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Can i reuse the carbon from my saltwater tank in my freshwater tank2007-11-24 23:10:44

i converted to a fresh water from salt water and want to reuse the carbon rather than buy new carbon.

could i just wash it and use it in my filter

Answers:

You can use it in freshwater after having it in saltwater with no problem. Depending on the quality of the carbon you are using and the biological load in the fish tank, carbon continues to absorb chemicals for 1 week up to 3 months, so if your carbon is depleted, you will gaining no benefit to using it in another tank.

You can recharge used carbon by backing it in an oven at very high temperature for about an hour, but carbon is cheap and doing this is a mess and hardly worth it.

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As long as it still works, then it should be fine.

~ZTM

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Yes, you can reuse it as long as you rinse it out.

HOWEVER, carbon isn't usually needed in a cycled, established tank. Carbon is used when you want to remove medications from the water, and it can help to keep your water looking clearer, but carbon is only effective anywhere from a week to a month before it starts leeching all the stuff it filtered BACK into your water. As long as you have adequate mechanical and biological filtration, chemical filtration via the carbon isn't needed. :)

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No carbon has a life span of around to weeks after that time it starts to leach everything it has sucked up back into your water.

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Freshwater fish can handle a low amount of salt on a regular basis and it can actually be good for them as it reduces stress, promote a healthy slime coat and can kill diseases. There isn't going to be such a massive amount of salt in the filter that it's going to hurt the fish at all, without even any rinsing. So, as long as the filter still has some life in it, it's fine.