Of the three types of filtration used in the reef aquarium hobby today, biological, mechanical, and chemical, it is chemical filtration that is possibly the least understood. This post is all about activated carbon, the most popular type of chemical filtration used in aquariums. What is activated carbon? Activated carbon is a chemical filtration media that is very well suited for removing dissolved organic compounds. The benefits of regular use are crystal clear water and removal of foul odors. An additional benefit of carbon is it binds up some of the toxins released by tank inhabitants that are used by those organisms to wage chemical warfare against their neighbors. Activated carbon is essentially just charcoal that is treated with oxygen to open up millions of pores at the microscopic level. These pores make the carbon highly reactive by way of adsorption. Adsorption differs from absorption in that adsorption is accomplished by a weak chemical bond that occurs only at the surface of the compound. More: The Role of Activated Carbon in the Reef Aquarium… More:
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