Questions About Sand And Some Other Things

[jamesy100]

Hi all,

I am just about to set up my new 190 litre freshwater tank and have a few questions.

First of all, after searching high and low I found a supplier for aquarium sand (I live in Korea, and it doesn't seem to be popular with aquarists here). It arrived yesterday, and I immediately noticed that it has come from the sea, due to the large amount of seaweed it contained. I rinsed the first kilo bag about 5 or 6 times, but haven't been to be able to get rid of all the weed. I was wondering if the seaweed would cause any problems in the tank. I'm going to start a fishless cycle next week, and was looking for advice on what to do.

Secondly, I also received an external filter (PhilGreen EF 1300, rated at 1500 L/h). It has four types of filter media - bioballs, white, sponge, black sponge, and carbon. All of the instructions are in Korean, so it has left me a bit confused. I can't find any English instructions or reviews online, but the Korean reviews were pretty good, so I have no issues with the quality. The set up looks very similar to other external filters I've seen, so I was wondering if anyone knew of any online guides for setting up this type of filter.

The third question I have is about the cycle. My filter came with some bacterial gel called"JellNa". Do you reccommend using this to help start the bacteria colonies or should I just go with ammonia and let the filter do it's stuff? This brings me on to another problem. The only ammonia I can find here is in a water solution (NH4OH). Is this OK to use or should I be looking to use something else?

Sorry for all the questions at once, but I just want to make sure I do things correctly, and don't regret anything a few months down the line.

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[Baccus]

The seaweed may (well more than likely will) contain quite a bit of salt in it. Seaweed used wholey and soley as a plant fertilizer can slowly drown the plants in salt. If possible I would keep trying to remove the seaweed. Has it been floating when you agiate the sand? I was thinking if it floats it would make it easier to scoop out the weed with a fish net.
If you wanted to have a brackish set up than sand with some salt wouldn't be a huge issue, it will only cause problems if you where wanting to keep less salt tolerant fish.
Mollies, Guppies, Platties, Sailfins and swordtails are all fish that would handle any salt still in the sand/ weed.
Sorry can't help you with the filter, the searches I have done also only turn up in Korean.
I haven't heard of the product Jellna to kick start bacterial colonies, and sadly many people have had real hit and miss affairs using other bactria additiives from bottles. I would suggest give the Jellna a go but keep testing your water. If it appears to not be aiding in your cycle then look at using an ammonia source.
The following quote was taken from the net for uses for NH4OH "It is also known to be used by aquarists for the purposes of fishless cycling, but this requires that there are no surfactants or scents, it should be colorless and shouldn't foam when shaken up.

And don't worry about too many questions we are all here to help and learn from each other.

 

[jamesy100]

Thanks for the reply. The seaweed does come to the top when the sand is agitated. I guess it's just a matter of keeping going till I get it all. It'll be a long process, but looks like it's got to be done. I'll check with the supplier to make sure there is no soap in the ammonia solution.

Thanks again.