5 Things You Need to Know About Using Carbon In Your Fish Tank

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‎ What is carbon and how is it used in aquariums? Cory talks about activated carbon - how it is made, how it works as filtration, and whether or not you need it in your fish tank.
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At Aquarium Co-Op, we focus on your aquariums. We specialize in freshwater tropical fish, aquatic plants, and the overall betterment of the freshwater fish keeping hobby. Our goal is to help you with your first pet fish and graduate you to an advanced aquarium hobbyist. If you'd like to take it to the next level, subscribe to Aquarium Co-Op and check out our weekly videos.
Cory McElroy is employed by Aquarium Co-Op LLC. He also owns Aquarium Co-Op LLC. Therefore, all content is sponsored by Aquarium Co-Op.
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[@AquariumCoop]

*If you only get one fertilizer, Easy Green is the one you want. Our unique formula is comprehensive, concentrated, and easy to use. Just dose 1 pump per 10 gallons of water and watch your planted tank flourish! Try it out: **www.aquariumcoop.com/products/easy-green-all-in-one-fertilizer*

[@its_elser]

i wish i could try easy green in Australia, pity it wasn't on amazon or something

[@mikey5913]

I just stash away any carbon that comes with various aquarium supplies and just use it if i ever need to remove medication in a tank.

[@BigggRoss]

Back in the day when I set up my aquarium, the ridged undergravel tray went in, then I spread carbon around and then 2-3 inches of gravel. If aquarium was planted or not that's how they would be set up.

[@mitch.el420]

Curious, did it work well? Or do you use more modern techniques now?

[@BenOchart]

I don't use carbon in my established tanks but I do use it to clean up meds after a treatment. I'll pour a little Seachem Matrix Carbon in a fine mesh bag and leave it in the filter for around 30 days and then pull and toss. The carbon pads are much easier to use. I have heard two things that were alarming about carbon. 1) after a period carbon can become exhausted and can release back into the tank some of the impurities that were absorbed, and the more alarming point, 2) Carbon use can contribute to hole in the head by removing vital nutrients from the water predisposing the fish to HLLE! Great topic that certainly needs more discussion and sensible use. Thanks!

[@edpark54]

Ben, any thoughts on using carbon for smell? My fish room is in my home office and sometimes I walk in and yeah it stinks. ...also, I've been just cutting a square from the carbon pad and throwing it into the tank water (I primarily use sponge filters), any pros/cons thoughts on that lazy man's way?

[@carriep8328]

In a current live stream Cory also said the carbon absorbs the fertilizer. I didn't know that and took out the carbon cartridge in my planted tanks

[@victoriasrandomstuff]

Old habits die hard. I've been using it in my whisper filters for almost as long as I have been keeping fish. I think I will switch over to using filter medium as my plants fill in. You can teach an old dog new tricks.

[@ritenour12]

Some of my tanks have carbon some just have filter floss and some are just sponge filters it all works good for me! I try it all

[@martypetty9727]

I started using a carbon filter to replace water during my weekly 10% water changes. It has resolved the "cloudy water" issue I was having typically for a few hours after the water change.

[@danm8004]

By removing fine particles.

[@joseluiscolon4640]

Yes my friend, that's my way. I use carbon in my 75 with a Vieja and other fish, included 7 Silver Dollars and use carbon. But I didn't use carbon in my FX4. I bought a Fluval Aquaclear and use the carbon in that filter. The water is cristal clear. In my 40 long planted use a Fluval Aquaclear too but without carbon. Greetings from Puerto Rico.

[@firemonkeykar]

I've found that if you put a thin layer of carbon under the substrate when setting up the tank, you get similar results to co2. It can be messy if you gravel vac too deep or ever try to reuse the gravel after a rebuild, but I have found it worth it.

[@shaunyboy6605]

I was just about to ask if anyone uses it in substrate. Would it be worth trying to put some in my already set up tank?

[@bguen1234]

I like carbon and zeolite, been using them for decades.

[@targetedplantsguy9481]

I love the way my aquarium looks when I toss in a bag of carpet. Could be a coincidence but my algae problem went away when I use it

[@QueenBev87]

Just put carbon in my HB filter and my Oranda fishies are not eating! So I took it out. I used it initially to remove the smell of the tank but it seems dangerous to the goldfish. 😢

[@kevinburola889]

Awesome video! Just wanted to clarify, carbon does not remove PO4

[@mitch.el420]

Yeah, that stuck out to me too. I think he just means whatever gets stuck in the pores gets removed when you change the carbon and doesn’t break down to add more phosphate-but yeah please no one use carbon to fix a phosphate problem 🤏

[@strengthbydesign]

It’s quite easy to make your own charcoal/carbon, you only have to burn wood in the absence of oxygen, start a camp fire, put plenty of dry natural wood on it and then cover it over with soil or a metal bin lid and soil etc and leave it. The next day dig it up and you’ll have sticks of carbonised wood, there are probably many great tutorials on how to do this properly on UTube.

[@adrianzmajla4844]

Primitive Technology channel on KZbin he has covered this.

[@joeyhanna1634]

Some food for thought. I recently learned about TDS(Total Dissolved Solids) in the water column. So if you use tap water to refill or top off the tank. The minerals in the water will outweigh the H2o in the tank. So i put in a small mesh bag of activated carbon in my filter for 24 hours. It cleans the water out. Not completely, but enough to hopefully remove the excess minerals. Then after removing the excess. I add a dose of fertilizer for the plants. TDS is more of a long-term issue. So if you use tap water to top off your tank. Switch to distilled or RO water.

[@aryah1513]

For over a year, every time I removed 2 large bags of activated carbon from my filter the water turned brown (tank filled with wood), and every time I put them back in the color cleared up over night. Even when I changed them they were still working and it wasn’t out of necessity but just “why not!”

[@Davidmc23]

Hey, thank you for all the education you do. I'm getting back into aquariums after a break since 1987 (no kidding..) and have been absorbing your content. I want to offer some help understanding charcoal in your context. I'm a farmer heavily into the topic. The greatest confusion around using charcoal in your setting is its two states. When fresh carbon of that purity is purely a chemical entity. It is highly reactive and will bind to most substances especially our nasty chemicals and and anything else reactive especially ammonia and the other stages of nitrogen. You can suck up all the nutrients with it passively but better mixed into the material if possible. I make my own pyrolized charcoal and use it and other sources of carbon like leaves, wood chips etc to naturally manage my chicken coop. It's called "the deep litter method" and doesn't require charcoal but I'm adding into bedding and the coop so I don't have a smell, all the ammonia gets bound up. A much larger topic but here's how it relates. When charcoal had its fill and ceases to be chemically reactive it starts becoming biologically active. Bacteria and fungi start colonizing it seeking out the nutrients and when they've reached critical mass the biochar starts emitting nutrients but gram per gram what is now "biochar" has considerably more space for soil bacteria & fungi. The rough rule of thumb is 1 gram of biochar has the same habitat space as a football field of soil. It is amazing stuff in soil and can be precharged with nutrients and soil fauna. I used a lot of biochar that was soaked in worm tea in my soil mix for the substrate and a form of biochar I make in a basket filter. If you want a less expensive source of activated charcoal then Binchotan or Ogatan styles of charcoal are pure enough, 94% carbon, to use with fish and as ornaments in the tank. I make charcoal for the farm and a bunch of interesting pieces of wood into "art". Now most people don't know about biochar and how great it is, seriously, or how it's pretty much the only proven way of capturing and sequestering C02, but most have heard of "Terapreta" a form of soil carbon mix in the Amazon used to grow food. So in my tanks I'm keeping a lot of charcoal in them for the increased nutrient processing. One of the challenges working with charcoal is structural but I think I have that worked out. I'm only 5 weeks in with no plants in 2 tanks but clear water and bubbles coming from the substrate so now I'm ready to add plants. Fish have been in the whole time. Hope you can sort through that...

[@captainobvious8665]

To use carbon with a sponge filter, try putting a carbon head from an undergravel filter like filt-a-carb. No need if it's a planted tank though.

[@carravagio16]

digging up vintage footage and making new content out of old. nice job

[@ThylineTheGay]

to put it in perspective, activated carbon is so good at absorbing things that if you need to be on a certain med and eat something with activated carbon in it, it can be incredibly dangerous

[@SPINNINGMYWHEELS777]

just put it in a sock , and to be fair no fish is going to eat it that's a ridiculous assertion. You are categorizing animals as dumb without awareness.

[@ThylineTheGay]

@@SPINNINGMYWHEELS777 I really don't think that's what I was thinking

[@sydmiller2973]

Put carbon in the tanks at work today, and as I'm watching this I sneeze and it's black from the carbon dust 😂

[@thedude7319]

05:43 not entirely true, yes the efficientcy per turn over rate is lower. but the volume of waters gets turned over the medium multiple times, so on the next trip it passes through that filter point. this is a nitpick tho

[@bguen1234]

You are correct. Carbon in a bag in the filter is getting some water passed through it. Usually most of the water.

[@WorldofWhasian]

Great video! I could not agree more! I have also found it to be more problematic than good in my heavily planted tanks.

[@R1Ammar]

So, using carbon is counter productive in a planted tank? Considering that plant supplement we're adding is adding iron and the carbon will filter out the iron?

[@AquariumCoop]

Correct, yep. Carbon not needed

[@R1Ammar]

@@AquariumCoop Thank you for the response. I genuinely appreciate all that you do for the hobby!

[@jerdua8726]

I have a question that was not answered by google, but I know you can answer it. Why is ammonia left out of the big test strips (like yours)? Can ammonia test strips not be dipped directly in the tank? Why is that if so?

[@AquariumCoop]

The ammonia pad on the strip, will contaminate the other tests. So if it's on the same test it won't be accurate. Separating them eliminates that.

[@jerdua8726]

@@AquariumCoop oh duh! Thanks for the quick answer :)

[@aeludor4475]

We have 2, Fluval 2.5g Betta tanks (kits) Should I ditch the carbon insert in the foam block, for a cut to size sponge filter?

[@Smalltimetanks]

If you had say a small bag of carbon would it be beneficial to put a small peace in a shipping bag ?

[@Loachie90]

What about Purigen?

[@elijahdontrelljones]

Hey Cory, I have a question I grow plants and sell em but would it be harmful to me growing the plants if I put some carbon in my tank

[@n.b.p.davenport7066]

I have an aquarium setup now I have never done a water change. And never cleaned the gravel. An extra extra thick layer of gravel and sand will do the job because there's plenty of bacteria that will do the work for you

[@TheSalient1]

Cory would you agree that the better option would be to use purigen over carbon as it does everything carbon does and more , plus lasts longer, and can recharge if want, not to mention the reduction in ammonia ,nitrite and nitrate as it breaks down (so it says) ,let me know thanks

[@mitch.el420]

Purigen is a good product but like carbon it loses it’s effectiveness rather quickly when there’s a lot of fines and DOCs in the water column. Purigen is also more expensive (while “rechargeable” Unless you are testing for specifically phosphate and find an excess, I would keep using carbon just for the clarity of water and leave the resins out of the tank ✌️ I’ve had success with purigen when setting up smaller reef tanks, but these systems always outgrow the need to use resins that strip waste as biological cycles establish

[@TheSalient1]

Hey Cory is the fishkeeping goat! Leesssee gooo cory make goat shirts ! You are the mike Tyson of fishkeeping yyyaaaaaa

[@Grand-Massive]

Could you fill the inside chamber of a sponge filter with carbon or the uplift tube and would it have any effect? Also if you did that with lava rock would it make the bubbles smaller if you couldn't run an airstone with the filter?

[@mitch.el420]

Carbon works best with high flow, I’ve left bags of carbon in places I think have high flow like near sponges but the best I’ve found is a reactor or powered filter. Smaller bubbles are accomplished by using a more fine airstone and turning down the air pump 👍

[@missyajohnson2]

Uhhh I accidentally dropped a good bit of carbon on the flooring and I legit can’t get it all is this going to kill my fish?!! I don’t wanna replace all the gravel 😭

[@bryce4085]

so if I got a bunch of tannins in a planted tank that I want removed I'm good to run a bag of carbon for a few days?

[@lunchlinezz296]

I am going to remove my carbon from my filter, is there a medium I should add in it’s replacement?

[@sambetta21]

I changed my tank . I have a hang on back filter Aquaclear with sponge pellets and charcoal. I wet the charcoal and all the rest until dust was out. My water is treated and had a goldfish for 6 years with no problem with the water I use (spring water treated . The next day one gold fish died. , one has visible blood inside and the other doesnt look well either I took the sponge charcoal and pellets out and rinsed them the charcoal has continuous black coming from it . Never rinsing clear. Is something wrong with it. The water was clear but the next day it was cloudy . I am about finished if anymore fish die which I can say they are mighty close. I have had fish off and on since I was 16 and never had this problem with the water. Any ideas I bought an airsone , motor and sponge but am afraid it will come to late . we dont have a major pet store locally only a small one that doesnt carry a lot. I just dont know what is going on with the fish , tank , filter can anyone give me some feedback I had to take the charcoal out because I am sure that is what clouded the water as it looks

[@leo2o915]

Cory how long you think it takes to remove medication from a aquarium?

[@enigma533]

How much grams per gallon of aquarium? To be used

[@johnjwedrall4290]

Very helpful video 👍 ❗️even though I disagree with using carbon. 😊 I don't use it. In my aquarium tanks.

[@kathrynthomas6390]

There's a time and place for it. Removing medications, toxins, etc. I keep it on hand, but don't use it unless necessary

[@jhaych]

One issue with the constant use of carbon within my reef tank is that it can directly cause HLLE in my tangs, which basically strips their skin off them, horrible thing.

[@Alex_wrld]

i have a carbon filter for my fish tank and i forgot to rinse the filter and it dyed my tank grey, will my fish be ok?

[@AquariumCoop]

Yeah, they should be fine.

[@KittyKatForeverAndEv]

i wonder if theres a way to get rid of the tannins without taking away too much iron for the plants. the murky water does not look good without the lights on

[@nirvanaquatics]

You can remove tannins with Purigen, lots of planted tank enthusiasts swear by it for water clarity. www.aquariumcoop.com/products/seachem-purigen

[@mitch.el420]

Try using something like an intank filter or sediment filter to catch the particles that are making it murky. Do you have a sand bottom?

[@KittyKatForeverAndEv]

Yes! sandy bottom@@mitch.el420

[@xisotopex]

does carbon remove fertilizer?

[@ckwcheung]

I used cheap carbon many years ago in my tanganyika tank with the hope to improve water quality but tragically all my fish died almost instantly. I didn't know why but calvus died straight away in front of my eyes. That's very sad. Can anyone tell me why? Since then I dare not use carbon anymore.

[@HisValor]

I put in a small amount of carbon in my 10 gallon tank, three of my gold mountain minnows died overnight. The carbon was the only thing different in the tank since I didn’t use it before, I don’t know if that’s the reason but I need to take it out now

[@HisValor]

By the way, sorry for your loss. I was sad to see mine go

[@cichlaocellaris8304]

Filmed yearsago, orthe old room still hidden somewhere?🤔

[@sheilaedmonds5306]

U can add it to a sponge filter and it's safe for fish? Also does It harm the plants?

[@Ali-Muscle]

Aw mannn. I have plants in my tank

[@normrubio]

Maybe this relates to using carbon, I’ve always been hesitant to use lids on my tanks that fit “too well”. Yeah they limit evaporation but does that also not allow off gassing of aquarium waste “stuff”? In this case, would the carbon help remove all that “stuff”?

[@mitch.el420]

Carbon doesn’t assist with gas exchange, but if you are running a HOB filter with air slits or something similar, a tight fitting lid shouldn’t be an issue, just make sure air can get in somewhere and that place has high flow (ie ripples to indicate surface tension breaking)

[@normrubio]

@@mitch.el420 thanks. I was thinking not of carbon and gas exchange of waste, but the carbon pulling the waste chemicals out of the water column.

[@mitch.el420]

@@normrubio carbon is not removing waste from the water column, it just strips tiny particles to make that “crystal clean water” with no discoloration. You could use carbon to attain crystal clean water, but that water is still unhealthy for fish should it not have enough oxygen or should it have too much ammonia/nitrite/chlorine 🤗

[@bguen1234]

Rivers and lakes don't have CO2 injection systems.

[@Wanfish70]

Nice..👍

[@thedude7319]

07:10 you meant "air" instead of oxygen here

[@vpin.27b]

Timestamps would be helpful!

[@philthyphil3324]

I've been keeping and breeding fish for many years with great success, I never use carbon.

[@Lookin4LoveInAllTheWrongPlaces]

I have a FX6 on a stocked 75 gal. I run sponge and lava rock. Is my water "crystal clear" NO. But my water is healthy as are my fish. I clean my filter every 9 to 12 months. I do water 50% changes every 4 to 6 weeks. I must add my tank is "established". I do not have live plants. My Severum will not allow them in their home. LOL. My fish are over two to three years old. My current stock is 3 red spot Severum, 2 gold gourami, 5 Australian rainbow, 5 giant danios, 7 peppered cory cats, 4 red eye tetra, and 1 bristle nose pleco.

[@user-bh9yk2wv4w]

I use it because I want no smell

[@DavidSiebert]

There is no CO2 in Oxygen. There is CO2 in the air but even air is mostly Nitrogen. Activated carbon is a tool. If you do not have plants then it is probably going to be a good tool to use. But just like every tool it will depend on the situation. Sorry if this is being too pedantic but I am an engineer and I really loved chemistry so this to me would be like saying you can keep a Beta in a cup on your desk. It is just wrong. "And yes I feel bad for the Betas at big box stores when I see them. They just don't look all that healthy or happy in those little plastic cups.

[@PepeCoinMania]

there is no way to use carbon and keep there forever, you must always change after two weeks or something otherwise it won't work anymore

[@lickmytoaster9550]

Actually getting the wood really hot with no oxygen just makes charcoal, you have to run super heated steam through it to get the holes and make “activated” charcoal. Not trying to correct you, just a tidbit I thought some people might like. Edit: this is from my own personal knowledge and experience and I could be wrong but I believe that’s right

[@-AndrewR]

👍🏻👍🏻

[@stevenmcfarlane4477]

You lost me when you said "oxygen has cabon dioxide in it" also get to the point!!!! Growing old waiting for the 5 things.

[@n.b.p.davenport7066]

You recharge your carbon. With saltwater

[@htc148]

y is it called easy carbon tho

[@nirvanaquatics]

Because other competing products are labeled as "CO2 booster" or "Carbon booster/supplement" and most customers who use those products would recognize it for what it is based on Easy Carbon carrying a similar name.

[@danm8004]

Oxygen has carbon dioxide in it, right? ... No

[@brandonlasvegas]

🙏😎🏆🥇

[@joewittstock]

Look so young.... a re run.......accurate up date required,,,,,

[@djguppyfish]

Sir… you just know how to explain things… thanks

[@derekellisCAN]

I only use carbon for medical use. If I need to clear my water I use API ACCU-CLEAR.