Can you use crushed up plain charcoal briquettes for the charcoal in aquarium filters?

Answer 1

No, No, Never, No way, not even once.

The charcoal in aquarium filters is "activated." as soon as it was burned, it was bagged up in an airtight container. When charcoal has just been burnt, all impurities are gone from it, and it is just a carbon framework that adsorbs other large organic chemicals, such as fish waste, medicine, and chemical impurities from the tap water.

The charcoal in charcoal briquettes is usually treated with flammable chemicals, which are usually oily, and will therefore form a film at the top of the tank, preventing the transfer of oxygen into the tank, gumming up your filters, and possibly even catching on fire there.

Even if the charcoal is not treated with these chemical additives, it tends to sit around in a home and garden store in a paper bag for several weeks. Any chemical impurities in the area (such as from other treated charcoal, or from garden pesticides and fertilizers) can be adsorbed by the charcoal at this time.

Anything that charcoal has adsorbed can be released into the water if the charcoal in the filter is left there too long, so using charcoal that might have anything at all in it already is a very dangerous idea for the fish.

Charcoal for aquarium filters works best if it is ground up to the smallest pieces possible, so as to maximize surface area for adsorbing. Charcoal for briquetters works best if it is compacted together to provide a solid, and slow burn, so even if you somehow found an all natural activated charcoal brand that was designed for your grill, and kept in airtight containers, it wouldn't be as efficient as the aquarium stuff.

If you're trying to cut down on costs, just stop using the charcoal entirely. All it really does is let you get away with changing the water a little less often. Zeolite works better for the purpose, and there's a way to make that stuff reusable... which might also be cheaper than always getting new charcoal.

Answer 2

Charcoal For Filters

Answer 3

No, you can't use charcoal powder; only use well-rinsed granulated or pelletized activated carbon. Powder will dissipate through the water and hurt the fish. There is thought to be a connection between hole-in-the-head (HITH), a fish disease, and carbon dust. But regardless, it will make the water black. In general, you only need to use carbon right after medication, or to remove other specific contaminants (such as if you prefilter tap water before adding to the tank). Some people use it to remove dissolved organics that gradually turn water yellow, but water changes will work for that and remove nitrates, too. @Black Kat. The glue is an interesting suggestion (though impractical, as you noted), but I'd like to comment that most glues would probably saturate the carbon with organic vapors and other chemicals, and coat many of its pores, too :) Commercial air filters have carbon stages with fine charcoal dust stuck firmly on fibers, but I don't know how it gets stuck there.

Answer 4

I watched a show that the guy made and crushed his own charcoal for a water filter.

I say test what you have to be sure there are no accelerants before drinking it.

Answer 5

No. That would dissolve in the water and could change your ph and hurt your fish . You should use the charcoal you buy at the pet store when you clean your filter you can wash your charcoal and reuse it.

Answer 6

The answer is yes, you can. But it will leave the water murky. Your best bet is to buy some "filtering" charcoal from your local pet shop. They may have the same stuff at WalMart, but I'm not sure.

Answer 7

the charcoal used in aquarium filters are a higher quality so don't use briquettes for it.

Answer 8

NO! But aquarium charcoal in VERY inexpensive.

Answer 9

the briquettes have a chemical added to them to help light them and is very toxic to fish so don't use it you will kill them and you will have to clean the tank and sanitize it before you could put more fish in it. If you need to contact your local pet shop they will tell you the same thing

Answer 10

i wouldnt. most of them have added chemicals to make them light faster. besides, you need activated charcoal, and i dont know if thats the same thing.