Carbon filters and blackwater.

[Ian Logan]

Hi All

Earlier this week I read a thread from someone who had set up a blackwater biotope but had discontinued the project as they didnt like the look of "black tea" as a front room aesthetic; I've tried to re-find the thread again for reference but without success.

Im interested to know of anyone has any knowledge or opinion as the to effect activated carbon would have on removing discoloration without affecting pH.

Is anyone using carbon for this purpose?

Thanks

Ian

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Im interested to know of anyone has any knowledge or opinion as the to effect activated carbon would have on removing discoloration without affecting pH.

I'm not an activated carbon user, but I think that the humic compounds that cause the water tinting are chelators and have anti-microbial properties, so when you remove this you lose some of their effectiveness.

You can reduce pH with an organic acid (like citric acid (C6H8O7)) that won't colour the water, have a look at Regani's posts in <"peat granules to lower pH...">.

cheers Darrel

 

[Ian Logan]

Hi Darryl

Thanks for the reply, Your point about chelating properties is taken.
I will check Regani's post again - thats a really good suggestion as the local tap water is around 300mm/L

Cheers

ian

 

[gerald]

Even a small amount of blackwater organics is probably helpful for blackwater-adapted species kept in very soft water. Use as much as you're willing to tolerate visually; it doesn't have to be black-tea-dark. Keeping fish in ultra-soft and acidic water without any blackwater organic compounds is probably stressful to their osmoregulation. Dissolved organics somehow help fish retain salt ions in the body when those ions are very rare in the surrounding water, but the mechanism of how this works hasn't been discovered, last time I tried investigating this.

 

[Ian Logan]

[QUOTE=" Keeping fish in ultra-soft and acidic water without any blackwater organic compounds is probably stressful to their osmoregulation. Dissolved organics somehow help fish retain salt ions in the body when those ions are very rare in the surrounding water, but the mechanism of how this works hasn't been discovered, last time I tried investigating this.[/QUOTE]

Interesting I hadnt considered osmoregualtion effect - thanks

Ian