I’ve read a lot of discussions on various forums on whether activated carbon should be used in a planted aquarium. Some people say it removes all fertilizers from the water column, some say it only removes iron from the water column. Personally, I don’t use activated carbon in my aquarium. I have enough plants, beneficial bacteria, and mechanical filtration that cleans my aquarium very well, and that’s if I also keep up on my water change schedule.
In theory, a heavily planted tank with plenty of water circulation and plenty of mechanical/biological filtration, you shouldn’t need to use chemical (carbon) filtration. In my filters, I use mechanical (sponges and pads) and biological (ceramic noodles, bio-balls) filtration. I also have a few blue mystery snails, and 3 Chinese algae eaters. In my opinion, if you have a good combination of plants, water circulation, mechanical and biological filtration, water changes, and a good cleanup crew (fish, inverts), you’ve got it made.
There are a few reasons I would use activated carbon in a planted aquarium though. Sometimes when new driftwood is put into a tank, the wood leaches tannins into the water making the water murky. Activated carbon removes the tannins from the water. I would also use activated carbon in the first few weeks of setup, if I were using a soil-based substrate, to help control the amount of excessive nutrients leaching out of the soil. Carbon is also good to use to remove medications from the water.
Do you use activated carbon in your planted aquariums? Why or why not?
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