running carbon.....

[PeeJ]

I have a wet/dry filter...and its got the drip plate in the upper portion with all the little holes drilled in it.

Would it work to fill this drip plate with carbon? or not really?

[captexas]

Yeah, if you want to run carbon in that situation, you should put it in one of those micron mesh bags. Rinse it in freshwater to get any carbon dust out. You really don't need to run carbon all the time, just every now and then if your water looks alittle cloudy or if you have had to dose any medication and want to remove it. As Josh stated, you need to be careful so the drip plate doesn't clog. Most sumps have an area for carbon use that is simply a section of eggcrate. I really don't see a problem with a clog as carbon is run in all kinds of filters. Just make sure no other debris gets stuck in it.

[Instar]

The trouble is he is talking about the upper drip plate. The carbon bag or holding pad will quickly become clogged with junk and cause an overflow. The only way to prevent that if done this way is to only cover a portion of the center part of the upper drip plate so there is room for overflow to the sides and into the outer part of drip plate.