I worked at a specialty aquarium store and was told by a very knowledgeable
co-worker to boil the charcoal filter inserts to clean them and also to
"recharge" the charcoals absorbency . Of course no one at a pet or aquarium
store would openly admit this to the customers because of how many filter
inserts are sold as replacements. But, I thought I would mention it. I hope
this helps :)
Teresa
----- Original Message -----
From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 20, 2001 4:59 PM
Subject: [Gecko] charcoal chemistry
> Interesting question for y'all,
>
> Just to be safe and "eliminate" problems down the road, I typically pour
> boiling water over my terrarium mix, (prior to being in the tank, of
course)
> and let it steep...poor man's pasteurizing, if you will.
>
> My mix includes varying portions of fir bark, bed-a-beast, and peat moss,
> with a generous helping of horticultural charcoal, to absorb ammonia/urea
and
> cut down on the smell.
>
> Now, as I was draining today's batch, I remembered that my kitchen-sink
water
> filter (which is charcoal/carbon based) says to never run hot water
through
> it.
>
> So, to cut to the chase; am I eliminating the usefullness of my charcoal
by
> pouring boiling water over it? Should I add it to the mix after I
pasteurize?
>
> Many thanks,
>
> Neal Grant
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>
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