Buying replacement Carbon for my scrubber---whats the difference?

[caljim]

I've been looking into refilling my scrubber but there is a lot of variation in price and type----coconut carbon, carbon carbon, air process, water process, e-bay, the hydro shop, aquarium store.....the hydro store has got a 35 pound box of can fan brand carbon for $100 and ebay sells a five gallon bucket for $35---whats the difference?

Can some experienced peeps chime in here and point me in the right direction----caljim

 

[hoosierdaddy]

Go for the ebay bucket. Can't get it for cheaper. The hydro guys stuff won't be better, IMO.

I personally use Fresh Step cat litter, but it needs changed every grow.

 

[caljim]

Thanks for the input hdaddy, but I'm looking for the ....I used the name brand and the ebay stuff...worked the same/did not work for me....bought it from here or there personal experience.......

cat litter is great if it worked for you, but tell me you used the 5 gal bucket from ebay and it worked well, or did not....thats what I'm looking for , a good first hand experience.

somebody out there has refilled their filter numerous times, stand up be heard!

 

[hoosierdaddy]

I have seen several people mention purchasing the 5gal from the guy on ebay. Never heard of anyone complain about it.
Fresh Step cat litter works for me because, 1) it has activated carbon in the mix 2)the rest of the medium is also good at absorbing odors 3) my scrubber is larger than what is needed and is very efficient.
If your filter is adequate, then you too can probably use any of the available products with no problems. The activated carbon game preys on the aquarium folks and dictates the high prices, when their product is not going to be of a noticeable higher quality than what the guy on ebay has. Activated carbon is going to have a small window between the best and the worst. Not much can change what it is.
Just trying to help you there.

Perhaps you would have better luck with your inquiry by doing a search on the topic.

 

[Chaghatai]

It's all about the surface area of the granules. The best grades have smaller, more porus granules. There's a reason that keepers of the most sensetive species of coral use the very best stuff. For removing odors, better carbon allows for one to use a smaller scrubber, or sustain higher cfm. Good results can be achieved with the less expensive grades however.

 

[cough_cough_eer]

I've used the ebay 5 gal carbon with good results,

 

[caljim]

Thanks for the quality responses---hdaddy, changhatai, and cough cough eer!

Thats really what i was looking for, a first person account of someone using the bulk stuff found on ebay.

Hdaddy---I do like the cat litter idea, just a never really struck me until you said it that activated carbon is one of its components.

The search button is a great tool, just couldn't find that first hand account.

I will post up my results with the ebay 5 gal of carbon in a few weaks.

Thanks for the help,
caljim

 

[lpski420]

I just began using a Phat filter about 6 months ago.. It's supposed to be good for up to 2 years... How would I go about replacing the charcoal in it.. is it just something you turn over and dump out or do you need to take it apart.. Is it worth repacking yourself.. Or just buying a new one?

 

[caljim]

lpski420----my filter has a couple screws holding the top on. unscrew, dump, refill-----then shake the contents until it settles, top off.......repeat this until it is uniformly filled and screw the cap back on....you might want to clean or replace the prefilter at this time also.