> >Sodium thiosulfate will not break down the
> >ammonia released when chloramines are
> >split, by the way.
>
> Oh, OK---that's good to know. Really sounds like carbon is the way to
> go, then.
I've certainly never had the slightest problem using sodium thiosulphate
with ammonia over many years, nor have I ever heard of anyone having such
a problem. How does commercial chloromine/chlorine remover get rid of
ammonia? Most (all?) of them use sodium thiosulphate as their primary
ingrediant don't they? The bacteria in your filter should break any
ammonia down quite quickly since your fishes are producing ammonia all the
time. Of course, you could always add sodium thiosulphate, let the water
sit for a few minutes, then test for ammonia and see if there is any more
ammonia present than what is in water not treated with sodium
thiosulphate. My guess is that you won't detect any.
I'd say carbon has far more potential problems, like how do you know when
to change your carbon, and would be far more expensive in the long run.
In my unhumble opinion filter carbon is just another thing that people
waste their money on for virtually no benefit to the average fish keeper.
Cheers
Peter Unmack