# DIY carbon filter cartridge



## cichlidkeeper

i tried coffee filters full of carbon, with a zip tie to close them. it worked for a little while, but eventually the coffee filters broke down and fell apart. now im thinking of usuing a thin cloth, like maybe cut sections of a plain white 
T-shirt. but im worried about detergents in the shirt. 

Has anyone tried this? i could use some thoughts on the detergent problem.


----------



## a0c8c

If you rinse the shirt, and rinse with a couple batches of fresh water you can easily remove any detergents from a shirt. Or, you can get steaping(tea) bags. You can get like four 3''x2'' bags four a couple bucks. They're usually cloth bags.


----------



## blonde.for.life

Dont know if this will help or not but i put my carbon in pantyhose..works great..never had any problems


----------



## jrodriguez

Lol
Good idea


----------



## garzaci

Soak your tshirts in water with a little vinegar and the vinegar will break down the soap. Then rinse a few times and you should be good


----------



## justin_b31

blonde.for.life said:


> Dont know if this will help or not but i put my carbon in pantyhose..works great..never had any problems



Hey great idea..i was thinking cheese cloth


----------



## Imaexpat2

Why not just use the little mesh bags that most SW folks use for carbon and resins. You can get them in a couple of different sizes. They are reasonably cheap and readily available. I use them in all of my Aquaclear filters and my sumps, as its a bit cheaper than using the pre-filled cartridges that you buy. Just a suggestion if you havent already thought of it...


----------



## aspects

or you could just leave the carbon out completely, since it isn't necessary for daily operation of your filter.


----------



## Tdawg1978

Cool idea!


----------

