# Me again!



## DollyGirl08 (Dec 1, 2012)

Few more questions. 

Is the filter and the pump the same thing? I'm getting confused. 
I have a Juwel 180. People mentioned getting a pump for twice the capacity....so do i change just the pump....and the Juwel inbuilt filter is ok ?
Also, about the filter (if it is ok), at the mo it has in the black sponges, which seem to be carbon sponge? But there is also white ones, green, blue...all are different. What is the difference? Does it matter which i have in there? 

Also, gravel seems to be really expensive...£10 for a small bag  I'd need about 5 of these bags to make a small covering! 
So, is it ok to use normal garden gravel, obviously washed first? 

Sorry about the constant Q's...want to get it all right before i set it up properly and add my fish.


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## NaomiM (Sep 22, 2012)

The Juwel internal filter is pretty good, but the reason people have suggested getting extra filtration capacity is that goldfish produce a lot of waste. If you did want to add an extra filter, this one's good value for money: All Pond Solutions - 1000EF Aquarium External Filter - All Pond Solutions You'd just run it alongside the built-in Juwel one, and since it's external, it also slightly increases the water capacity of your tank, which is also a good thing.

As you only have 2 fish in there though and they're babies at the moment (are you still planning on moving your Comet to a pond in the summer?), I reckon you'd be OK with just the built-in filter for now, so long as you keep up regular partial water changes and syphon the gravel each time. You might want to think about adding an external though in the future.

You should have two types of green sponge (fine and coarse), and these provide the surface area for the good bacteria to colonise. The blue sponge might be a nitrate removal sponge, but if it's second-hand its nitrate removing properties may be used up, in which case it will just function the same as the green sponges. (Nitrate removal sponges aren't generally necessary anyway unless you have a temporary problem with high nitrate due to a rotting plant or something.) The black is carbon, which it's best to take out during a fishless cycle or it will slow the cycle. To be honest, I wouldn't bother putting it back in after the cycle, but replace it with another green sponge. Just keep hold of the carbon in case you need it in the future to remove meds from your tank.

The white one is a wool pad to trap the solid waste and stop it clogging up the filter. You'll need spares of this, as it will need replacing every month or so.

Put the green/blue sponges in the filter first, with the white wool pad on top. During the cycle, you don't need to do any maintenance on the filter, just leave it to build up a good bacteria colony. Once you're cycled and have fish in there, just give the white pad a swill around in old tank water every week or so to clean it, or replace it if it's starting to fall to pieces. With the other sponges, just clean _one_ of them per month, again swilling it in old tank water.

Hope that helps!

With gravel, the problem with garden gravel is making sure it's inert, i.e. that it won't mess with your tank pH or contain any trace metals that may leach harmful substances into your water. You're best off with proper aquarium gravel or sand. Go for one with large smooth pieces, as goldfish when they get big have been known to accidentally swallow small pieces of gravel! But do shop around a bit, as you should be able to get a large (8kg or so) bag for about £10-12.


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## DollyGirl08 (Dec 1, 2012)

Thanks, you've been really helpful. I've ordered the api kit, so have timeti get sponges and gravel. 
I'll probably only have a couple of fake plants. 
Can't wait till it's set up properly! 

I do have a friend with a pond with fishes already in, so when the comet gets a little bigger it can go there, and i can get another fancy.


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