Is The Carbon In My Filter Cartriges Good Or Bad?

brians4671 · #1 01/04/2008, 06:34 PM

I HAVE HO PENGUIN FILTER THAT I REMOVED THE BIO WHEELS FROM...I BUY R/O BOTTLED WATER WITH SYNTHETIC SALT....SHOULD I REMOVE THE CARBON FROM THE CARTRIGES?

jamiep · #2 01/04/2008, 06:40 PM

Depends how long it been in there! You need to change it every 3months or so because it will become exausted. Its good IMO to run carbon.

Sk8r · #3 01/04/2008, 06:42 PM

It should be discarded if it has run 4 days.

Carbon, among all things we use in our tanks, has a NASTY hidden feature. Once it 'saturates' with something it's absorbed, it starts releasing it BACK into the water hand over fist. It can even become a nitrate farm, due to detritus building up in its gaps.

Always keep track of the time carbon has been in your tank and don't forget.

alten78 · #4 01/04/2008, 07:36 PM

Sk8r, just to clarify, are you saying to change all carbon after 4 days or only on something small like his filter cartridge after 4 days? If its the former then ill have to rethink my regular changes out of a phosban reactor of every 3 weeks

Longer than that I will agree it gets pretty cruddy! But thats just me

Norward · #5 01/05/2008, 09:30 AM

I have a Penguin 200 HOB filter and removed the wheel some time ago. I change out the carbon filter cartridge with every other weekly 10% water change.

laserjim · #6 01/05/2008, 01:25 PM

Anyone else have any thoughts on this ? Very Interrrrresting...