activated carbon and meds

[zeebo]

right, I know when treating the water with meds, gotta remove the carbon if use it. Does anyone know if it is ok to have carbon in the filter while medicating the food with meds ?

 

[bre]

The carbon removes the impurities (meds etc) from the water. I guess it would depend on how quickly the med would "leak" from the food once submersed in the water. I would still remove to be certain.

 

[zeebo]

thanks bre, I usually don't keep activated carbon in my fliter, however I noticed the larger L128 wasn't acting himself on 3rd day of treatment, so did a small wc and added the activate carbon, just in case it was leeching into the water colum. Seemed fine after I added it , just wanted to be sure it's ok to do. Appreciate.

 

[dolmio]

activated carbon is now known to carry diseases after a period off time as compounds build up it can release harmful toxins, people including myself are starting too use Bio Chem Zorb media instead API makes it also MARS make it

 

[McTackett]

what sort of diseases does activated carbon carry?? and how long till it starts to do so??
very interesting never heard of that before.

 

[dolmio]

my local fish shop told me they stopped selling it because of its problems and they are using other products, i do not know any other details.

 

[McTackett]

ok thanks, just wondering as i use it in my filters

 

[Lornek8]

I think any type of adsorption type media will have the same types of problems. It is the nature of the mechanism used to clean the water that is the issue. Thus be it simple generic carbon or a more advanced media such as bio chem zorb the same issues with toxin release will exist. What happens is that once the media has absorbed all it can it can begin to release th toxins back into the aquarium.

Disease transfer is also an issue with any media not just carbon. If used in an infected tank an not properly sterilized before being place into another aquarium the media could transfer diseases that have colonized the media. When you consider diseases can be transferred by aquarium water or even cleaning tools, why would media be any different.

 

[bigbird]

carbon also only has a small time frame before one has to change it. It is not like sponge or other media which you can leave in for a very long time.
I have never used carbon and also our LFS does not sell it anymore as well. cheers jk :thumbup:

 

[zeebo]

right, a few things I did not know so thanks, but more importantly, I asked this question a few months ago, and wonder why it is at the top of the thread? :dk: Just wondering.

And interesting it is not sold in some places anymore. I did know it is an adsorber, not an absorber, which means it will release crap back into the water if not removed in a short time, but the new info is good to know.