Activated carbon has many uses in home aquariums, but the most popular and arguably the most important is to remove dissolved organic compounds from the water. Dissolved organic compounds (DOC) are the result of decomposition of undecomposed food, food digestion, and dead fish.
Although small amounts of DOC may be harmless, as a source of nitrogen compounds, they can cause water quality problems at higher levels. Dissolved organic compounds contribute to the yellowing of water between water changes and reduce light penetration, which is an important issue when maintaining photosynthetic invertebrates and macroalgae.
air purification activated carbon pellets Elevated DOC levels can also lead to the growth of seaweeds, increased DOC levels, and there seems to be a correlation between stress and certain fish diseases.
Another use of activated carbon is to remove other potentially toxic organic and inorganic chemicals that may enter the aquarium in various ways. Among the substances that activated carbon removes at least moderately are acetone, alcohol (including isopropanol), antifreeze, benzene, chloramine, chloroform, chlorine, chlorophyll, citric acid, dyes, herbicides, hydrogen peroxide, pesticides, iodine, Ketone oils, organic acids, pesticides, phenols (including those that produce unpleasant odors), radon, solvents and tar emulsions.
Since at least some of these chemicals are used in fish medicines, especially dyes, they usually remove carbon when they are added. On the other hand, the use of activated carbon to remove traces of drugs after treatment is a useful application of this material.
Although activated carbon will not remove all possible toxins or harmful chemicals, including ammonia produced by livestock, it will not substantially affect the hardness of the water.
china activated carbon manufacturers Activated carbon has little or no cleaning ability, including: ammonia, calcium, carbon dioxide, fluoride, lime, magnesium, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, sodium and iron. Lead and other heavy metals can only be eliminated by using very specific types of activated carbon that are not commonly used in carbohydrates.
Activated carbon has many uses in home aquariums, but the most popular and arguably the most important is to remove dissolved organic compounds from the water. Dissolved organic compounds (DOC) are the result of decomposition of undecomposed food, food digestion, and dead fish.
