Equipment Review and Discussion :: activated filter carbon

[savage Rock]

hey guys, sorry if this a re-post or anything lke that.

i have left over activated filter carbon from my cousin and i decided to use it to replace the biochem zorb in my filstar xp3 canister filter.

i put the carbon in panty hose that i got from a dollar store ( i heard it works although i felt awkward purchasing it ). and WOW was there a lot of dust.

anyway, my question is, do you guys continue to rinse the carbon until there is no longer any color in the water? because i swear it never seems to go away. i rinsed for a good straight 10 mins and the water was still pretty black here and there.

anyways the instructions on the box wasnt too clear. just 'rinse thoroughly'.
i got fed up and used it anyway after it kind of cleared down a little bit. my tank hasnt been crystal clear yet the way it was with bio chem zorb. with the biochemzorb it only took 3 days for my water to clear up but its been almost a week and still no improvement. i have a lot of biospheres, scrubbies and chemstars as bio media.

the carbon is by 'aquarium pharmaceuticals inc.'

thanks!

[LilTurtSquirt]

[BullDog]

Are you just rinsing it or sort of rubbing it? I've found if you sort of continually rub the carbon together (just by smooshing it around in your hand inside the bag), it'll just keep coming off black. When I rinse my carbon, I usually smoosh it a little bit to make sure all the carbon gets wet, and then just run the tap over it for a short while.

Could also depend on the brand of carbon. Right now I'm using fluval carbon, and it seems to have very little dust.

[savage Rock]

alright thanks guys.

bulldog: yeah i rubbed it together, i noticed when i did that more and more would come off.



did you guys notice a difference in your water soon after? cause i realllllly want my water crystal clear again...lol

[BullDog]

I don't really notice much of a difference when I change out my carbon, since I usually do a pretty big water change at the same time. But I think over the long run it keeps it clearer longer...

[marisa]

When I used AP's carbon bags, I never rinsed them until the water is completely clear, just until the water didn't run really black anymore and I was reasonably sure there was no "dust" that would wind up in the tank. Somewhere on the package I think it says it's not necessary to rinse until the water is clear.