Facts on charcoal bamboo.

[EvolutionZ]

hi guys, just want to get my mind clear on this.
was told that charcoal bamboo effect on absorbing nutrients and amonia etc etc only works for a certain period of time(from the pack of charcoal bamboo i bought from daiso says work only for 3months)

and i was told that after 3months not only does the bamboo loses the effect on absorbing stuffs but also will release what ever it absorb back into the tank, is this true or false?
can anyone clarify this? thanks

[anaconda]

Not sure about charcoal bamboo but those normal bamboo deodorant or charcoal filter in the stove hood, after using a few months you are suppose to sun it in strong sunlight so that it can release all the bad stuff into the air before they can be effective again

Maybe your charcoal bamboo also need to do the same thing

[freezze]

3 month is roughly the amount of time the charcoal absorb capacity is reach, once it reach is cap, it will not absorb anymore toxic, any toxic you filter through it will flow back into the tank. That why you need to change the charcoal after a period of time.

[StanChung]

Bamboo charcoal is more porous than the usual carbon and can be left in the filter for bacteria to colonise. The net effect is it becomes filter media for bacteria. Though it may leach chemicals back in, it is my understanding that bacteria eats the bamboo charcoal and toxins do not leach as theorized.

[Quixotic]

Just a note that the 3 months recommendation is specific and applicable for that particular brand. It does not apply on a general level because production process for different brands are probably different (therefore, different brands of bamboo charcoal are likely to have different "grades" and adsorption properties).

[illumnae]

the amount "pollution" that the charcoal is exposed to also affects the amount of time before the charcoal becomes saturated, i would imagine. 3 months might be the amount of time taken to adsorb X amount in Y concentration, but in say 2Y concentration, X amount might be adsorped faster

[Jervis]

In my humble opinion... the use of charcoal is not a must in the long term. It's useful at the initial run-in phase. Unless you are determined to change your charcoal (be it bamboo or not) every 2 to 3 months. It will probably do you less harm by not using them at all.

[b_goh88]

I heard a lot of such claim too. I did manage to ask one of my firend who is an expert in water treatment.

1) It will not leak chemical back to the water once it reach its saturation, it just don't work anymore and you need to change or reactive them.

2) Charcoal can be reactivated using high pressure steam. Salt solution, sunlight will not do the job. (salt solution is for zeolite).

[b_goh88]

If you are trying to remove NH4/NH3. you can try zeolite. I currently using a small amount in my 2.5 ft gold fish tank.

Before NH4/NH3 is around 1+ ppm, now it is zero (on day 1 and 5) . It can be reactivated using salt solution.

The problem with using zeolite is you need to reactivated or remove them before they reach saturation cause they will leak out those chemical they absorbed, when they contact with salt.

Using zeolite is not a long solution, I use it because of heavy feeding of my goldfish and I only change water (15 to 25%) once every 2 to 3 days. Most people would have daily water change to control their NH4/NH3.

[StanChung]

By the way, bamboo charcoal has different properties compared to activated carbon. The difference is the porosity. A/C in general isn't porous therefore is suitable for use not longer than 1 month IMO though your mileage may vary.

IME, you have to consider bioload and how much activated carbon you are using.
You can tell your activated carbon is saturated if your tank water colour is starting to get darker yelllow/green/tea coloured.