postingalwaysposting
New Member
i am new to all this so please be patient i am a bit like this at the mo as my tank(s) are going all wrong )
i have had an hexagonal tank for just undar a year now and have had some problems regarding the nitrate levels but once i got these sorted and i set out a cleaning rota the fish were fine. This tank is 15-20 litres (uk) approx and has an undergravel filter, heater etc and 8 neon tetras (added over 3 months) and 3 male guppys (added 3 weeks ago, now only have 2 see below). I havent got a lfs but i do have an aquatic centre near by and while i was there purchasing my guppys i asked if i could get a light fitted in my exsisting tank, anyway the person i spoke to said it wouldnt fit as the hood was too slim so i just thought i would have to leave it as it was.
anyway a week later (sunday 26th) i visted my local pet store and i saw and fell in love with a rena startup tank (25 litres (uk)) and it included a light so i brought it, now i set it up that evening and everything was fine, i washed the gravel (came with the tank) washed two plastic plants and a stone as decoration (already had) and set the tank up. it was a new heater and a new internal filter (not used one before only under gravel filters on both my tropical and cold water tanks) all being fine i left it thinking give it a two/three weeks and once tetsed i will transfer my fish not so
on friday night i tested the tank and the nitrate level was 160ppm, so i do a 50% water change, test saturday and it hadnt dropped at all, so sunday evening i strip the tank, wash all of it in boiling water (tank decorations, heater, gravel, filter and changed the filter cartridge) and put the tank back together, level once put back together 10ppm and tested today 10ppm
In the meantime (the first time since having the tank and sorting it out first) the nitrate level on my old tank with the fish in rose to 160ppm (checked saturday night, i usually check this tanks levels every sunday night) did a water change etc and its now 40ppm. now i dont know what cause that (maybe moving the tank to a different area to fit this new tank in maybe) but anyway they are fine except one of the guppys died (prob because of the high level)
This is what i do to my tank sunday night (weekly) chemical test the tank. Monday evening (weekly) 30% water change. Monday evening (fournightly) syhon filter the gravel. They get fed in the morning usually 8ish and they get about a flake each (tropical flake fish food). Should i be doing anything else?
now for some questions sorry ) when can i transfer the fish over? the internal filter (rena) has cartridges and it says these should be changed every three weeks - would this not mess the levels up? I test (every sunday night) nitrate nitrite and ammonia, is there anything else i should be testing i have heard about ph on this site? thanks
*btw i am a very very novice tropical fish keeper, if anything i have said/done here is worng please correct me and explain to me how to do it correctly, i love my fish and wouldnt want any of them dieing due to me being an idiot ) *
i have had an hexagonal tank for just undar a year now and have had some problems regarding the nitrate levels but once i got these sorted and i set out a cleaning rota the fish were fine. This tank is 15-20 litres (uk) approx and has an undergravel filter, heater etc and 8 neon tetras (added over 3 months) and 3 male guppys (added 3 weeks ago, now only have 2 see below). I havent got a lfs but i do have an aquatic centre near by and while i was there purchasing my guppys i asked if i could get a light fitted in my exsisting tank, anyway the person i spoke to said it wouldnt fit as the hood was too slim so i just thought i would have to leave it as it was.
anyway a week later (sunday 26th) i visted my local pet store and i saw and fell in love with a rena startup tank (25 litres (uk)) and it included a light so i brought it, now i set it up that evening and everything was fine, i washed the gravel (came with the tank) washed two plastic plants and a stone as decoration (already had) and set the tank up. it was a new heater and a new internal filter (not used one before only under gravel filters on both my tropical and cold water tanks) all being fine i left it thinking give it a two/three weeks and once tetsed i will transfer my fish not so
on friday night i tested the tank and the nitrate level was 160ppm, so i do a 50% water change, test saturday and it hadnt dropped at all, so sunday evening i strip the tank, wash all of it in boiling water (tank decorations, heater, gravel, filter and changed the filter cartridge) and put the tank back together, level once put back together 10ppm and tested today 10ppm
In the meantime (the first time since having the tank and sorting it out first) the nitrate level on my old tank with the fish in rose to 160ppm (checked saturday night, i usually check this tanks levels every sunday night) did a water change etc and its now 40ppm. now i dont know what cause that (maybe moving the tank to a different area to fit this new tank in maybe) but anyway they are fine except one of the guppys died (prob because of the high level)
This is what i do to my tank sunday night (weekly) chemical test the tank. Monday evening (weekly) 30% water change. Monday evening (fournightly) syhon filter the gravel. They get fed in the morning usually 8ish and they get about a flake each (tropical flake fish food). Should i be doing anything else?
now for some questions sorry ) when can i transfer the fish over? the internal filter (rena) has cartridges and it says these should be changed every three weeks - would this not mess the levels up? I test (every sunday night) nitrate nitrite and ammonia, is there anything else i should be testing i have heard about ph on this site? thanks
*btw i am a very very novice tropical fish keeper, if anything i have said/done here is worng please correct me and explain to me how to do it correctly, i love my fish and wouldnt want any of them dieing due to me being an idiot ) *