Carbon and Discus

[discusrookie]

Hi all, I've been raising angels for a little over a year now and am planning on getting into the discus world in the next month or so. I plan on starting with six juveniles in a BB 55 gal. tank.:confused: I have 12 assorted tanks all set up with HOB filters as well as sponge filters. I read in a couple of places on Simply that a lot of you don't recommend using carbon with discus. Is this the case? If so, why? And also all my HOB filters are Tetra's, would you suggest just using filter medium without carbon? Thanks in advance for any help. Steve

[bs6749]

I believe that the leading theory, is that carbon indirectly causes hole in the head disease and that carbon can be detrimental to the overall health of the fish. It's not that carbon DIRECTLY causes these problems, it just that carbon removes many pollutants from the water and over time these pollutants can be returned to the water. Activated carbon is pretty much useles after 3-5 days (I forget which) and it is used mainly to remove medications from the water. I feel that it is unnecessary in a discus tank simply because frequent large water changes should be done in a discus tank (especially when growing out juveniles) and those would remove built up pollutants. Carbon is and can be effective, however it shouldn't be relied upon due to it's short life of effectiveness. If you were to change out the carbon every 3-5 days there certainly isn't anything wrong with that, just don't think you are safe because you have carbon in the filter pads...that's not how it works.

[Eddie]

Well I don't want to start this conversation over again but you can use any type of bagged filter media. I use eheim subsrate pro in media baskets in my filters and it's doing an awesome job. I am not sure how the tetra filters work but I am sure there is a way to put in some type of media.

HTH
Eddie

[Graham]

I believe that the leading theory, is that carbon indirectly causes hole in the head disease and that carbon can be detrimental to the overall health of the fish. It's not that carbon DIRECTLY causes these problems, it just that carbon removes many pollutants from the water and over time these pollutants can be returned to the water. Activated carbon is pretty much useles after 3-5 days (I forget which) and it is used mainly to remove medications from the water. I feel that it is unnecessary in a discus tank simply because frequent large water changes should be done in a discus tank (especially when growing out juveniles) and those would remove built up pollutants. Carbon is and can be effective, however it shouldn't be relied upon due to it's short life of effectiveness. If you were to change out the carbon every 3-5 days there certainly isn't anything wrong with that, just don't think you are safe because you have carbon in the filter pads...that's not how it works.



Hi Activated Carbon does not release anything back into the water in any way, shape or form. This is a very old myth! Once AC has absorbed something, it has it forever unless you've got an oven that goes to 600*C or acids with minus pH numbers.

Depending on what AC is asked to do and is not allowed to clog with silt, it can last for months and months...not days. As far as pollutants in the water it will absorb them until it becomes exhusted; at which time it just becomes a bio-media. It could sit there forever!

A couple of cubic feet of AC could de=chlorinate a 100,000 gallons of water.

It's felt that in mineral poor water that we usually have discus in, that AC will absorb some of the essential elements, starving the fish of them....no one has yet to prove it. HITH has a ton of causes and AC is probably not one of them

There is no need to use AC unless you're trying to remove chems, meds or tannins


Graham

[Eddie]

Well said Graham, I am with you on that one.

Eddie