackhhh! Maybe it is just me, but I'd put the power filter back and let
both
run for a while before removing the power filter. The UGF needs time
to
establish a good bacterial colony under there. That's the only way it
works. I have a UGF and a power filter...
Good Luck,
-Jen

ditto, check your ammonia and nitrite levels - now. If your external
filter has dried out, then your nitrifying bacteria population has taken
a hit and not yet re-established itself in the UGF, and if you installed
a UGF, you cleaned the gravel (another helpful bacteria colony). Three
carnivores (or big eaters) in an un-cycled tank will build ammonia real
fast.

btw: UGF don't generally work with fish which dig (ie: African mbuna),
unless you have a grill separator (otherwise they expose the UGF grill,
and they partially defeat the operation).

Quiet operation could be achieved with a canister filter, seeded from
your powerfilter (doh!).

Thanks... I'll do a ammonia check now (don't think I have a nitrite level
kit).

What does *seeded from your powerfilter mean*? If it means use the bactiral
culture from it, it's too late for that since it's been off the tank and dry
for a week or so.

Thanks,
Jeff