1 - What is the difference between carbon and re-activated carbon?

2 - Will it get rid of ammonia,nitrIte,NitrAte and other chemicals? If it will please list

Thanks

http://science.howstuffworks.com/question209.htm

This is actually a very good explantion of activivated charcoal and its uses. You can chase it as far as you wish through the site.

ACtivated charcoal is mainly used by the goldfish keeper to draw medicines back out of the water after treatment. It will bind many medications as they pass through the filter. AFter a short time 24 hours, give or take, you remove the carbon and throw it out. It can only hold so much, and there are a few circumstances that could cause it to "leak" that which it has bound back into the water.

Carbon can also remove some odors in a tank, but since there are a finite number of "bonding places" in the carbon, it can "fill up" quickly with impurities and cease to function as a purifyer. It will then need to be changed out or removed altogether.

Carbon can also carry an average to fair amount of bio-colonies for your cycle. It does not have to be removed from pre-made cartridges if you are not using any medications or such in the water that it could bond with. It then simply becomes a platform for beneficial bacteria to colonate.

Some people remove it anyway, others do not.

Does that help?

Thanks, I was thinking of using it to reduce NitrAtes(+other chemicals) if i see any diff readings after i test the water, which is thursday/friday(im getting my first water test kit )