Help Water Test

[menacer]

Finally... after a horrible one month of having a tank with no fish i have my API water master test kit. It was a horrible wait but its for the best. Here are the results from my first test. Please feed back for me.

Ph: 7.6

high ph: 7.8

Ammonia: 0 ppm

nitite no2-: 0 ppm

nitrate: no3-: 10 ppm

Thanks for your time.

 

[The Taffy Apple]

Finally... after a horrible one month of having a tank with no fish i have my API water master test kit. It was a horrible wait but its for the best. Here are the results from my first test. Please feed back for me.

Ph: 7.6

high ph: 7.8

Ammonia: 0 ppm

nitite no2-: 0 ppm

nitrate: no3-: 10 ppm

Thanks for your time.




Have you been 'cycling' the tank at all?

 

[menacer]

Finally... after a horrible one month of having a tank with no fish i have my API water master test kit. It was a horrible wait but its for the best. Here are the results from my first test. Please feed back for me.

Ph: 7.6

high ph: 7.8

Ammonia: 0 ppm

nitite no2-: 0 ppm

nitrate: no3-: 10 ppm

Thanks for your time.




Have you been 'cycling' the tank at all?

Yes i used filter start etc...

 

[Whitey_144]

Finally... after a horrible one month of having a tank with no fish i have my API water master test kit. It was a horrible wait but its for the best. Here are the results from my first test. Please feed back for me.

Ph: 7.6

high ph: 7.8

Ammonia: 0 ppm

nitite no2-: 0 ppm

nitrate: no3-: 10 ppm

Thanks for your time.




Have you been 'cycling' the tank at all?

Yes i used filter start etc...

is this your tank water or tap? i recommend testing your tap water straight out the tap and tap water left out for 24hrs, just for a record for future water changes.

What fish are you looking to keep? PH is 7.8, so would be good for guppies, mollies etc and african rift lake cichlids.

sorry what is filter start? is it a bottle you buy to pust in the water and mature the tank, i think most people on here beliee they aren't very effective and the best way to get the tank rady is to add abou 4ppm of ammonia (can get from boots iin UK) and keep a log (see my sig), then once the bacteria is colonised enough to consume 4ppm of ammonnia and nitrite in 12hrs you're ready for fish!

theres lots of articles in the beginneres pinned threads.

cheers,
~AW~

 

[menacer]

This reading is for my tank water. I really thought after a month it would be ready what readings am i looking for then? Thanks for the replies.

 

[Aqua Tom]

Hi Mencer, welcome to the forum. You have no fish in the tank so are doing a fishless cycle. Unfortunatly just leaving it for a month has acomplished nothng.

What you are trying to do is "mature" your filter. By that we mean you are growing the two types of bacteria that we need to eat the nasty toxins that fish leave in the water.

These being the Ammonia eating bacteria (A-bacs) & the Nitrite eating bacteria (N-bacs).

For either of these bacteria to flourish they need food which is ammonia. In a fishless cycle we introduce houshold ammonia at a measured dose to the tank to "feed" the bacteria untill they are capable of reducing 5ppm ammonia to 0ppm ammonia & nitrite in 12 hours.

please click on the link in my signature to begineers resource center & read up on the nitrogen cycle & methods of cycling.



~Tom~

 

[menacer]

Hi Mencer, welcome to the forum. You have no fish in the tank so are doing a fishless cycle. Unfortunatly just leaving it for a month has acomplished nothng.

What you are trying to do is "mature" your filter. By that we mean you are growing the two types of bacteria that we need to eat the nasty toxins that fish leave in the water.

These being the Ammonia eating bacteria (A-bacs) & the Nitrite eating bacteria (N-bacs).

For either of these bacteria to flourish they need food which is ammonia. In a fishless cycle we introduce houshold ammonia at a measured dose to the tank to "feed" the bacteria untill they are capable of reducing 5ppm ammonia to 0ppm ammonia & nitrite in 12 hours.

please click on the link in my signature to begineers resource center & read up on the nitrogen cycle & methods of cycling.



~Tom~

Thanks Aqua Tom i have read your post, does this mean that the filter start solution may have worked then? What should my water readings be? If i add food to the tank will this start the cycle? Thanks Adam

 

[Warehouse]

Thanks Aqua Tom i have read your post, does this mean that the filter start solution may have worked then? What should my water readings be? If i add food to the tank will this start the cycle? Thanks Adam

Yes, food will create waste but it will be very difficult to estimate how much ammonia the rotting food will create. It's much better to add the ammonia directly in a measured amount so you "know" the water will be at 5ppm.

 

[menacer]

Thanks Aqua Tom i have read your post, does this mean that the filter start solution may have worked then? What should my water readings be? If i add food to the tank will this start the cycle? Thanks Adam

Yes, food will create waste but it will be very difficult to estimate how much ammonia the rotting food will create. It's much better to add the ammonia directly in a measured amount so you "know" the water will be at 5ppm.

Hi thanks for the reply, and i need to keep Ammonia at 5ppm?

 

[Whitey_144]

[/quote]

Hi thanks for the reply, and i need to keep Ammonia at 5ppm?
[/quote]

4/ppm is optimal. If you start having more thatn 5ppm. e.g. 8ppm other types of bacteria that we don't want will grow.

are there plants? If not leave the lights off or you'll have lots of algae.

turn the temperature up to 29C when you start dosing the ammonia, and if possible try and get hold of some filter media from an established tank. can you ask anyone for a bit of their sponge from a friend's tank? This would help seed the filter and begin the multiplying process of bacteria quicker. If not it's fine will jsut take abit longer, mine took 4weeks without being seeded for an idea of the time it takes.

Boots don't sell ammonia in the shop, but if you go in they can order it for collection.

~~AW~~

 

[menacer]

Hi thanks for the reply, and i need to keep Ammonia at 5ppm?
[/quote]

4/ppm is optimal. If you start having more thatn 5ppm. e.g. 8ppm other types of bacteria that we don't want will grow.

are there plants? If not leave the lights off or you'll have lots of algae.

turn the temperature up to 29C when you start dosing the ammonia, and if possible try and get hold of some filter media from an established tank. can you ask anyone for a bit of their sponge from a friend's tank? This would help seed the filter and begin the multiplying process of bacteria quicker. If not it's fine will jsut take abit longer, mine took 4weeks without being seeded for an idea of the time it takes.

Boots don't sell ammonia in the shop, but if you go in they can order it for collection.

~~AW~~
[/quote]

Hi thanks again, so i am kind of lost now. My tank has actually been on around a month and a half. I have not done any water change, i have added filter start. I have bubbles on with my filter. I have read up on cycles but the more i read the more confused i get.

Can someone give me a step by step of what i need to do for instance 1. add amonia 2. test waster next day

sorry i'm just lost now i think i have read to much to actually make sense of it all. I just need basic intructions. Thanks ever so much guys and girls for your time and effort, hopefully i can repay the favour once i progress my tropical tank knowledge.

Thanks Again.

Adam

 

[Aqua Tom]

Ok i will try to do a step by step for you. I will presume you have no mature media to add. (media being the sponges, rings etc in your filter).



1. Fill your tank with DECHLORINATED water or add dechlorinator to the tank if you have not already done so. I recomend seachem prime.

2 Turn on your heater & filter. Turn the heater up to 29c or abouts, this will help the bacteria grow.

3. Dose the tank with enough ammonia to bring it up to 5ppm (parts per million)Use our Calculator to determine the correct dose amount for your size of tank.

4. wait 20 mins or so then test for Ammonia only to see if the doseage was correct. eg 5ppm

5. Test for ammonia only every 24 hours (you will not have to redose yet) untill you see the ammonia start to drop. This can take one or even two weeks.

6. When you see Ammonia drop to around 2ppm do a test for nitrItes there should be some present (NitrItes are the waste product of the A-bacs).

7. When the Ammonia drops to zero that is the end of phase one of the cycle.

8. Now we enter phase 2. Redose to 5ppm ammonia & test for Ammonia & NitrItes daily.


I will leave it there as that is enough to get your head around at this early stage. it seems complicated but the friendly people on here will always be willing to help.


~Tom~

 

[menacer]

Thanks Tom,

you guys are so helpful

I will follow your guide step by step. And reply when i get to the end. Thanks again.

Adam