Filter agony!

Falina

I have a penn-plax cascade 400 internal filter. I don;t think it's a particularly excellent filter but it was cheap so I bought it until I can find a good one second hand somewhere or until I find out that it is actually doing a good job anyway.

My issue is that it has a "activated carbon cartridge" in it which is a box filled with stones or something! I have 2 issues with this cartridge:

(i) I don't want carbon in my filter in the first place. My personal opinion is that is unecessary. In a fully cycled tank, mechanical filtering is plenty. Also if I have to medicate, I will have to remove it anyway.

(ii) It's so noisey! I don't just mean you can hear a pump running, I mean that it rings in my ear 24/7 now whether I am in proximity of the filter, or even my house or not. I can't sleep with it running and my boyfriend is even staying with his parents until I can "sort that **** out!". I have had it running for over a week now and I've really had enough!

So my question is can I just remove the carbon cartridge? If I do, do I have to put something in place of it? There is a place for the sponge, and a place for the carbon as well in the filter so would I just fill the space with filter wool, for those small filters you often see in pet shops? Or leave it empty?

Please help, I would like some sleep tonight!

xingumike

yeah get it out its useless imo, i did the same with my external and replaced it with the fine filter floss.

I dont think you meant it that way, but are you saying that you have NO biological filtration now your tank is cycled or have i read that wrong?

Falina

The sponge filter provides biological filteration.

Thanks for your help. I'll remove it as soon a I buy floss, which will be first thing tomorrow morning!

xingumike

in that case go for it. carbon in filters is old school, like adding salt to freshwater tanks to stop disease, not needed

If you really like the things that carbon does use purigen, its much more effective and can be recharged, but as you stated its really not necessary.

Falina

Thanks for that. I won't use anything to replace it because I don't think it's necessary. I will just use some floss. The only reason it was in there to begin with is because the filter came with it - it wasn't a personal decision to put it there.

I'll look forward to a good ngiht's sleep soon - thanks :)

xingumike

no problemo :)

Andyandsue

I went through the same thing with my tank. It came with carbon so it's supposed to be there, right? Nope! It caused more trouble than it was worth. I use an empty filter cartridge (I cut away the attached floss and tossed the carbon) and put phosphate lowering floss on it, and a packet of Algone- **VIOLA** perfect water. And an added bonus, it's less expensive that those proprietary Eclipse filters!

Rue

I am SO old-school...I always use carbon...I like my water clear and sweet-smelling! And I use salt...my tanks inevitably do better (less fish loss, higher activity, less disease) with tonic levels of salt (1 tbsp./5g water)...

...so there! :P

Rue

Okay...not being the spelling/typo Nazi or anything (couldn't, even if I wanted to...make too many mistakes of my own )...

...but the word is 'voila' - with an accent (don't know how to do that on-line)...

...a 'viola' is a musical instrument, looking like, but larger, and an octave lower than the violin...

...and 'wallah' is an Indian term for a keeper...so you can be a book wallah or a kitchen wallah...etc.

Andyandsue

LOL. I even used SpellCheck!

Even funnier- I have played classical violin (not the viola, but at least that explains my typo!) for oh, about 30 years! :D