New Tank Is Up And Running

[paulypaul182]

Right, so my take has been running for around 3 hours. Ive put the plants in and the two plecs that came with it. The filter was still nice and wet as were the rocks that my mate had in the tank when she kept it so hopefully we've managed to sustain the good bacteria. The size of the tank is 30x12x18".
I have 3 concerns. The filter hasnt got a holder. I cant get in touch with my mate to ask if she has it still at home. Its resting about 3 inches above the substrate and looks stable enough but i really want the holder. The "suckers" on the heater are doing my head in too. They hold it on the side of the tank for a while but then lost suction so that needs sorting. Also, the lights dont work. Apparantly they were working this morning at my mates. It must have taken a bash en route. The tube and fixings dont seem right to me. There are no fixings inside to hold the tube in place. It was holding there by tying the wire in a loop to prevent it from falling!! Also, the tube is only about 12 inches. Ive taken the fitting and tube off and will go and get new ones tomorrow. Unfortunatly the fish and plants are not going to have much light for a while.
I did a check on the water and came with these results (I did it twice as I thought I had made a mistake but the same results appeared.

Temp 25c
Ph 8.0
Ammonia 0
Nitirite 0
Nitrate 0
These are in mg/l

Anyone know what this filter is?

It has a foam tube insert. As I said, the media is mature.

I think the plecs are common plecs. They are currently 6" long. Im going to have to fish in cycle this tank.

 

[OldMan47]

If your media is mature and never went long without water flow through it, you may not have a cycle at all. In the meantime, you have a new tank with new fish so your chemistry readings are basically tap water that may have been let sit for a day or two. In a couple of days, the results of biological processes will start to appear and your chemistry will mean something. Please come back after a day or two and we can help you judge how well the media retained its cycle.

 

[paulypaul182]

Thanks old man. Was quite gutted about the lights cause now I have to buy some new ones plus it would have set it off nicely for tonight.
I hope the weather lets up tomorrow cause its a brisk walk to my LFS.
Any recommendations on lighting. For your info, this is my LFS site and this is what is on offer http/www.aquatic-store.co.uk/tropical/br...ting-freshwater

 

[OldMan47]

If your media is mature and never went long without water flow through it, you may not have a cycle at all. In the meantime, you have a new tank with new fish so your chemistry readings are basically tap water that may have been let sit for a day or two. In a couple of days, the results of biological processes will start to appear and your chemistry will mean something. Please come back after a day or two and we can help you judge how well the media retained its cycle. The questions about the filter are not one I can answer directly because I have never seen that filter before. It may be a UK only filter. If you can keep the filter from moving around too much in the tank, it would be best to run it while you sort out the mountings. The fish won't care about the light and a single day without light will not hurt your plants.

 

[paulypaul182]

Ive done another test. The only thing that has changed since yesterday is the Ph, oh and I upped the temperature a degrees:

Temp 26 C
Ammonia 0
Nitrate 0
Nitrite 0
Ph 7.5

Still havent got my light but hopefully it'll be on tomorrow. Then I can take a photo and show you all my set up. I also need someone to ID my plecs. Im sure they are not common plecs now. I will need to know if theyre compatible with my tank. If not, theyre for sale to a good home. Do you think I should put any other fish in with them or will they do the job for now? I just want to make sure that all my levels are ok before I start stocking. I really want a few white clouds in there. Id love some corys but I think ill wait to see what the water does over the next few days first.
Any ideas for fish to stock in my tank? Im really not into fancy fish. I like the weird and wonderful but would like to get a few in there. Im definately going to get some Corys and Shrimp. Has anyone here got freshwater mussels? My LFS has them.