My First Fishless

[finalfantay85]

So just went and bought a 5.5G to set up for a betta. Set it up with a sand substrate, heater and filter i cobbled together from the one that came with the tank, some new non carbon based foam and some bio-beads on top of that.
Also i've spent what feels like weeks trying to turn a coconut into a cave....why did nobody say this was hard work!

So dosed it with 1ml of ammonia and we're off:

Day 1 - Ammonia - 4ppm
Nitrite - N/A
Nitrate - N/A
pH - 8.6 (Hopefully just cos the ammonia had just been added)

Day 2 - Ammonia - 4ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm
Nitrate - N/A
pH - 7.8

Day 4 - Ammonia - 2-3ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm
Nitrate - N/A
pH - 7.6

Day 5 - Ammonia - 2-3ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm
Nitrate - N/A
pH - 6.6

Day 6 - Ammonia - 2-3ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm
Nitrate - N/A
pH - 8.0

Day 8 - Ammonia - 2-3ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm
Nitrate - N/A
pH - 8.0

6th Feb - Sorry for the lack of updates but:

Ammonia - 4ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm
Nitrate - N/A
pH - 8.0


I don't think the ammonia had started to shift I just think i was struggling with the colour chart

21st Feb - Sorry for the lack of updates but there was nothing going on:

Ammonia - 3ppm maybe??
Nitrite - 0-0.25ppm
Nitrate - N/A
pH - 8.0

 

[waterdrop]

good luck there

 

[finalfantay85]

Thanks WD. Does the pH look ok at the moment?

 

[waterdrop]

Its a tad higher than optimal but its easier for it to fall in to that range than the other way around.

 

[finalfantay85]

Ok thanks for that. Hopefully it'll drop a bit once the tank's had a chance to sit for a day or 2. More testing tonight....wooo lol

 

[finalfantay85]

Ok done day 2 testing and my pH has dropped by nearly 1...should i be concerned?

 

[waterdrop]

At least you got to change one number in your post.

 

[finalfantay85]

Yeah that excited me somewhat lol. Sadly it's not the ammonia number. Still i'm sure 2 weeks of constantly seeing the same shade of green will have me convinced it's moving when it isn't. Luckily my room isn't green any more or I might have gone insane during the cycle hahaha.

 

[waterdrop]

Yeah I think if you had a green room you'd have to carry the testtube out somewhere else!

 

[finalfantay85]

I took my old tv stand down a few weeks ago when i got a new tv and there is a lovely rectangle of neon green now where it used to be
In my defence i was young when i picked that colour lol

 

[finalfantay85]

Ok it looks like my ammonia has dropped to 2ppm but this could be an iffy reading cos i've just tested my nitrite and it's still at zero

 

[finalfantay85]

It looks like my pH has crashed. Any advice guys on how to bring it back up? Bicarbonate of soda? If so any ideas how much to add to a 5.5 Gal?

 

[Truck]

1 Tsp will bring it back up

 

[finalfantay85]

Thanks truck. It's just ordinary bicarb of soda i want isn't it? Same as baking soda?

 

[Truck]

Sodium hydrogen carbonate, if it says that on the side it'll be fine.