Chemical Filteration?

Question

What are the various components of chemical filter media, I know carbon / charcoal, but what kind of charcoal I must use? Tell me about other types of media that I can have for a freshwater aquarium.

Answer 1

Charcoal (okay) and activated carbon (better) are both types of carbon that are processed at different temperatures. You don't HAVE to use either one. Their main purposes are for removing medications, dyes/color (like leaching driftwood), and odor (and depending on what the ordor's from, you'd probably be better off doing a water change!). It's also good for removing hormones and toxins of some of the animals kept in saltwater.

Disadvantages of using activated charcoal are that it doesn't remove all compounds, it can only adsorb so much before it needs to be replaced, and too many aquarist rely on it to solve problems that should be solved differnetly (like a water change). It also has the ability to release some substances back into the water, but only in certain circumstances. The attraction is based on an electrical charge. So an ion with a small charge (say a +1) can be replaced by an ion with a +3, leaving the +1 ion back into the water. Besides the "granules", you can also get this as a pad to cut an place in the filter.

You've already got a number of answers about zeolite (looks like white rocks, removes ammonia) resin pads that selectively remove ammonia, phosphate, and calcium/magnesium/metals. There's a polyfilter resin that removes organics, medications, and metals - and it changes color to indicate what material was removed - so it can help solve "mystery" ailments. product examples: http://www.southbroadwaytropicals.com/ItemPages/FilterMedia.htm , http://www.petstore.com/ps_ViewItem-idProduct-AP7341.html , http://www.animal-house.co.uk/acatalog/filtration_internal_biomarine.html ($7+ US for a 4"x8" pad), http://www.seachem.com/products/product_pages/Purigen.html

Most of these pads are one time use only, but some products can be recharged by soaking them in bleach or salt, then rinsing. Expect to pay more for the rechargeable type.

Answer 2

There are different methods to "chemically" treat the water. Some of these ways include: ion exchange, adsorption, chemical bonding, and molecular destruction. There are many different media that you can use in the chemical filter, and in different applications. Some of these chemicals include: carbon, zeolite, peat moss, calcium hydroxide, poly adsorption pads, and other chemically treated media. There are also many other additives, and vitamins to aid in supplementing the efficacy of the chemical filtration.
The difference between mechanical and chemical filtration is that mechanical removes the undissolved substances in the tank while chemical removes the dissolved.
Activated charcoal is used and is purchased at a pet or marine store.

Answer 3

There are tons of options - any kind of carbon/charcoal is fine - there's lots of brands at the fish store. What you might consider is a carbon mix with an ammonia reducing solution.

There are also filtration media for:

Reducing nitrates
Reducing ammonia
Reducing phosphates
Hardening/softening water
Maintaining PH/alkalinity

Just be sure not to overload your filter - if the water can't flow properly it might overflow and worse you might not get enough oxygen back in your water.

Answer 4

Chemical differences contain changing the chemical residences of a answer. to illustrate, in case you burn wood into ash (combustion), you're changing the chemical residences by fact the molecules of ash now no longer behave an identical replaced into as they do for wood. Filtration is merely a purification approach. in case you clear out water, you nonetheless have water. you're merely removing the impurities from it. it is going to nonetheless have H2O molecules and it freezes at 0 levels C, etc. Evaporation is a metamorphosis in the state of be counted. Such differences are continuously actual differences. same reason as filtration: in case you boil water, the ensuing steam remains H2O molecules. they're merely much less dense and don't carry a shape o.k.. The molecules are chemically same to their liquid counterpart (it relatively is nonetheless all H2O), yet they're merely ina diverse state of be counted. same for ice: ice remains H2O, whether it relatively is merely ina diverse state. subsequently, it relatively is merely a actual substitute.