How Long Does Activated Carbon Last In Water Filter

This entry is part 3 of 6 in the series Filter media

Activated carbon (AC) also called activated charcoal is one of the well-nigh pop filtration media for domicile aquariums.

Only they merely last for as long every bit the carbon is nonetheless able to absorb impurities.

1 information technology loses its accuse, you'll demand to supervene upon it.

And then, how long does it last in aquarium filters?

You should alter Ac every ii to 4 weeks. If the water is very dirty though, you may have to change it every calendar week instead.

With new filtration methods condign bachelor, some people wonder whether AC is all the same needed.

If you're not sure whether you should add it to your aquarium's filter, you've come to the right place. We'll answer this and many other questions for yous.

Contents

1. What is Activated Carbon?
2. Exercise Y'all Demand Activated Charcoal In Your Aquarium Filter?
3. How Long Does Air conditioning Terminal?
iv. How to Change Your Ac
5. Recommended Products
- MarineLand Blackness Diamond Media Premium Carbon
- Small Aquarium Mesh Media Filter Bags
6. Related Questions
- Is It a Must-Have for Aquariums?
- Are In that location Any Negatives?
- Can I Recharge It?

ane. What is Activated Carbon?

Air conditioning is bituminous charcoal, lignite, or wood that has been treated at very high temperatures to "accuse" it. This creates lots of tiny pores to increase the surface area.

Because of this, the Air conditioning is able to act like a sponge. Bad odors and trace elements are hands absorbed for equally long as the carbon holds its charge.

Yous should be aware that there are different types of AC that are made using different methods.

For aquariums, you need ane that is fabricated from bituminous charcoal and comes in granular form. This type is called a granular activated charcoal, or GAC for short.

2. Do You Demand Activated Charcoal In Your Aquarium Filter?

To answer this question, permit's notice out what AC does?

Your aquarium water contains lots of dissolved contaminants that need to be removed.

These can include tannins (which alter the water's color), phenols (which cause odors), chloramines, and chlorine. Air conditioning is able to absorb these elements, leaving your aquarium make clean.

Only you should also know that in that location are some things Air conditioning cannot absorb.

You tin't use information technology for toxin removal, for instance, because it cannot absorb
ammonia , nitrite and nitrate .

Read more:

six Constructive Ways to Command Your Tank's Nitrate Levels

vii Effective Ways to Save Your Fish from Ammonia and Nitrite

Air-conditioning also cannot blot heavy metals like fe. If your water has whatsoever heavy metals, yous should use a water treatment product offset.

Sometimes yous'll need to treat sick fish with medication.

AC will absorb well-nigh medications, and so you should take it out before you kickoff treatment. One time your fish are salubrious once more, you can safely put the carbon back into your aquarium filter.

iii. How Long Does AC Last?

Some people think that it will terminal for months at a time. Others think information technology merely lasts a few days.

The truth is, how long your Air-conditioning lasts depends on a lot of different things.

Different brands use dissimilar temperatures to charge the carbon, which tin make it last longer or shorter than other brands. Ordinarily, information technology will terminal betwixt 2 to four weeks.

The dirtier your aquarium water, the shorter your Air conditioning will last.

This can also happen when you lot have corals or microalgae in your aquarium, because they constantly release biochemicals into the water. AC will help you get rid of those biochemicals by absorbing them.

Fifty-fifty though AC is one of the almost absorbent filter media, the more than it absorbs the quicker those tiny pores become blocked.

Somewhen, and then many of the pores are chock-full that it cannot absorb anything anymore.

When this happens, your AC loses its charge.

You should change your AC every 2 to iv weeks, depending on the bio load in your aquarium. If you have a turtle, for example, you'll need to change it one time a calendar week instead.

4. How to Modify Your Air-conditioning

Your Air-conditioning needs to exist placed into a mesh filter pocketbook to be used.

You should put half a cup of carbon into the bag for every x gallons of h2o in your aquarium.

Sometimes yous'll notice information technology has some carbon grit when you accept it out of its container. Simply to be rubber, before putting the Ac into your aquarium, you should run it under some running water from a tap.

Next, you should remove the old carbon from your filter organization so you lot can put the new purse in. Your filter should have 3 kinds of media: mechanical, biological, and chemical.

See besides:

ane/ What Are the All-time Mechanical Filter Media?

ii/ 4 Best Biological Filter Media

The mechanical media will help make certain that your Air conditioning doesn't take to absorb too much debris also rapidly. And the biofilter will blot some of the organic compounds that tin clog your AC media.

That's why you should place your AC (the chemical media) afterward these 2. Keep your water flow management in mind: the Air-conditioning should be the last media the water flows through. Otherwise, it will lose its accuse very quickly.

5. Recommended Products

Are you ready to add together an activated carbon filtration media to your aquarium? Accept a await at these recommended products.

MarineLand Black Diamond Media Premium Carbon

marineland-black-diamond-media-premium-activated-carbon

The MarineLand Black Diamond Media Premium Carbon is the best production available. It'due south so adept that it works twice as fast equally most other ACs. That'southward because MarineLand specifically sizes their carbon products to exist more than efficient in all aquarium filters.

MarineLand charges the carbon at 3,000 degrees to make it more than porous. Y'all'll starting time seeing results very quickly once you add together information technology to your filtration arrangement.

Pocket-sized Aquarium Mesh Media Filter Numberless

These Small Aquarium Mesh Media Filter Bags are made specifically for AC. They can likewise be reused, but they come in a four-pack and then you tin can quickly modify your carbon media while washing the current 1.

The high flow 500-micron pattern and drawstring volition make certain that your Air-conditioning doesn't escape. H2o and dissolved contaminants will easily catamenia through the mesh.

You can utilise these mesh media filter bags in both freshwater and saltwater aquariums.

Only call back to use granular activated charcoal like the MarineLand Black Diamond Media Premium Carbon. These pocket-sized aquarium mesh media filter numberless volition non work with powder activated carbon (PAC), which you shouldn't use in your aquarium.

If you lot prefer to utilise a PAC that comes in pellet class, yous can all the same use these.

half-dozen. Related Questions

Nonetheless not sure if you lot should use AC in your aquarium or have more than questions? Here are a few more things you should know.

Is It a Must-Take for Aquariums?

Some people believe that AC should be a standard filtration media in most filters. They say that y'all should only take it out if your aquarium has a high phosphate content or if you're using fish medication.

Other people say that if you take a biofilter and change your aquarium water regularly, and so you don't need to use AC all the time. I

nstead, they suggest keeping your carbon media for special use. I of the reasons they say and then is because it can become expensive to change the Air-conditioning every 2 to 4 weeks.

There's actually no right answer. You lot tin decide for yourself whether you should use Ac as a constant filter media.

If you feel that your aquarium is salubrious and make clean, then y'all tin can keep it for special circumstances. For example, if you've but finished handling for your fish, AC can be used to absorb the excess medication.

As long as yous have proper filter media and change your aquarium water, information technology's okay not to employ AC all the time.

Are In that location Any Negatives?

Ac doesn't discriminate what information technology absorbs.

This means information technology tin can too take away some of the trace minerals that your fish and aquarium plants need.

Some fish can easily go very sick very quickly if this happens. 1 of the almost common issues is head and lateral line erosion (HLLE), which tin can cause your fish to dice.

Although it hasn't been proven, some people believe that carbon grit tin also crusade HLLE.

This is why nosotros suggest rinsing your Air conditioning with properly filtered water before calculation it to your aquarium. When information technology comes to your fish'south health, it's better to be safety than sorry.

Another trouble is that some Air-conditioning brands haven't been acrid washed.

This means that it can be coated in phosphates that will launder off into your aquarium water. If this happens, you can have a problem with algae blooms.

At that place's also a rumor that when AC loses its charge, it starts to de-blot. What this ways is that some people believe one time the pores are all chock-full, the contaminants showtime leaking back into the h2o over again.

De-absorption is technically possible. However, in guild for it to happen, there need to be certain changes to your water's chemistry.These changes don't happen in aquariums, so you won't have to worry.

Tin I Recharge It?

A lot of people call back that y'all can recharge your AC in one case its pores become clogged.

Some will even share stride-past-step instructions that tell you that you can do so in your oven.

While it is possible to recharge exhausted AC, yous tin can't do so yourself.

Just like turning the bituminous charcoal to plow it into AC in the first place, recharging need very loftier temperatures and pressure. You won't be able to heat your oven enough or create that pressure level.

If y'all reuse exhausted carbon afterwards trying to recharge it, you'll just be adding another biofilter to your aquarium. Remember that Air conditioning with most of its pores blocked volition start to abound bacteria.