carbon usage: do you use it & if so, for what?

Filter floss is just fine. You can actually go to Wally World and pick up batting for less.

 

I use a variety of the following:
sponges 20ppi & 30ppi, eheim cocoa puff brown balls, eheim ceramic cylinders, purigen, phospate remover, floss, micro/micron pads.

Ps. I was always told carbon DOES NOT remove flourish excel/flourish excel iron?

Update: Just e-mailed Seachem the following to find out what they have to say
-> comments: I am using your Flourish product line on a freshwater planted aquarium (Purigen, Flourish Excel, Flourish Iron, Flourish Tabs, PhosGuard) and would like to know if using Marineland Black Diamond Premium Activated Carbon will remove your products from my water?

 

I always love when this debate comes up. ;o)

Like I mentioned earlier, it has been a highly debated subject. Some say yes...some say no.

However, unless removing meds or tannins....don't even bother with it. Simple as that.

 

Seachem Response:
Hello,

Thank you for your email. Some people with planted tanks
do not want to use activated carbon, as it is a more
aggressive means of chemical filtration. However, if it
is a high-quality carbon, you should not have any issue
with it removing any of the Flourish products. Many of
our planted tanks here at Seachem use our MatrixCarbon as
chemical filtration; they also receive the Flourish
products as fertilizers and we have experienced no issues.
The Flourish line of products are all readily available
for plants to use; your plants will more than likely
utilize the fertilizers before they have the chance of
being removed by the carbon. We hope this information
helps; please let us know if you need further assistance.

Thank you,

Tech Support 1076

 

Lol! Who would ya like to belive.tap tap tap.
-->took it out to be on the safe side

 

For those worried about chemicals leaching back from carbon I was told by Seachem support that their MatrixCarbon DOES NOT LEACH anything back into the water and it lasts considerably longer than other brands as well (up to six months).

Its the only carbon I use and it is not very expensive ($5 - 100ml) so why use anything else. The 100ml pack comes in its own sealed mesh bag and I just throw it out every 3-4 months when cleaning my canisters.

I always run two canisters on each tank so I can really clean one while the other covers. I use Seachem Purigen in one and Seachem MatrixCarbon in the other. If I ever need to medicate I just shut down the canister with the carbon in it until I want to remove the medication.

 

I only use carbon for the first 24 hours setting up a NPT, Then pull it out wait 24 hours then dose with plant sups. After my Box from Dawn filled with plants I'm going to catch up with her. My new 55 gal NPT is full of beautiful thriving plants. The 55 thats is 4 weeks running is growing swords at a good pace for swords. (of course there is 300 watts of 6500K CF lighting on the tank) with just slight algae eaten by the shrimp. (at this point anyway). So with all these plants carbon is sort of a no go except in the 10 gal hospital tank.

 

I use it for removal of meds as well as tannins.

it only leaches crap back into the tank if its not changed like it should be. 30 days max, boil the bags for 3 hours, its reactivated, clean and ready to go again.

 

Might be why my water's becomeing yellow/brown again XD
Guess it's time to get new filters XD