keep the carbon or not? (planted tank)

[ducksarefun]

I'm contemplating removing my carbon from my tank because I have read that it removes neccessary micronutrients that my plants would absorb otherwise. Will this have any adverse effects on my fish? I just added a loach yesterday, so if it is ok to remove it should I wait a little while to avoid doubling the workload of my bacteria?

 

[Somonas]

I would remove the carbon. with plants in there you don't really need to worry about a lack of biological filtration for a few days (it wont really be a lack anyway. there are plenty of other places in your tank where biological bacteria are).

 

[fishysmell]

How heavily planted is the tank?

 

[ducksarefun]

not heavily. there are four medium-sized amazon swords, a good sized amount of valisneria, some hornwort, and an algae ball. I plan on getting a few more plants soon.

 

[fishysmell]

Sword plants absorb nutrience almost exclusively from their roots so nutrience in the water will do them little good but the hornwort will suck up any excess nutrience so I'd say you'd be fine w/o a carbon. Just replace it w/ another sponge or some lava rock or something.

 

[ducksarefun]

I actually took out the carbon last night and I checked nitrites today and there were none. The hornwort had a big growth spurt, so I guess that explains why.