can I use charcoal to remove extra residue medication?

Hi All, last week I dosed my tank with tetra general tonic because my betta has fin rot. He is now much better and I have just changed about 80% of the water but I want all the medication out as my plants are not liking it. I have a corner filter with noddles and on top of that filter wool. THis has all gone green from the medication.

1- should I add charcoal in between the noodles and filter wool, and how long should I keep it in.

2- should I change my filter wool and noodles? even just do a 50% change? Its all green but obviously I dont wanna lose my good bacteria. I just rinsed all the media now and put it back in the filter.

3- Will the charcoal have any effect on my betta or plants?

4- Is one does of the medication generally enough?

Thanks everyone!

 

@Bambithegirl: If you are going to rince your filter media under tap water you will kill all the beneficial bacteria, because the water is treated with all kinds of things that are designed too kill them.

 

Activated carbon will just remove the meds. So run that. And if you can stand the green stuff just let it be for time being.
Do your 20% WC run the carbon and just live with the green stuff.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Thanks marais. I have never used carbon, as far as I understand I rinse it with boiling water, then take my filter wool out, put the charcoal on top of my ceramic noodles and replace filter wool on top? Let it run normally for a few days then just take it out? Will that not turn my filter wool black, or do anything to my good bacteria? yeah my plants are taking a beating and ~Matisse my lovely betta is on the mend so I must get the meds out.

 

Put on top of the wool if you must. It might be a good time to replace the filter wool as well especially after illness.

Will not effect bacteria levels.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Also wont turn your filter wool black. Just rinse it properly to get rid of some of the dust, but otherwise you should be good to go.

Regarding your filter media, get some new ceramic noodles and replace hlaf of the green ones. Leave the half you replaced somewhere in the tank. Run it like this for a week at least, and then reppace the remaining half of your green noodles.

The idea is to give the bacteria chance to settle on the new noodles.

Sent from my SM-P605 using Tapatalk