it's not recommended to make our own activated carbon at home for aquarium use . Regular carbon made from coconut husk has a much lower absorption capacity and can also cause algae growth in the aquarium due to its high phosphate content. Activated carbon is effective in absorbing smells and removing aquarium medications from the water, but it should be replaced every month or two to prevent leaching of phosphate back into the water. It should also not be used in planted tank setups as it will absorb trace elements and fertilizers that are essential for the growth of aquarium plants. When treating the aquarium with medication, activated carbon should be removed from the filter media to allow the medication to reach the fish.
As we all know aquarium activated carbon is produced from materials like coconut husk. Since we can quickly have carbon by burning coconut husk in our home we may sometimes think it is best to make our own carbon at home to be used in the aquarium than buying activated carbon from the pet store. What we need to know is the raw material for activated carbon is for sure regular charcoal. But when a regular carbon is heated and treated with chemicals the absorption power of activated carbon increase a lot. for example, one gram of activated carbon will achieve a gas absorption capability of 32,000 square feet which is almost equal to the size of 16 houses at the same time regular carbon produced from cocknut husk will have an absorption capacity of only 5 m2. from this alone we can understand that for meeting the capability of one gram activated carbon we need 600 grams of regular carbon
Activated carbon and regular homemade carbon differ in a lot of ways. Activated carbon is less in phosphate at the same time normal carbon is high in phosphate which can cause algae growth in the aquarium. so it is always advised to use activated carbon instead of regular carbon. On top of that if we try to use activated carbon for a prolonged period of time in any aquarium they can leach out phosphate from the activated carbon back to the aquarium which can increase the presence of phosphate in aquarium water so it is advised to replace activated carbon after a month or two.
What are the benefits of using activated carbon in aquariums? Activated carbon is mainly used in the aquarium for absorbing smell from the aquarium water Activated carbon is so popular among indoor aquarium hobbyists as it absorbs smells.
The second benefit of activated carbon is for removing aquarium medications from the fishtanks. as it is a good absorbent it can absorb the trace of aquarium medication from the water .since activated carbon can absorb aquarium medication from the water we need to make sure that while we treat our aquarium with any kind of medication we need to make sure that there is no presence of activated carbon in our filter media. If activated carbon is present in filter media will absorb the aquarium medication right away and the fish will never benefit from the medication.
We need to make sure that we don't use activated carbon in any of the planted tank setups as aquarium plants need trace elements for their growth. One issue with activated carbon is that carbon in the planted tank will absorb all the trace elements and fertilizers that are essential for the aquarium plants to grow.
activated carbon is made from materials like coconut husk and other natural materials, but it is treated with chemicals and heated to a high temperature to increase its absorption power. This process makes it much more effective than regular carbon made from coconut husk.
Activated carbon also has a lower phosphate content compared to regular carbon which can prevent the growth of algae in the aquarium. However, if it is used for a prolonged period of time, it can leach phosphate back into the water, increasing the phosphate level and therefore it's recommended to replace it after a month or two.
Activated carbon is mainly used in aquariums for absorbing smells and removing aquarium medications from the water. It's important to note that when treating the aquarium with medication, activated carbon should be removed from the filter media as it will absorb the medication, preventing it from reaching the fish.
It's also important to note that activated carbon should not be used in planted tank setups as it will absorb trace elements and fertilizers that are essential for the growth of aquarium plants.