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Substrate: Zeolite


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is it a good idea?

does anyone do this?

pro's and con's.

i was talking to one of my mates about zeolite living up to its claims(removes ammonia and other pollutants and the fact that it can be recharged)

i thought of using it in my fry grower tanks but i though i'd consult the doc first

which is you guys!

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Zeolite is a good filter media and possibly could be used as substrate, the only reason i can see not too is that you would have to remove the zeolite if you needed to medicate the tank. Zeolite is used for chemicals spills etc so any medication going in the tank gets removed very quick.

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thanks for the quick reply,

i don't really have to medicate my fry grower tanks so i'm ok on that front but do you think that zeolite would remove conditioning/buffing and aging chemicals etc. ?

and how about salt would it have any affect on salt dosages etc.

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If you want a material that offers much the same bacterial colinization properties yet is chemically inhert you may also want to look into 'diatomite'.

It's available cheaply in Australia and comes in a range of sizes.

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When you use Zeolite in you filter it will also remove (absorb) ammonia and they way to recharge Zeolite is to soak it in a high concentrate of salt water over night so if you added salt to a tank with Zeolite in it it would release any ammonia that it had absorbed. Which I would say could harm if not kill any adult and especially fry in the tank.

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hmmmm thats one to stew over.

i'm kinda leaning towards the diatomite but i am waiting on replies first before i go all out.

by the way guys would i be going to places such as flowerpower to get diatomite or does anyone here get it from a lfs close to blacktown or anywhere else?

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Cumberland Produce in Cambeltown had 40 litre bags of medium size diatomite. Last time I got one (a few years ago) it cost me something like 14 bucks. Otherwise call up Col at the Maindenwell mine in QLD 07 3843 1182 and find out who has what size down in Sydney. I think the coarse size would probably be better than the medium I have (7-15mm graded) but the medium size is best for orchids so it's all I have.

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Considering it's physical construction being spaces created by fossilization as opposed to gaseous voids I would think it has more surface area. I may be wrong, as I'm not a geologist. It's much lighter by volume than scoria which would also suggest more space. It sure looks nicer to me as well.

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