Buying A 10 Gallon Tank Help! (Top Fin 10 Gallon)

[eaglesaquarium]

I recommended the API master kit which is around $30 and has everything you need. You can also buy the tests individually. The API ammonia test costs about $10. That's the first test you will need.

retail most places sell the ammonia only for like $ 10

i just found this on amazon

http/www.amazon.com/Aquarium-Pharmaceuticals-Aquarian-Freshwater-Master/dp/B001EUG8RO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1304611716&sr=8-1

thinkin i should prob just buy this instead

You can do better than that!
Link.

Even with the standard shipping costs, you still are ahead of the game versus amazon!

lol at that website it'd b $25.18 total

amazons $25.05 and i get 2 day shipping free (prime) =)

So, you are laughing at saving 13 cents. Laugh if you want, but I think that a single source for high quality fish products at low prices that also offers free shipping (flat rate of $5.99 otherwise) is a nice thing to know about. The link I provided to you was for more than just that product. I got my Penguin 350 filter from them, on sale, with a rebate plus free shipping when I bought all the other stuff I needed. Fosterandsmith offers a refund, replacement, or credit if not satisfied - no questions asked. I thought that would be helpful, but continue to laugh about the 13 cents.


Seriously though, you can get some great deals from fostersandsmith.

 

[thezodiac]

I recommended the API master kit which is around $30 and has everything you need. You can also buy the tests individually. The API ammonia test costs about $10. That's the first test you will need.

retail most places sell the ammonia only for like $ 10

i just found this on amazon

http/www.amazon.com/Aquarium-Pharmaceuticals-Aquarian-Freshwater-Master/dp/B001EUG8RO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1304611716&sr=8-1

thinkin i should prob just buy this instead

You can do better than that!
Link.

Even with the standard shipping costs, you still are ahead of the game versus amazon!

lol at that website it'd b $25.18 total

amazons $25.05 and i get 2 day shipping free (prime) =)

So, you are laughing at saving 13 cents. Laugh if you want, but I think that a single source for high quality fish products at low prices that also offers free shipping (flat rate of $5.99 otherwise) is a nice thing to know about. The link I provided to you was for more than just that product. I got my Penguin 350 filter from them, on sale, with a rebate plus free shipping when I bought all the other stuff I needed. Fosterandsmith offers a refund, replacement, or credit if not satisfied - no questions asked. I thought that would be helpful, but continue to laugh about the 13 cents.


Seriously though, you can get some great deals from fostersandsmith.

lol but amazon was 13 cents cheaper?

anyways i got my test kit and the post above your shows the results

can u guys recommend whati should do as far as water test/changes at the moment? (i dont wanna do a ton of tests and burn through my kit)

 

[Randi]

Since you have some nitrites that means that things are happening in your tank Do PWCs to keep your ammonia below .25 and test daily. After the ammonia spike you will get a nitrite spike. You may also want to test your tap water for ammonia to see what level you are putting in when you do a PWC. Dechlorininator will make the ammonia in your tap water safe but you will still get a reading. A fully cycled tank should be able to remove the ammonia in your tap water and produce a 0 reading within a couple hours of a PWC. Don't worry about using up your tests. There are enough chemicals in thoes little bottles to do 130 of each test and after you are cycled you won't need to do nearly as many. I have cycled 3 tanks and am still using the same API master kit.

 

[thezodiac]

Since you have some nitrites that means that things are happening in your tank Do PWCs to keep your ammonia below .25 and test daily. After the ammonia spike you will get a nitrite spike. You may also want to test your tap water for ammonia to see what level you are putting in when you do a PWC. Dechlorininator will make the ammonia in your tap water safe but you will still get a reading. A fully cycled tank should be able to remove the ammonia in your tap water and produce a 0 reading within a couple hours of a PWC. Don't worry about using up your tests. There are enough chemicals in thoes little bottles to do 130 of each test and after you are cycled you won't need to do nearly as many. I have cycled 3 tanks and am still using the same API master kit.

gotcha so how much water should i change now ? like 50%?

and when i test my tap water should i test it before or after using dechlorinator>?

 

[Randi]

Yes, I'd do a 50%. Test straight from the tap, maybe you'll turn out to be one of the lucky people who gets good drinking water but most of us have some ammonia.

 

[thezodiac]

Yes, I'd do a 50%. Test straight from the tap, maybe you'll turn out to be one of the lucky people who gets good drinking water but most of us have some ammonia.

tested my tap water ammonia came up at .50 ppm

edit just realized i waited prob 3 minutes instead of 5

would that change things? do i need to retest?

 

[Randi]

It's fine, it wouldn't go down only up. So now you know that you have ammonia in your tap water so readings right after a water change will show a .50 Like I said, a fully cycled tank should be able to handle that in a couple of hours. What you are looking for now is for you levels to go down. Wait 24 hours and test again. Dechlorinator will neutralize the kind of ammonia in your tap water (chloramine) but not remove it. There will still be a buildup of fish waste so you will need to continue with frequent water changes until you are cycled. If you are processing ammonia your nitrite levels will go up and you don't want to let them get above .5

 

[thezodiac]

It's fine, it wouldn't go down only up. So now you know that you have ammonia in your tap water so readings right after a water change will show a .50 Like I said, a fully cycled tank should be able to handle that in a couple of hours. What you are looking for now is for you levels to go down. Wait 24 hours and test again. Dechlorinator will neutralize the kind of ammonia in your tap water (chloramine) but not remove it. There will still be a buildup of fish waste so you will need to continue with frequent water changes until you are cycled. If you are processing ammonia your nitrite levels will go up and you don't want to let them get above .5

so your saying to take some tap water add dechlorinator let it sit overnight (in an open test tube) and test again?


the only thing is if i water change now the ammonia will still be a .50 ppm so whats the point other then removing feces?

 

[Randi]

Sorry, that wasn't clear. You don't need to test the tap water again, test your tank in 24 hours. That way you can see if the level is going down. If it's going down then no problem, if it's going up change the water. If it stays the same I would probably do a water change, but you could just add a little dechlorinator to the tank to neutralize the ammonia (this effect is not permanent)

 

[eaglesaquarium]

lol but amazon was 13 cents cheaper?

anyways i got my test kit and the post above your shows the results

can u guys recommend whati should do as far as water test/changes at the moment? (i dont wanna do a ton of tests and burn through my kit)

You can do less than 5 mL tests if you have a medincine syringe (available at your local pharmacy for under $1. - Put that 13cents to good use!



For example, for the ammonia test - it calls for 5mL with 8 drops. You could do the test with 2.5mL and 4 drops. For High PH, you could do 3 mL with 3 drops (same goes with the nitrite test). For nitrates, you could do 2.5mL and 5 drops, although that test is trickier... trust me on that.

 

[thezodiac]

thanks for the suggestion to use a syringe ill make sure to pick one up for ammonia tests, wont bother for the nitrates lol.

just id a water test and ammonia is still at .50 ppm

 

[thezodiac]

new thread started here:

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/360436-cycling-10-gallon-tank/

cycling info only pretty much