Carbon

[demifelix]

I'm sorry if this sounds silly, but How often should I change my carbon? Should I do it periodically or should I wait to see noticeable difference in the water clarity? Can carbon be recycled?

 

[superclown]

If u want something that can be recycled i suggest purigen. I am not sure if carbon can or not. I usually replace mine monthly.

 

[jcook54]

I change mine out when I do maintenance on my canister filter. That's typically every 2-3 weeks. I get bulk carbon and run it in a medium sized media bag. I also use a polishing pad in the filter and anything longer than 2-3 weeks starts to reduce the flow and can potentially produce nitrates. I like my canister filter but if I don't maintain it regularly it leads to problems.

 

[gnashty]

I change out carbon evey 6 weeks or so or when i change out my GFO

 

[darcurr]

gnashty;583001 wrote: i change out carbon evey 6 weeks or so or when i change out my gfo

+1

 

[porpoiseaquatics]

gnashty;583001 wrote: i change out carbon evey 6 weeks or so or when i change out my gfo

+1

 

[ichthyoid]

GAC (grannular activated carbon) becomes rapidly colonized with bacteria, both beneficial and pathogenic, and is in fact a perfect breeding medium for them. :yuk:

In practice, the adsorption capacity will decrease rapidly after about a weeks usage. So I would recommend changing every 10 days, if used.

Many in the hobby use it for much longer periods without apparent negative consequence. I am not arguing with that opinion. I'm just saying that after a couple of weeks you will have an anaerobic filter colonized with bacteria. Those bacteria will eventually impede the movement of water into the micropores of the GAC, thus rendering it useless in terms of it's adsorption capacity. -JMHO

http://doultonusa.com/HTML%20pages/activated_carbon_water_filtration.htm">http://doultonusa.com/HTML%20pages/activated_carbon_water_filtration.htm</a>

[B]"No form of carbon filter removes bacteria[/B]. In fact under quite normal operating condition all carbon forms can and do become perfect breeding grounds for bacteria, including pathogenic bacteria."

 

[ralph atl]

10 days to two weeks max.

 

[demifelix]

So it seems like they go between 2 and 6 weeks. does it matter which kind of carbon or they pretty much are the same? I know there are serveral kinds of carbons out there (at least that's how they are marketed).

 

[ralph atl]

Carbon doesn't last more than 10-14 days..............If I change it at 6 weeks, that doesn't mean it works for 6 weeks.........lol.

 

[demifelix]

It's good to know. Thanks Ralph.

 

[reefdiver]

great ? thanks for asking I often wondered that my self. how much should you use per gal? whats the rule of thumb? thanks

 

[tim8111]

According to Seachem, they recommend 4 to 6 weeks for their carbon. I used this product in my store for 2+ years and changed it every 6 weeks with no problems.

Tim