# using used carbon as a substrate additive?



## coryp (May 28, 2008)

so i was think about cabon last night when i couldnt sleep ...lol... but carbon absorbes nutrients when its fresh and then starts to leach them out agin after its used for too long so if i ran a filter with cabon olny in a 5 gallon bucket and dosed large amounts of npk untill it cant absorb any more and then wait till it starts leaching them out agin would it be a good additive in to the lower levels of substrate


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

coryp said:


> so i was think about cabon last night when i couldnt sleep ...lol... but carbon absorbes nutrients when its fresh and then starts to leach them out agin after its used for too long so if i ran a filter with cabon olny in a 5 gallon bucket and dosed large amounts of npk untill it cant absorb any more and then wait till it starts leaching them out agin would it be a good additive in to the lower levels of substrate


Carbon doesn't absorb nutrients from the water. It definitely will not absorb inorganic salts (such as the NPKs that you mentioned). Carbon absorbs DOCs (dissolved organic carbon (compounds)).


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## coryp (May 28, 2008)

doesnt activated carbon remove nitrate, phosphate , ammonia ?


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## dekstr (Oct 23, 2007)

You could use it as substrate, but it would be very expensive substrate. For its intended purpose (chemical filtration) it does a nice job. But for the same price, you can buy actual planted tank substrate that will do a better job.

I thought of the same question a while back and that's what people on plantedtank.net told me. : )


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

coryp said:


> doesnt activated carbon remove nitrate, phosphate , ammonia ?


No, it doesn't.


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