No, it is generally believed that there is no truth in the fact that too much carbon can affect a fish tank negatively. When activated carbon is added to a fish tank, it will only filter out and remove the impurities found in the water column. It will not remove anything else from the water so you shouldn’t worry about adding extra carbon in. It will not affect your fish tank in any way.
The efficiency of activated carbon in your aquarium’s filters depends on two main factors. Firstly, the amount of activated carbon which is added to the filter and secondly, the amount of time the impurities in the water have remained in contact with the carbon.
The more carbon in the filter, the better it will be at doing its job. Think of it like an army. A small army wouldn’t be able to fight off as many impurities as a larger army of carbon. Also, the contact time of the impurities and carbon can easily be affected by the flow rate of the water. Therefore, slow running water is the better choice. Activated carbon must be placed in running water as it is only able to filter the water that passes on top of it. It can not reach the impurities of the aquarium water indirectly.
Simply put, the more carbon you have in your fish tank, the better the results will be. Setting your water to a lower flow rate will give the carbon more time to be in contact with the water impurities and contaminants. The longer they can fight these impurities, the better the carbon will be at absorbing them.
It’s important to note that you should check the rating of an activated carbon filter before you purchase one. These filters are all rated on the average size of the particle that they can remove. The most effective activated carbon filters have a rating of 0.5 microns while the least effective on the market are rated at 50 microns.
Best activated carbon for your filter
One of the most recommended activated carbon for your filter is from MarineLand Diamond. Their Premium Activated Carbon is one of the best choices when considering price and benefits.
Just remember that you can not just add carbon to your aquarium filter. You must store them in a recyclable bag such as the Fluval SPEC Carbon Filter bag to keep the carbon in one place so no carbon particles are released into the water.