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Ricksza

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Nov 8, 2018
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Location
Bensalem, PA USA
Getting back into the hobby after a 45 year hiatus. After all that time, everything has changed so much, so I'll be looking over a lot of the older posts before I start asking the same questions over again. Putting together a 54 gal community tank.
 
Hi and welcome to the forum :)

and welcome back to the hobby :)

There have been some changes over the years and fish that use to be considered tough are now rubbish and susceptible to all sorts of problems, and other fish have horrible new diseases that can't be cured. Before you get any fish, post a list of the fish you like and we can go through it and say yes or no.

Try to find out what the general hardness (GH) and pH of your water is. That will help us guide you towards fishes that are suitable to your water conditions. You can usually find the GH & pH on your water supply company's website or by telephoning them. Alternatively take a glass full of tap water to the local pet shop and ask them to test it for you. Write the results down in numbers when they do the tests. The GH will be in ppm or dGh. You should check which one the test is done in.
 
For fish, I was thinking of: 6 x Cardinal Tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi), 5 x Cherry Barb (Puntius titteya), 3 x Molly (Poecilia sphenops), 4 x Emerald Green Cory (Brochis splendens), 10 x Cherry Shrimp (Neocaridina heteropoda), 6 x Zebra Danio (Danio rerio) & 4 x Golden Oto (Otocinclus affinis). I think they will all get along, and won't grow too big for the tank. I hope to get some live plants today.

I just filled it up a couple of days ago with treated tap water and added API Quick Start Water Conditioner. I checked the water with my API Freshwater Master Test KIT and Ammonia, Nitrite & Nitrate read 0, PH reads 7.6. I didn't check for hardness yet, I'll need to call today, but I don't think that will be a problem. Can't wait ti have some fish swimming.
 
All the fish listed except the mollies like soft water with a GH below 200ppm. However, mollies are pretty weak these days and don't do well in water with a GH below 250ppm. So depending on what the GH of your water turns out to be, will determine if you get mollies or not.
 
Otos need a well established tank or they can literally starve to death as they feed constantly off algae / biofilm and often won't eat pellets.

Personally I would go for fewer species and more of each, bearing in mind what Colin has already said about hard vs soft water. seriousyfish.com is a good resource for researchin species and their requirements.
 
Welcome back to the hobby & to the forum! I too came back to fishkeeping after many years off, you can learn much and get so much stuff/fish on the net.
 
Otos need a well established tank or they can literally starve to death as they feed constantly off algae / biofilm and often won't eat pellets.

Personally I would go for fewer species and more of each, bearing in mind what Colin has already said about hard vs soft water. seriousyfish.com is a good resource for researchin species and their requirements.
Otos need a well established tank or they can literally starve to death as they feed constantly off algae / biofilm and often won't eat pellets.......
Definitely holding off on Otos for a while and will supplement with algae wafers when they do arrive.
.....bearing in mind what Colin has already said about hard vs soft water. seriousyfish.com is a good resource for researchin species and their requirements.
I know my water is hard, but don't know how hard. My water supply company said they did not have that information. Had the water tested at my local fish store, they said the PH was 7.0.
 
Your local pet shop should be able to test the hardness too or you can buy test kits for it. But you normally only test for hardness once in a blue moon to see what you are dealing with.
 
Your local pet shop should be able to test the hardness too or you can buy test kits for it. But you normally only test for hardness once in a blue moon to see what you are dealing with.
I went to the local fish store and had my water tested. ammonia, nitrate & nitrite were at 0 and PH read 7.2. When I asked about hardness he said they don't check hardness bu PH is an indicator of hardness and that was okay. I have a hardness test kit coming.
 
Picked a Tetra 5-in-1 EasyStrips Test Kit. Nitrates, Nitrites read 0, PH read 6.8, KH=40, GH=75. From what I understand, it tells me that the water is slightly hard. Is this something I should test on a regular basis? Should I order a regular test kit as opposed to the strips?
 
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If the GH and KH are in ppm, then your water is very soft and hasn't got many minerals in. Soft water is good for tetras, Corydoras, rasboras, angelfish and South American dwarf cichlids, but it is bad for livebearers like mollies, platies, swordtails & guppies.

Most barbs & danios are fine in soft water but do better in water with a GH around 150ppm. They should be fine in your water tho.

Basically avoid mollies and other livebearers and the rest of the fish you listed in Post # 3 should be fine.

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You don't actually have an ammonia test kit and they are helpful when first setting up a tank. You can buy the kit separately and the liquid test kits are usually a little more accurate. When buying test kits or medications, check the expiry dates and don't buy any that are kept in a warm room. Heat destroys the chemicals in them so try to avoid buying them if they are next to a window or something that produces heat (like a fridge). And don't buy them if they are in a fish room.

Keep your test kits in a cool dry place, out of reach of children and animals, and wash your hands with soapy water after using them.

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Ammonia and nitrite should be tested several times a week during the first few months of a tank's life, then you check them if the water goes cloudy or the fish look unwell or die.

Nitrates can be checked once a week after the filters have cycled. Nitrate test kits will read nitrite as nitrate, so if there is nitrite in the water, you get an inaccurate reading.

GH and KH can be checked once a month if you like, just to make sure the water company hasn't started altering the water. they don't normally but it's good to check every now and then, just in case.
 
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If the GH and KH are in ppm, then your water is very soft and hasn't got many minerals in.
You don't actually have an ammonia test kit ............

I think maybe these test strips aren't accurate. I know my water is considered hard, but don't know how hard. I think I'll just order the API GH & KH Test Kit to suppliment my API Freshwater Master Test Kit (that's what I did my other water tests with)
 
I use the strips as a quick check, but the liquid test is much easier to read accurately.
 

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