Activated Carbon

[AJinNY]

Following the fungus cure, which turned the water green, I did a partial water change and put the activated carbon into the filter after treatment was complete.

How long does it take for the carbon to absorb the chemicals and for the water to be clear again...approximately?

thanks.

 

[sasquatch]

its usually pretty quick, how much carbon and how much water?

 

[AJinNY]

this is my smaller tank...10 gallons and Id say about 1/4 cup carbon....should I put more carbon in? or do I have have to wait and give it time?

I mean the color all does come out, right? It doesnt stain the acrylic front, right? Maybe a stupid question, but I wanted to ask.

Unless I have to do more water changes over the next couple of days.

 

[PEMfish]

I would replace the carbon every week for 2 weeks. And do More than normal W/Cs. 3 25% in two weeks +/-. After those two weeks Resume normal activity.

 

[sasquatch]

pure malachite green will stain acrylic, most fish meds are are not pure, the carbon should be fine and water changes every other day would be very good on a 10 gal, how often do you usually change water and how much?

 

[AJinNY]

pure malachite green will stain acrylic, most fish meds are are not pure, the carbon should be fine and water changes every other day would be very good on a 10 gal, how often do you usually change water and how much?

wait - so youre saying my tank is now stained and the even when the carbon takes the green out of the water, my tank will still look green???

 

[CATALYST]

I have a qt tank that the silicone is still green. The tank is glass though. I don't know what will happen to the acrylic.

 

[sasquatch]

pure malachite green will stain acrylic, most fish meds are not pure the carbon should be fine and water changes every other day would be very good on a 10 gal, how often do you usually change water and how much?

methelene blue is awful on silicon, stays there forever

 

[AJinNY]

I did another water change...the water I took out still had a hint of green but not nearly as much as before.

The acrylic doesnt appear stained to me.

Yet when I replaced the water and turned the light on, there was a greater hue of green than I would have expected.

At the bottom of the tank I noticed a lot of the originally white gravel had turned somewhat greenish since medicating the tank.

Could the green I be seeing mostly be a reflection of the light on the green covered gravel?

 

[sasquatch]

i think the stain is uptake from the slime and algae, it will pass, did the treatment work by the way?

 

[AJinNY]

did the treatment work by the way?

I used that fungus cure which turned the water emerald green.

did it work? yes and no.

one fish didnt make it...I think it was too late byt he time I started treatment.

All the other fish are still alive and a lot of the fuzzies are gone from the fish. All are swimming and all are eating like pigs which I take to be a good sign.

Two of the fish, one more than the other, still has some markings on it....one fish towards the back half of its body and the other towards the front and top. Im not sure what it is - Im prettysure its not ich.

Could it be a bacterial thing of some sort that the fungus cure didnt take care of? I tried searching for photos online but nothing fits the description.

If it IS bacterial, can I treat right away, or do I have to give the tank a "break"?

But the fungus cure DID help...Im sure of that.

Thanks!!

 

[sasquatch]

PICTURES!!! maybe an idea will come of it, this could come back if not diagnosed, do you have a quarantine tank available?

 

[AJinNY]

these are the best photos I could find....look at the top part of the fish...not sure you can figure out whats wrong with this fish.

HELP!!!

 

[sasquatch]

does look like Columnaris, heres a bit of info
Fish Disease - Columnaris

 

[AJinNY]

so then it is bacterial and I should get some meds for it, huh?

its beena couple of days since i have begun mig water changes since treating for fungus...is it ok to begin bacterial treatment this soon?

thanks.

 

[sasquatch]

how did you use the carbon? if used correctly then yes go ahead but dont run the carbon while treating, you should really get a qt tank makes it a lot simpler to treat without disturbing or destroying your bio filter

 

[AJinNY]

the carbon was put in with the filter media to absorb the funus medicine.
but the water is still somewhat green which you said is probably the algae being "stained" by the meds.

I can take out the carbon and introuduce the new meds but who knows now what the water color will be.

 

[sasquatch]

all part of natures design, another real good reason for a QT, keeps the display from being a tie dyed t shirt, if your starting a new round of meds, pull the carbon out and do a water change, then medicate to the instructions, good luck with this its all kind of vague as to if it will or won't work

 

[panmanmatt]

Do not use antibacterial meds ( antibiotics) in your display tank. They will kill off your bio-filter and lead to water quality issues. Your bio-filter is made up of bacteria, the meds kill bacteria.

All medicating should be done in a separate hospital tank.

 

[PEMfish]

Hi Matt.
I agree, the DT is no place for treatment.