if i understand right carbon can be harmful in long term (?)but these pellets don't effect my goldfish in any way, but thats also fresh water -so was wondering if anyone tried with salt-just my curiosity-also pellets is throw in and let em work -dosing is lots of money and fancy equipment
now just to let you know i have no intention of doing this but just to understand a bit more .are they not both natural cleaning agents,where vinegar would be more on the acidic side and where pellets would be opposite-more like a fiber filter?i mean think about it...some of most beautiful rivers get there source from water that has flowed through rock sand and land,a natural filter,but again not sure about salt water
The biological filters used to manage water quality in a salt water aquarium are “natural”. The need to add ”unnatural” things to an aquarium to deal with accumulating waste arises because the aquarium is overstocked. Don’t overstock your aquarium or goldfish bowl and you won’t need to add anything. Even more natural is not to force fish to live in tiny glass boxes.
azgardens.com
ok so barley straw produces peroxide and vinegar lowers it quickly -i have the pellet made just for the pond and says safe for fish ,now the pellets dont kill the algea -its still grown on the plastic of the pond but my water is super clear and fish alive and well(if racoon dont get em)so maybe its different?iv had the pond set up for at least 5 years now-no problems? i sure thank everyone for their knowledge on this-its helping more than you think!!You are suggesting it is a mechanical particulate filter? I'm not suggesting that. I don't think it would be especially effective or easy to clean, etc. if that was the intent. If you are looking for particulate filters, I don't see any advantage of it over something like a filter sock.
When I look back at my posts from 17 years ago, it is barley straw that was mentioned a few times, not pellets. Anyway, it is suggested to work in freshwater aquarium by breaking down chemically and releasing compounds that are claimed to hurt algae, as well as possibly binding some trace elements such as copper. I do not know if those folks know what they are talking about, and I would not recommend addition of those organics even if it was true, but this is what one site says:
Barley Straw Natural Pond Algae Control for sale online | AzGardens.com
Barley Straw Natural Pond Algae Control for sale AzGardens.com 5-Star ***** quality since 1987 Fish & Aquatic plants Shipped to your door
"The barley, as it decomposes, slowly releases hydrogen peroxide and humic acid into the water at levels that are toxic to algae. This process begins around the 29th day of the barley soaking in your pond, so consider this time requirement when it’s time to add a new bundle. "
All organics that are used for organic carbon dosing, tend to produce CO2 when they are consumed and that tends to lower pH. Vinegar (compared, to, say, vodka, just lowers it more when first added and less later when metabolized.
