Can I use activated carbon instead of activated charcoal?

Question

I am making a carnivorous plant terrarium, and I need this to keep the water clean. Are the carbon and charcoal the same thing?

Answer 1

They are pretty much the same.  Charcoal is always the byproduct of something that was burned (basically a lump of carbon).  Activated carbon could be from other sources, but will serve the same purpose in soil.