New Tank Question

[DannyBlackbourn]

Hey everyone,

I have had my 25L tank set up for about a week now...

I finally got round to purchasing a water testing kit... And tested my water today.

These are the Results I got:

PH - 7.8
Ammonia - 0ppm
Nitrite NO2 - 0.50ppm
Nitrate NO3 - 80ppm

I am new to keeping tropical fish so I have very little knowledge of the water cycle and what results are good for my fish.

n.b I haven't bought any fish yet as I am waiting to see if my water is in the right condition to add them.

Also I would like to add that I tested my tap water and it read at PH - 7.4
What could be causing the rise in PH?

Below is a picture of how my tank looks...

Information on my tank:
http/www.aquarium-products.co.uk/Rena_Aq...ss_Aquarium.htm

My goal is to fill this tank with 1 x Male Betta, 5/6 x Tetras, 2 x Clown Loach.

Any help would be great!

 

[rabbut]

Need to be careful with Tetras, some may nip the fighter. Clow loach get too big for your tank I'm afraid, at a foot to 15" each as adults, and they would also need a group of 4+ Otherwise stocking looks OK, if a little heavy, without the Clown Loach

A raise in pH can be down to a number of things, but considering your decor, it's most likely CO2 in the tap water thats gassed off after being airated in the tank.

How do you intend to get the filter working? Are you going to fishless cycle with Liquid Ammonia, or use fish? I should warn that the latter is a lot of work and will likely kill the fish you cycle with If you haven't a clue what I'm on about, take a read of the links below

fishless cycling (recommended)

fish-in cycling (not recommended)

All the best
Rabbut

 

[DannyBlackbourn]

Thank you Rabbut

I was actually going to buy fish today but didn't know if the results were suitable for survival, Now looking at the fishless cycle, That seems more appealing!

Do most fish stores supply Liquid Ammonia? I will take a trip down my local store tomorrow... How long does the cycle take before I can add fish using this method?

Yeah I did hear that the Clown loach grew quite big, so I will think about what other Pleco I could add to the tank... Any suggestions?
Also read about people who have problems with the Neons nipping the betta's, I will try them and see how it goes, If any nipping occurs I will remove the betta.

 

[crazychris]

Hi. There are no Plecs which are suitable for your tank as the smallest get to 6" about. If you want some bottom dwellers I'd get a couple of corydoras catfish to help keep the bottom clean. Not sure if others here will agree though.

 

[DannyBlackbourn]

Hi. There are no Plecs which are suitable for your tank as the smallest get to 6" about. If you want some bottom dwellers I'd get a couple of corydoras catfish to help keep the bottom clean. Not sure if others here will agree though.

Hey!

Size isn't really an issue as I will be setting up my 2ft tank in the near future also... So if they grow I can transfer them to that tank...
Or is that tank too small also...?

But if not thank you for the advice on the catfish

Will research more into the types I could possibly include

 

[drobbyb]

Most fish stores I know don't supply the ammonia. Depending on where you live we may be able to recommend a store that stocks the correct kind.

 

[DannyBlackbourn]

Most fish stores I know don't supply the ammonia. Depending on where you live we may be able to recommend a store that stocks the correct kind.

I live in the U.K.

Romford, Essex!

If there are any places you could recommend I would very much appreciate it!

 

[yasinullah]

Most fish stores I know don't supply the ammonia. Depending on where you live we may be able to recommend a store that stocks the correct kind.

I live in the U.K.

Romford, Essex!

If there are any places you could recommend I would very much appreciate it!

boots! I got mine from the westfield/white city branch, none in my local, but also spotted it in leytonstone, just ask for the household cleaning section
i believe homebase also stocks ammonia?

[URL="http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=38840"]http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=38840[/URL]

if you don't have any measuring equip, don't forget to pick up a dropper or a syringe or something, the aquarium calc at the top will tell you how much you'd need, the default value for ammonia concentration in tghe calculator is correct for the ammonia from boots

 

[DannyBlackbourn]

Most fish stores I know don't supply the ammonia. Depending on where you live we may be able to recommend a store that stocks the correct kind.

I live in the U.K.

Romford, Essex!

If there are any places you could recommend I would very much appreciate it!

boots! I got mine from the westfield/white city branch, none in my local, but also spotted it in leytonstone, just ask for the household cleaning section
i believe homebase also stocks ammonia?

<a href="http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=38840" target="_blank">http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=38840</a>

if you don't have any measuring equip, don't forget to pick up a dropper or a syringe or something, the aquarium calc at the top will tell you how much you'd need, the default value for ammonia concentration in tghe calculator is correct for the ammonia from boots

Thank you so much for your help!

I will grab the items and start the process sometime tomorrow!

Got a White Betta on order, I cant wait to get the tank up and running

 

[waterdrop]

Finding the right ammonia can be an adventure! In the UK the most popular seems to be Boots, as mentioned, followed by Homebase, followed possibly by Robert Dyas or B&Q and besides those, some mention finding one of the line of Jeyes KleenOff types that seems to be ok although they make some that are not I believe.

It needs to not have dyes, fragrances or surfactants or soaps. When you shake it, it should not foam but just produce bubbles for 2 or 3 seconds, which die away. Be careful smelling it as it can hurt your nose! Some people also pick up somewhat larger syringes so they can fill several test tubes at once and some use kitchen timers that hang around the neck so they can do other things while timing the tests.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[DannyBlackbourn]

Finding the right ammonia can be an adventure! In the UK the most popular seems to be Boots, as mentioned, followed by Homebase, followed possibly by Robert Dyas or B&Q and besides those, some mention finding one of the line of Jeyes KleenOff types that seems to be ok although they make some that are not I believe.

It needs to not have dyes, fragrances or surfactants or soaps. When you shake it, it should not foam but just produce bubbles for 2 or 3 seconds, which die away. Be careful smelling it as it can hurt your nose! Some people also pick up somewhat larger syringes so they can fill several test tubes at once and some use kitchen timers that hang around the neck so they can do other things while timing the tests.

~~waterdrop~~

Thanks for the heads up.

I will see if I can grab the boots branded one... Or maybe get a couple...

That way I can test a variety... Just scared about doing this process cause I have never done it before... Don't wanna ruin things...!

 

[arobinson1984]

You may have trouble finding it at boots, I think they only stock in the larger stores, your best bet is probably homebase if u have one near by.

Regarding the fishless cycle, just follow the guides given the the beginners section and don't be afraid to ask any questions. Members on here have helped newbies through countless cycles with good advise and words of wisdom

Andy

 

[waterdrop]

The process itself is quite easy and generally robust. You just see us all doing a lot of yakking around it 'cause we're fixing various problems people sometimes have or we're just trying to sound "sciency" because we're mostly hobbyists rather than real scientists anyway, with this stuff.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[DannyBlackbourn]

You may have trouble finding it at boots, I think they only stock in the larger stores, your best bet is probably homebase if u have one near by.

Regarding the fishless cycle, just follow the guides given the the beginners section and don't be afraid to ask any questions. Members on here have helped newbies through countless cycles with good advise and words of wisdom

Andy

Ok, well I have two boots stores in my area so hopefully one of them will have it, if not there is a homebase near by also!

Yes I have noticed how nice and friendly people are on this forum

I will definitely be sticking around and showing my progress!

 

[waterdrop]

Good! You'll get it all worked out.

And welcome to TFF!

~~waterdrop~~