I Need Help

[the_lock_man]

Maybe, maybe not. Probably not, I s'pose. You are now trying to get the 2 bacteria colonies bigger again. SInce you are getting DOuble Zeros after 24 hours, you should be having to dose every 24 hours, but not necessarily getting DOuble Zeros after 12, until the colonies have grown again. Once you're getting DOuble Zeros after 12 hours, check that the same thing happens again for a week, then you are cycled, and it's FISHY TIME!

 

[tigerchilly]

ah cool....should i check nitrate aswell..

and what about the ph levels?

 

[the_lock_man]

I wouldn't worry about nitrate at the moment. You can check it, you should be seeing a fairly high reading. I noticed that you didn't last time, and I suspect that this is a false zero - the nitrate bottle no.2 needs the blue-blazes shaken out of it, seriously shake it for 2/3 minutes. The reagent which colours up in the presence of nitrate is a powder, which can precipitate out of the solution. It needs shaking like that to get that powder re-dissolved. This is the other reason why I don't use API tests!!
 
Yes, check pH, ensure that it is above 7.0, but you are making such good progress that I'd be surprised if it's worringly low.

 

[tigerchilly]

ok thanks...ive heard so much about api masterkit so thats why i bought one...which one do you use?

 

[the_lock_man]

I use Salifert. Usually found in the LFS in the marine section, but the ammonia, nitrate, nitrite tests are perfectly ok for use in freshwater.

 

[tigerchilly]

is that for saltwater fish?...

and also you think it's about time for me to look into fishes.

i wanna get colourful fishes.
1-easy to look after
2-schooling
3-maybe algae eaters
4 maybe catfish
if you can recommend anything i do have heaters...cold water fish maybe easy to look after.

i had a jungle theme in mind with tigers and zebras and horses.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

What are the dimensions of the tank?

 

[tigerchilly]

its a 120l tank....sorry i was supposed to write that.
filled with gravel,rocks,slate and 5 13cm silk plants and 2 20cm silk plants
more on the way

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Ok... 
 
"lions and tigers and bears, oh my!"
 
 
I see the "tiger" barb in your profile pic.  I'm going to suggest AGAINST them as a part of your stocking list, as they would eat up nearly all of the available space, were you to keep a properly sized shoal ~12 (this minimizes aggression).
 
 
But, a very similar looking, slightly smaller, and far less snarky option would be "Five banded barbs".  A group of 6-8 would be nice.  This would meet the "tiger" option.
 
As for the "zebra" I would suggest a "panda" instead.  A group of panda cories would also do very nicely, a shoal of 8-10 would work well.  
 
And finally the "horses" leads me to believe you are looking for an "oddball" species of some sort.  While not exactly an "oddball" you might want to consider a single keyhole cichlid, a Bolivian Ram, or something along those lines.

 

[tigerchilly]

how many of the oddball would you say.

so these are obviously tropical.

what would you reccomend for coldwater ( colourful and shooling)
wow i really like those banded barbs.
do you think it would be ok to buy these fish from local breeders rather than lfs.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

1
 
 
"temperate" fish:
 
White cloud mountain minnows would be 'colorful' and 'shoaling'.
 
 
And its ALWAYS ok to buy from a local breeder.  If they are a reputable breeder, you'll probably get better stock at a better price.

 

[tigerchilly]

what tropical fish can stay in cold water like room temp.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

"tropical" fish can't stay in room temp water.  "Temperate" fish can.

 

[tigerchilly]

the list of fishes you gave me before are they temperate?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

No, tropical.  I thought you said you were going to go with a heater.