# Activated Carbon as Substrate



## nagukush (Oct 16, 2008)

Hi Friends !

I'm desperately searching for a Black Sand Substrate for my new Frontosa Tank (to sprinkle it on top of the White Sand - to give the Salt & Pepper look) but I cant seem to get it anywhere here in India. Just wanted to know if its ok to use fine grains of Activated Carbon as a replacement for the black sand.

I understand that it will adsorb a lot of stuff at first and may leach it out after sometime, but after that wont it become deactivated and inert ? Wont it be safe then ?

Kindly guide me friends, as I'm desperate for that look.
Thanks and Regards
Kush


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## howajj (Apr 8, 2009)

i would just wait to find the sand...see if yourlfs can order it activated carbon can darken your water a little. yeah id say just wait to find some


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## Scuds03 (Apr 27, 2009)

The problem with activated carbon is it is good at first as organics get absorbed into it. But once it has been there awhile I'd worry about ammonia spike as the carbon is going to be full of deaying organic material. Some may say the because its pourus it will be a good place for benificial bacteria to grow but honestly I'm not sure which theory is correct. Its one of those things that needs to be tested and I'm not aware of anyone who's done it so I can't tell you whether its good or bad as a substrate. If you want to be a guinnea pig do it and let us know how it goes :thumb:


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## Scuds03 (Apr 27, 2009)

howajj said:


> i would just wait to find the sand...see if yourlfs can order it activated carbon can darken your water a little. yeah id say just wait to find some


Thats why you rinse it first


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## howajj (Apr 8, 2009)

it still stains no matter how much you rinse unless you really have nothing better to do than spend too much time, imo, rinsing


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## mario chainsaw (Jan 26, 2009)

it will be fine to use once it adsorbs it wont release anything back into the water


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## ejhart (May 13, 2007)

Um I'm pretty tired and may not be thinking strait, but won't it just float?


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## smidey (Mar 15, 2007)

the carbon will absorb everything it can then after a few weeks (about 6) it will release everything it absorbed over the 6 weeks or so all at once. That will be very bad your your fish


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## under_control (Jan 9, 2008)

It won't float, but it is **** light. Won't work well at all. WIll float around every time a fish moves by.


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## xalow (May 10, 2007)

Many people suspect activated carbon to be a cause of Hole in the Head Disease. I don't use it at all.


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## ryand (Apr 10, 2009)

xalow said:


> Many people suspect activated carbon to be a cause of Hole in the Head Disease. I don't use it at all.


Does that include the activated carbon that in a filter. If so what else should you use instead?


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## apistomaster (Jun 22, 2006)

ryand said:


> xalow said:
> 
> 
> > Many people suspect activated carbon to be a cause of Hole in the Head Disease. I don't use it at all.
> ...


As a breeder of Discus for 4 decades I can say that activated carbon does not cause HITH.
But I don't use carbon because I change my water a lot; too much to need to use carbon. In general, carbon is not an essential material for keeping healthy fish tanks.

You may find that the coarse sand from local streams makes a good substrate. It is free. If it comes from soft water steams it will almost certainly be safe. Just wash it well.
Build a set of 1/4 inch and 1/8 inch sieves to obtain the sand for your tank.
I have used sieved stream sand extensively.


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## xalow (May 10, 2007)

I use normal filter cartridges in my filter though they tend to degrade into mush over time. Other people use pot scrubbers. Activated carbon can be useful when it is new for removing tannic acid or medications from a tank but due to the structure of it the pores in the carbon fill up rather quickly making it an ineffective form of chemical filtration. I also would not recommend zeolite crystals for most aquariums which in general are better off relying on biological and mechanical filtration rather than chemical.

It is good to hear from *apistomaster* that it doesn't cause HITH though as I used it years ago on one of my tanks and am hoping never to see that disease.


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## apistomaster (Jun 22, 2006)

You almost always see HITH when the conditions of run down fish, poor water quality and poor nutrition over a long time intersect.
Among Discus it is more common among stressed and starved wild fish and fairly rare among healthy well maintained domestic discus.
It isn't clear if this is a disease that lies dormant until the bad conditions arise or if it is just an expression of malnutrition and the other factors coincide.
It is apparently the same as lateral line disease which frequently manifests itself when reef fish have been captured with the use of cyanide or simply don't get the required diet in captivity.
In my 40+ year of breeding discus it has only occurred among a few malnourished wild caught discus and I have never been able to treat it effectively with any medication but I have seen it spontaneously go away with a few fish not too far gone when provided with excellent care.

I think some discus keepers believe that activated carbon may remove vital trace elements that lead to it's appearance. Given the amount of water changes discus keepers provide I find that theory to be unlikely. I don't think anyone really knows exactly why this disease ever occurs.
No direct cause and effect has ever been identified. 
Put it another way. How would one cause HITH to occur if that was your desire?


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