Activated Charcoal

I know what AC is and how it works. What exactly does it do in an
aquarium? What is it adsorbing? Not the ammonia, NH3 or NH4 is it?
So what? Color, odor?

Thanks
BM

Brett Miller wrote in
:

I know what AC is and how it works. What exactly does it do in an
aquarium? What is it adsorbing? Not the ammonia, NH3 or NH4 is it?
So what? Color, odor?

Colour, odor, some plant nutrients... lots of stuff, but no not NH3/4. Use
Zeolite if you want something to absorb ammonia.

Active carbon is not really necessary, it is just a polisher, but it can be
detrimental if you are keeping live plants.

On Thu, 07 Sep 2006 16:37:10 -0400, Brett Miller
wrote:

I know what AC is and how it works. What exactly does it do in an
aquarium? What is it adsorbing? Not the ammonia, NH3 or NH4 is it?
So what? Color, odor?

Thanks
BM

Not much and not for long. I quit using charcoal.

dick

This is what I've been hearing about charcoal... If no charcoal then
what?

I have a clown loack tank, a ciclid/cat fish tank and a spotted green
puffer tank all with AC 500's.... What would one use along with the big
sponges and bio stars thingies? Peat for the CL's- soft water? This
non-charcoal thing is new thinking for me...

Thanks, Karl.

Dick wrote:
wrote:
What is it adsorbing? Not the ammonia, NH3 or NH4 is it?
So what? Color, odor?

Not much and not for long. I quit using charcoal.

dick

wrote in message
oups.com...
This is what I've been hearing about charcoal... If no charcoal then
what?

Partial water changes. I gave up charcoal ages ago and don't miss it.

I have a clown loack tank, a ciclid/cat fish tank and a spotted green
puffer tank all with AC 500's.... What would one use along with the big
sponges and bio stars thingies? Peat for the CL's- soft water? This
non-charcoal thing is new thinking for me...

Nothing. With partial water changes you don't need anything else in the
filter but the sponges and stars.

--
KL....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö ~~~~ }((((({*

wrote in news:1158089791.785515.162800
@d34g2000cwd.googlegroups.com:

This is what I've been hearing about charcoal... If no charcoal then
what?

Biological filtration and good husbandry.

On Tue, 12 Sep 2006 19:37:52 -0500, dc wrote:

wrote in news:1158089791.785515.162800
:

This is what I've been hearing about charcoal... If no charcoal then
what?

Biological filtration and good husbandry.

What is "biological filtration"?

dick

"Dick" wrote in message
...

What is "biological filtration"?


That the process where certain bacteria turn ammonia to nitrites, then
another bacteria turn the nitrites to nitrate. Both ammonia and nitrites
are toxic to fish. Nitrates are not unless excessively high.
--
KL....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö ~~~~ }((((({*

On Wed, 13 Sep 2006 09:30:36 -0500, Köi-Lö $##$$@$##$$.#$$ wrote:


"Dick" wrote in message
.. .

What is "biological filtration"?


That the process where certain bacteria turn ammonia to nitrites, then
another bacteria turn the nitrites to nitrate. Both ammonia and nitrites
are toxic to fish. Nitrates are not unless excessively high.



One does not filter "in" or "out" bacteria. Nitrates are not
biological, they are just chemcals. The bacteria are the active
agents.

Every pond is full of bacteria, all doing special things.

No filter, I can imagine, would be classified as "biological
filtration." Why would one want to filter out bacteria?

dick

Dick wrote in
:

What is "biological filtration"?

A natural process that occurs everywhere in nature that involves the
recycling of nitrogenous byproducts into various forms. The cycle is
incomplete in aquaria and generally is limited to the conversion of ammonia
into nitrite and nitrite into nitrate.

The first two byproducts are very toxic and can kill fish in short order
when found in quantity, the last byproduct is many times less toxic than
the others and generally only increases stress levels and the chance for
shock and infection when found in very high quantities.

In nature nitrate is further converted into nitrogen.

Without biological filtration every fish in your aquarium would be dead
right now.