Newbie Would Love Some Advice Please.

[ashcroft7]

Good Afternoon guys!

Want to say Hi to everyone on the forum, I look forward to having a good read of everything on here!

I recently became the proud owner of a 10 gallon tank.
I am in the process of setting it all up, the gravel and sand are in, I have put in a few plants, filter and heater are both in and running!
All is looking well, and will be hopefully getting my new fish in 2 weeks time.

I have a test kit which I have been playing about it with, and my results are as followed:
pH - 7.4
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 3-4ppm

now upon reading the instruction booklet for the test kit it states new freshwater aquiriums the nitrite level will climb to 5ppm, when does this happen? And I am assuming it climbs down once the filter becomes established and the ideal amount is 0?

If someone could let me know what my test results show wether its good or bad i would really appreciate it, as I am a total new comer when it comes to fish keeping (i have alot of exp with reptiles)

Any other tips would be apprecaited

thanks!

 

[dannybgoode]

Hi and welcome to an addictive (and possibly expensive!) hobby

Have you read the various posts on fishless cycling? Have you added any liquid ammonia to your tank to start the cycle? If not, do not buy any fish yet and have a read around about fishless cycling.

Basically, your filter needs to build up enough friendly bacteria that eat the ammonia that fish produce. These little critters turn the ammonia into nitrIte, which, like the ammonia kills fish pretty quick. Then, more friendly bacteria appears that eats the nitrIte and turns it into nitrAte which doesn't kill fish in lower doses and is removed from the tank by water changes.

If you put fish into an uncycled tank you will be doing massive daily or twice daily water changes to keep on top of things, it will take ages and you'll probably lose a whole load of fish.

Fishless cycling as the name suggests gets the filter up to speed without risking livestock.

Cheers

Danny B

 

[Livewire88]

Have a good look through this link and as already advised pay extra attention to the cycling sections

Beginners Resource

 

[ashcroft7]

thanks for the quick reply.

Nope I havent added any ammonia as of yet, (where is the best place to get it?)

To be honest I have a friend who had fish for a long time, and all he has said to do is add some drops of Tap Water Conditioner (dechlorinator) into the tank, leave it a few weeks then put the fish in (he was very vauge!!)
I am assuming this isnt 100% right, and my next step is to buy some ammonia and put that in?

What are the ideal test results I should be expecting?

 

[Crazybob]

Hi Ashcroft,

Welcome to the forum. I've found everyone here to be very nice and helpful, and have enjoyed my time thouroughly. Congrats on the new tank! Do you have a stocking idea in mind yet?

Be sure to check out the Beginners Resource Center for information on cycling. Also check out the topic "Why we Should Not Fishless Cycle Planted Tanks" These should point you in the right direction.

Briefly, the filter needs an ammonia source (pure ammonia, fish waste, uneaten food, etc) to start creating a bacteria colony. the bacteria turns the ammonia into nitrite which then gets turned into nitrate. This process causes water parameters to fluctuate when a tank is first started, but will settle out once the filter becomes established. I'm sure I have forgotten some details to which others can fill in and correct me.

And be warned! Fish keeping is a dangerous hobby, you start off with one cute tank and everything is super great and fun. But one day you'll wake up and BAM! you are running 4 and planning on setting up more! hahaha

Hope that helps
Crazy 8)

 

[ashcroft7]

The "Why we Should Not Fishless Cycle Planted Tanks" thread has thrown a spanner in the works!!!

I am starting to understnad the cycling process more and more so bare with me

But the above thread... am I right in thinking it will be alot harder to finish the cycle with the plants in the tank as they will nick the ammonia I will be puttting in tomorrow??

Also I have a Air rock, should this be on during the cycling process? will it aid it?

Thanks

 

[dannybgoode]

The "Why we Should Not Fishless Cycle Planted Tanks" thread has thrown a spanner in the works!!!

I am starting to understnad the cycling process more and more so bare with me

But the above thread... am I right in thinking it will be alot harder to finish the cycle with the plants in the tank as they will nick the ammonia I will be puttting in tomorrow??

Also I have a Air rock, should this be on during the cycling process? will it aid it?

Thanks

The plants won't nick that much ammonia - if they did you wouldn't need a filter!

Cheers

Danny B

 

[fluttermoth]

No; that thread is to do with 'silent cycles', I believe, and is relevant only if you're going to have at least 75% of the tank base covered in plants.

It's generally easier to cycle without plants, but it doesn't make an awful lot of difference; possibly slightly more algae growth, but that would be about it.

Your friend's method is the way we used to do things a few years ago; the hobby has come on a long way in that time, and we always try to recommend the best, most up to date methods and information here

He could give you a bit of help by donating a bit of his filter media so you can put that in your filter and 'seed' it with some of his good bacteria, which should make your cycle go a bit quicker

 

[ashcroft7]

ok im with you!

unfortunatly he doesnt have the fish anymore, but it was his tank AND his filter (it hasnt been used for 3-4 months so im not sure if the bacteria will still be present).

Any more questions I can see I can rely on you guys thank you so much!!!

 

[dannybgoode]

The bacteria will be long dead unfortunately.

The important thing is that you're asking questions before you've bought any fish. Make sure you cycle the tank properly - patience will reward.

Cheers

Danny B

 

[Livewire88]

Best bet is to source some mature media so you can get your filter up and running before adding any fish

Talk to your local fish store they should be able to help.

 

[Crazybob]

Sorry ashcroft,

After rereading the plant cycle thread it is Def for very heavily planted tanks sorry for the confusion. It's been a while since I read it, but I had remembered it was there so I posted it.