Do I need to use carbon?

My FOWLR tank has been up and running for about 8 months now. I had a 75g years ago and after about 6 months I stopped using carbon, and I am considering doing the same. Is there any harm done by not using carbon?

 

The carbon can help with removing pollutants from the air in your house and growth controlling hormones released by the fish. That being said it is not needed if you maintain your tank well.

 

no, alot of people dont use carbon.
i always do though, it helps remove toxins in the water and also helps clear the water.
if i dont run carbon i can tell within a day or 2. the water will look almost hazy.

 

A little carbon is very cheap insurance. I don't know why you would not use at least a small amount 24/7?

 

I havent' used carbon in my system in years. Only when it appears that a Softie is having issues or I have medicated the tank and its time to remove it.

 

You do not have to, but I agree it's a great idea. Spending money on carbon compared to the cost of fish and inverts, seems like a wise choice to me.

 

+1 GAC is an extremely efficient exporter of organics and removes a lot of other nasties bound to them. Great insurance.

 

No you don't need to use it, in fact some may argue its harmful. There has been shown to be a correlation between carbon and lateral line erosion. In freshwater it has long been thought to be a factor in HLLE.
Activated carbon indicted in inducing head and lateral line erosion — Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine

 

24/7 for me along with chemipure elite.I've always kept leathers known for thier toxic warfare and have always felt the extra insurance couldn't hurt.I've also never knowingly had a bad result from using it.Back in my freshwater days and earlier sw days when I still used tap water,i also used it to help remove pollutents from my city water.Again,never had an issue.I believe carbon is a must.

 

It's more highly associated with lignigous carbon than bituminous carbon, which very much points towards the mechanic causing HLLE being fines rather than overall usage.

Even if carbon (as a whole) was going to cause HLLE, the benefits far outweigh the chance of HLLE. It's known that incidence of HLLE can be reduced by feeding more/highly nutritious foods, but there is no way of combating many of the other organics that carbon will remove from the water. I couldn't run my tank without carbon, as there's no way to remove the toxins chalice corals emit otherwise.