First Home Test... Not So Good?

[Miss Wiggle]

i wouldn't worry about it for nitrate, studies show most common trops can take nitrate levels up to 400ppm before suffering any adverse affects, 20-40ppm won't do them any damage.

i wouldn't do it as matter of course on any tank, just if your cycling with fish and have ammonia in the tap water it seems like a good idea!

 

[fishsupper]

my cycle has had a little blip as i had to take the filter media and give it a rinse in tank water as the cloogging indicator on my fluval 2 plus had pushed all the way up nitrite now processing in about 24 hrs again before it was 15 hrs.{ bummer} just tested my ph and it has risen up to near 8.2mg/l kh has been lowering every day

 

[Bblou]

I live about three miles away from my boyfriend. I will check my tap water when I can.

So just to be clear, weekly water changes unless the levels in the tank become higher than the levels from the tap?

What percentage of water should i change as a weekly change? I think you said 30.. or split into two changes.
if it becomes higher levels than the tap and I go back to daily... then what percentage?

And lastly, how often should I test? daily? weekly?

I think I am up to speed enough now ... (but you know what thought did!!)

oh.. one last thing... the products you can buy to lower pH.. are they worth using?

 

[waterdrop]

Most often we test twice a day during periods where questions are trying to be answered as in your situation. As you gain confidence in the pattern, you can get by gradually with less.

You don't want to use products to change pH. That is something where first the decision of whether to do it at all should be discussed here with MW and others for a bit and then if you decide to change pH, the methods can be discussed here also.

By the way, I -am- one of those old guys who used to read about and do many of the wrong things (there were actually respected books emphasizing that you do various things that today would be considered a wrong approach, especially for beginners. I can attest to the history change that MW wrote so well about up above. The newer approaches and emphases here on TFF are much, much better in my opinion and watching out for "old advice" is a constant thing one must now learn to do!

Good test kits, good testing, understanding the nitrogen cycle, understanding fishless cycling, learning all the details of good water change technique, understanding and carrying out good maintenance procedures -- all these can make a huge change in your success as a new hobbyist and all are discussed in very good ways here on TFF I think.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Bblou]

Ok, thanks waterdrop.

Ill test when I get up and a few hours b4 I goto bed and see what happens

Thanks all

 

[Miss Wiggle]

I live about three miles away from my boyfriend. I will check my tap water when I can.

depends weather you have your own transport how easy it would be to bring water around, i wouldn't even consider it on the bus, but would definatley think about it in the car!

So just to be clear, weekly water changes unless the levels in the tank become higher than the levels from the tap?

What percentage of water should i change as a weekly change? I think you said 30.. or split into two changes.

well you have a choice, either one weekly change of around 30% or two 15% changes in a week (like one at the weekend, one midweek.... whatever works for your routine but roughly half a week apart). Unless the water in the tank gets worse than the tap water.

if it becomes higher levels than the tap and I go back to daily... then what percentage?

whatever %age it takes to bring the levels in the tank down to the same level as the tap water, it's gonna depend how much higher than the tap water your levels are, probably start off with a 30% change, an hour after the change test the water again, if it's still higher then you can do another change to bring it down and so on until it's where you want it. You get a feel for it after you've done a few and then know roughly how much water to change. Remember all these %age's are just a guess, if it's a bit under/over don't panic, it's just a useful way for us to explain the amounts of water we're talking about.

And lastly, how often should I test? daily? weekly?

daily for now, as WD say's twice if possible, but don't sweat it if you can only manage once. once the tank is cycled you can go to weekly testing, then after 2/3 months it'll become monthly, then when the tanks mature and established you'll probably only test when you suspect something may be wrong.

I think I am up to speed enough now ... (but you know what thought did!!)

youre certainly getting there! well done!!

oh.. one last thing... the products you can buy to lower pH.. are they worth using?

nope, as WD said, they're rubbish....... pH is a tricky one to adjust, often it's better to leave it as it is and slightly too high/low for your fish rather than try to mess with it.

if you do want to change it then stick a post up explaining why, we'll help you decide if it needs changing, and if it does we'll then advise you what the best way to go about it is.

 

[Bblou]

thanks guys!

I did another test when I got home earlier, didn't bother with a water change though.

The ammonia is almost completely yellow now!! Yeyyy! somewhere between 0 and .25
The nitrate was somewhere between .5 and 1 as well. Nitrate was still 20, and no change in pH either.


Ive just filled up bazils (betta) new home. It is a 5ish gallon tank. Is that ok for him? How many fish can I get in that small a tank? I need to now go and re-read fishless cycling!! I cut a bit of the filter sponge out of the current tank and swapped it with a chunk from the filter from the new tank. I hope this doesnt cock up my improving readings

 

[fishsupper]

Any update from the water from your own tap

thanks guys!

I did another test when I got home earlier, didn't bother with a water change though.

The ammonia is almost completely yellow now!! Yeyyy! somewhere between 0 and .25
The nitrate was somewhere between .5 and 1 as well. Nitrate was still 20, and no change in pH either.


Ive just filled up bazils (betta) new home. It is a 5ish gallon tank. Is that ok for him? How many fish can I get in that small a tank? I need to now go and re-read fishless cycling!! I cut a bit of the filter sponge out of the current tank and swapped it with a chunk from the filter from the new tank. I hope this doesnt cock up my improving readings

Is any of the two tanks fully cycled because if they are not i wouldnt disturb the media because you could be back to square one again 5 gallon is ok for the betta on its own

 

[Bblou]

ohhh... no not yet! I havent been home. I was confused then... I thought 'i have given them my tap results'.. then I remembered that I don't live with my boyfriend.. I keep forgetting that lol. I sleep here every night so I do really live here, but none of my belongings are here (minus the fish and this laptop) because officially I dont.

Confuses me lol!

I'll try pop up in a bit to do a test.

 

[fishsupper]

Remind me again where the fish are your house or the boyfriends house LOL.

 

[Bblou]

haha.. theyre at my boyfriends.

I keep going to ring my mum to ask her to test her tap water, like its a perfectly normal request for someone with even less knowledge than me and no test kit!

 

[fishsupper]

yes tropical fish keeping warps your mind get used to it because you will get addicted LOL

 

[Miss Wiggle]

5 gals is a nice size for a betta, however for now i would keep him in the main tank while it cycles, once it's all cycled then transfer a bit of media over, if you do it now you're just gonna have two cycling tanks instead of one, so twice the water tests, twice the time and twice the work!

unless of course the betta is causing problems in the main tank? is he picking on anyone?

 

[Bblou]

well he doesnt seem to good!

he is charging at the gourami a lot and on the betta page they reckon hes stressed out and exhausted.

I am hoping it is just that and not that he is poorly. he doesnt eat much but they also said i need to vary his diet.

he just hides a lot or lies in plants or in the bottom until the gourami comes close then he flips out. doesnt attack... think hes just being uber territorial for now.

he will probably turn nasty soon or just give up though. although I dont know that for sure. I had allready put the media in the new tank.. i must have read the fishless cycling thing wrong.

The levels in the new tank are practically the same as the one hes in now and the temp is the same.
I have a filter in the new one but no aeration and no live plants.

Dont know what to do for the best!! he seems miserable and the littler gourami looks a bit alarmed, although the one he chases seems fine.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

no the guys in the betta forum are right, you just hadn't mentioned his behaviour over here and i hadn't spotted the thread over there. so to get this clear, do both tanks have filters? if so then divide the media up between them and move the betta over. you'll then have a fish-in cycle in both tanks but at least won't have aggression issues on top[ of water quality issues.