# Carbon



## imsuperfreaky (May 11, 2008)

I want to take it out of my filter so I can put peat moss to turn the water tan. Is this gonna be bad in the long run?


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## notaverage (Sep 10, 2005)

Nope.
I dont use Carbon anymore...only when I have medicated the tank I will run it in my filters for a few days.


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## imsuperfreaky (May 11, 2008)

Nice thanks. Looks like it's time to cut up the filter pad and get this tank started!


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## Ja'eh (Jan 8, 2007)

Carbon won't remove the brown water look that peat gives off because you're constantly running peat in your filter anyways. I use peat with either carbon or Seachem de nitrate.


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

Ja said:


> Carbon won't remove the brown water look that peat gives off because you're constantly running peat in your filter anyways. I use peat with either carbon or Seachem de nitrate.


carbon will remove odour and discolouration. It would just depend on the rate the colour is produced as opposed to the rate it is removed.
Its not needed in a filter. I dont use it.


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## Coldfire (Aug 20, 2003)

sean-820 said:


> Carbon won't remove the brown water look that peat gives off because you're constantly running peat in your filter anyways. I use peat with either carbon or Seachem de nitrate.


carbon will remove odour and discolouration. It would just depend on the rate the colour is produced as opposed to the rate it is removed.
Its not needed in a filter. I dont use it.
[/quote]

Agreed. Carbon will remove the tanins that tint the water from peat, but only to the point were the carbon become saturated. Thus, I would remove the carbon. Actually, you should only really run carbon if you are trying to remove medication, ordors, etc.


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

It is rumored that carbon may actually remove beneficial nutrients also so unless you are removing meds I would stay away from carbon until more is known.


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

Dr. Giggles said:


> It is rumored that carbon may actually remove beneficial nutrients also so unless you are removing meds I would stay away from carbon until more is known.


 Ive also heard it could be a cause for HITH


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## midnightmadman (Dec 13, 2007)

sean-820 said:


> It is rumored that carbon may actually remove beneficial nutrients also so unless you are removing meds I would stay away from carbon until more is known.


 Ive also heard it could be a cause for HITH
[/quote]

But when I use carbon it gives the water a "polished" look... crystal clear, without carbon I can never achieve that look.


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

midnightmadman said:


> It is rumored that carbon may actually remove beneficial nutrients also so unless you are removing meds I would stay away from carbon until more is known.


 Ive also heard it could be a cause for HITH
[/quote]

But when I use carbon it gives the water a "polished" look... crystal clear, without carbon I can never achieve that look.
[/quote]

If you have plenty of filtration it will look clear without the use or carbon.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

i'd be curious to know the percentage of people that always use carbon in their filters, when i first started out in fishkeeping back in the day, i thought that having carbon in my filters was an absolute necessity, i also used to purchase the pre-made filter cartridges and swapped em out once a week like the box said. after some time, i finally realized that there were much cheaper and more effective alternatives to the filter cartridges and that i did not need to run carbon in my filters all the time, now i don't use either, unless i'm running carbon to remove meds.


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

Like you said alot or noobs will just becasue filter cartrices are premade with carbon and they probably dont know it not nessisary and that they can cut their own media.


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