# No Carbon?......



## Red Sox Fanatic

In one of my threads i read where someone doesnt use carbon in thier filters,i am thinking about going this route what do you guys think??Any advice is greatly appreciated!!Thanks


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## Mr. Hannibal

I only use carbon if i need to remove any med or substance from my water... all my filters are carbon free...

I've used carbon only 2 times in the last 22 years on my piranha tanks...


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## BRUNER247

I rarely use carbon also.


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## balluupnetme

What do you guys replace your carbon with on an AC 110 ?


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## Mr. Hannibal

balluupnetme said:


> What do you guys replace your carbon with on an AC 110 ?


Biomax


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## Piranha Guru

Mr. Hannibal said:


> What do you guys replace your carbon with on an AC 110 ?


Biomax
[/quote]

You could also just run 2 sponges.


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## balluupnetme

Oh ok, which would be better ?


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## Piranha Guru

balluupnetme said:


> Oh ok, which would be better ?


Either...if you have another filter on the tank for bio, I would definitely run 2 sponges and altrnate which one you clean and rotate (clean bottom, the move top to bottom position placing clean one on top or vice/versa). If it is the only filter on the tank, you might want to run one sponge and max out your bag of Biomax. It really depends on if you are having more problems with biofiltration or mechanical fitlration.


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## Mr. Hannibal

balluupnetme said:


> Oh ok, which would be better ?


It depends... Extra sponge will help increase mechanical filtration... Biomax will help with biological filtration... If you already have enough biological filtration (a good canister or sump) you may need the extra sponge for mechanical filtering... if you lack on biomedia, Biomax will help but never replace a good Sump or Canister...


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## Piranha Guru

Lol...great minds think alike Hannibal!


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## Mr. Hannibal

Piranha Guru said:


> Lol...great minds think alike Hannibal!


True


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## balluupnetme

My setup is a 35 gallon tank w/AC 110 and a 5" RRS

maybe adding biomax in my situation ?


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## Mr. Hannibal

balluupnetme said:


> My setup is a 35 gallon tank w/AC 110 and a 5" RRS
> 
> maybe adding biomax in my situation ?


You have a small solo fish so you don't have to handle with tons of bioload... anyway it'd be "ideal" adding an extra filter (a small canister full of biomedia) to increase biological filtration... or at least some Biomax to the AC110... other than that weekly partial water changes are highly recommended...


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## balluupnetme

Thanks for the help guys


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## CyberGenetics

Reading this tread raised a few questions of my own:

What is the purpose of the carbon filter?

What do you mean by biological and mechanical filteration? and how do i know which i need more of?


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## Mr. Hannibal

Activated carbon removes contaminants, impurities, meds and other substances from water... IMO there is no need to use activated carbon unless you need to remove meds or any toxic substance from tank water...

Mechanical filtration (like sponges) removes small (solid) particles from water. Solid waste is taken away from tank water but organic material will still decompose inside your filter so you need a fair amount of biomedia. Mechanical filter media may content some benefical bacteria (nitrifying bacteria) but you will need bio media (like Biomax) to host more benefical bacteria to handle aquarium bioload...

For more info read this: http://www.piranha-fury.com/pfury/index.php?/topic/196087-cycling-101/


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## MFNRyan

I no longer run any carbon in any of my filters. Bob351 turned me onto this. The carbon is actually a waste of money and needs replaced often or it leeches bad stuff into your tank. A good bio set up is the best filtration you can run anyway. Like I said in your other thread red sox, I run my ac110 with only sponges for my mechanical filtration, I run a mag 300 full to the top with just bio cubes from fluval, then run another mag 300 with the water polishing filter in it. I then have a fx4 with floss and the other trays all full of bio-cubes. All my canister filters have only bio cubes in them and they all have some sort of other filter to cover the mechanical part. What this does is one provides a better water in your tank, better filtration, and less filter mainenance this way. You only have to clean out or change the floss once in a while, on some of my tanks I do this once every two months, on my 125g with the shoal I do this once every two weeks. My fitlers that are just mechanical I clean once a month and hardly ever have to clean the bio cubes. Maybe once every 8 months. If you clean any components or anything just clean them in a bucket of tank water. Never use tap water or even treated tap water because it could kill your BB which is the source of your filtration. I only use carbon after I have dosed with melafix or something of that nature. That's about all carbon is good for is removing impurities such as med's an stuff. I may run that for a week or two then just throw it away. This is much cheaper, easier, and better way to filter your tanks


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## amazonjungle

when I do my filter change for my ac110 should I just take out the carbon and add some more biomax?


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## Piranha Guru

amazonjungle said:


> when I do my filter change for my ac110 should I just take out the carbon and add some more biomax?


Yes.


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## amazonjungle

Piranha Guru said:


> when I do my filter change for my ac110 should I just take out the carbon and add some more biomax?


Yes.








[/quote]

thanks dude.

im gonna do that.


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## MFNRyan

Amazon, that's what I was telling you to do back when you first set your tank up bro. Put it in the last stages of your filter. Not in the pick up tubes or anything.


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## balluupnetme

amazonjungle said:


> when I do my filter change for my ac110 should I just take out the carbon and add some more biomax?


Yes.








[/quote]

thanks dude.

im gonna do that.
[/quote]

Would this cause it to go into a mini cycle ?


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## Piranha Guru

balluupnetme said:


> when I do my filter change for my ac110 should I just take out the carbon and add some more biomax?


Yes.








[/quote]

thanks dude.

im gonna do that.
[/quote]

Would this cause it to go into a mini cycle ?
[/quote]

It shouldn't unless his carbon has been in there so long that it is housing an integral amount of his biological bacteria.


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## balluupnetme

Oh Ok because my tank is new, maybe 2 months and I was wondering when I should pull out the carbon on my AC ? Thanks


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## BRUNER247

AC110 are big enough to run 2 sponges & bio-max on top of the sponges then fill you intake compartment with more bio-max. It'll hold 2 bags from a AC70 in the intake tube side. I stuff my AC filters FULL.


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## MFNRyan

I did the same with my AC110 bruner, except I didn't put iany in the intake tubes because all the stuff get's cycled out through my sponges anyway. I have two sponges in mine and one cut in half around the tube part. My bag's of bio-cubes sit on the top. That way it's catching the water as it leaves and giving the BB a good chance.


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## BRUNER247

I don't put anything in the intake tube. I put it around the tube like you mention. I may have worded it wrong or miss read what you ment. Lol I have even took a hang-on specimen container(for tanks/fish)& modified it so you put it on first then the filter over it. So basically the filters outflowing water flows into yet another container stuffed with more bio-media(which it holds as much as a AC70 could hold)and the it finally overflows into the tank.


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## rhom45i

This was a pretty helpful thread, I could have saved so much money not using and replacing all my carbon in my filters every 2 months.


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