How Am I Doing

[Nick_Giles]

Or should I say how is the tank doing. (220 litre)

New tank set up 7 days ago. Nitrate NO2 is zero. Ammonia is Zero. But PH is about 8 (my tap water tests as 7)

I have a couple of pieces of 'bog oak' in the tank. I should also add that there is a slight cloudy milky bloom to the water.

Is the PH OK (ish)for this tank or what is the best course of action.?


Thanks in advance. Nick

 

[OldMan47]

Welcome to the TFF forum Nick.
You will find we have far more information than either you or I worked with 20 years ago. These days we understand the basics of doing a cycle without exposing any fish to the chemicals that once claimed a few of the fish the first months that a tank operated. It is called a fishless cycle and I have a link to the instructions in my signature area.

The bog wood will not raise pH, if anything it tends to pull it down. What will give you a pop in pH is that the CO2 dissolved in tap water will come out of solution, just as it does when you open a bottle of soda. That CO2 holds the pH lower and when it is gone the pH rises.

Once you get your filtration working, it is best to leave it running at all times unless you are actually cleaning it at the time. That statement is just as true for an internal filter, a canister filter, a hang on back filter, an undergravel filter or even an old fashioned box filter. The reason is simple. Whenever the filter flow is off, the beneficial bacteria in the filter are not getting the ammonia and nitrites to process and the ammonia level in the tank starts to rise. An hour here and there while you clean the worst from the dirty filter is no problem but leaving the filter off for any length of time exposes the fish to unnecessarily high chemical poison levels.

 

[arobinson1984]

Hi,

You need to have a read up on cycling the tank, there are some great links in my signature.

Are there any fish in the tank?

If your tanks instructions/local fish store tell you to set the tank up for a week then add fish then this information isn't really correct.


Andy