Marine Sand And New Set Up Advice Please.

[Vidster]

Hello folks

I haven't had a set up for about 12 years now but two weeks ago i bought one from my brother. I am hoping someone can look through this post and advise me on what is wrong (if anything).


Firstly the part that worries me the most. Marine sand. This is what it came with and it looks really nice but common sense tells me this is a no-no when it comes to PH levels. I do not have a test kit of my own yet but the water was tested last week and found to have a PH of 7.2. No doubt this is being helped by the 3 peices of bog wood i introduced. Can a tropical fish tank cope with marine sand in it or should i replace it asap?

The rest of my set up is:

Fluval 125 Roma tank and stand
Tetratec ex600 external filter (this was left filled during transportation to aid in the bacterial process once the tank was filled again)
150 watt Tronic Heater (set to 25 degrees)
6" air bar
4 plants (no idea how i am keeping those alive!)
3 peices of quite large bog wood
11 Neon Tetra

Is there anything missing from the setup as it is atm?

Thanks for any feedback.

 

[hillmar77]

What type of marine sand are you using? Is it aragonite or crushed coral? Or maybe just play or pool sand used in a marine tank? I mean with a ph of 7.2 I wonder how far your ph would drop once you remove the sand?!

 

[Vidster]

I just got off the phone with my brother and he's sure it is crushed coral.

 

[hillmar77]

I just got off the phone with my brother and he's sure it is crushed coral.

Well I would definitly check for you PH out of your tap then..... If I am correct, and your planning on keeping your big pieces of wood I would say the crushed coral would be working for you then against. If you are drawing a low PH out of your tap, with the addition of the drop in PH from your wood it might take you to a PH crash that could be fatal to alot of your fishes. The coral would buffer your PH to a rock steady 7.2, and its alot easier for your fishes to adjust to a steady PH then one that fluctuates. The only draw back on crushed coral is your limited to what bottom dwellers you can keep since it is pretty sharp.

 

[Vidster]

I'm already wondering about that very point. I have a little algae starting to appear. My plan was to buy a sailfin Pleco this week but i don't know how it will cope with the sand.

Will any algae eater be able to even clean sand?. It doesn't seem possible to me.

 

[hillmar77]

I'm already wondering about that very point. I have a little algae starting to appear. My plan was to buy a sailfin Pleco this week but i don't know how it will cope with the sand.

Will any algae eater be able to even clean sand?. It doesn't seem possible to me.

what color is this algae in the sand?! and is the gravel vacuum not able to clean your sand?

 

[Vidster]

Both green algae (on plants, bog wood and glass), and brown on the sand itself. I have stirred up the sand a little to get rid of the brown algae. I am leaving the rest for when i introduce a Pleco. Can't have the little guy going hungry on his first day can i.
I haven't tried the gravel vacuum yet. That is going to be another thing i buy this wed along with the tester kit and Pleco . This will also coincide with my first 25% water change.

Having spent a good few hours reading the forum i see that fish keeping has moved on a vast amount from the last time i kept tropical fish. This is one hell of a learning curve i am on atm.

 

[hillmar77]

Yeah the Internet has made alot of secrets and knowledge of the aqurium hobby available to everyone! Take it slow and enjoy the ride

 

[RobW1983]

To be honest, I wouldn't recommend getting a Sailfin Plec for a 125L, it would grow far too large for that tank.

 

[Vidster]

To be honest, I wouldn't recommend getting a Sailfin Plec for a 125L, it would grow far too large for that tank.

Could you recommend what type of algae eater i should buy?. Thanks

 

[waterdrop]

Bristlenose plecs stay small enough. One issue you may have is the difference in hardness characteristics between your tap water and the altered tank water. You can add a lot of detail to that picture by investing in a GH/KH liquid test kit and running experiements on your tap water, several hour tap water, conditioned tap water and tank water. I personally find it kind of satisfying to have a handle on those things but some find it overkill. One goal for you may be figuring out whether you just want to work with a new substrate (or not) both due to water chemistry and due to texture for the bottom dwellers. WD