Preparing Tank

[menacer]

Ok today i am getting my fish, temp is still 29 for the bacteria whilst doing fishless cycle. How do i prepare my tank, i need to put my plants back in, do i do a water change?

Thanks

{}--{MeNaCeR}

 

[The Taffy Apple]

Ok today i am getting my fish, temp is still 29 for the bacteria whilst doing fishless cycle. How do i prepare my tank, i need to put my plants back in, do i do a water change?

Thanks

{}--{MeNaCeR}

Do a BIG water change, maybe 99% if you can manage. I done mine right down to the substrate, just to make sure the NitrAte was at an acceptable level. Also, depending on what fish you get, i really would lower that temp... 29 is too high for most fish. My big tank is currently at 26 degress, but i lowered my temp a full 24 hours before i put the fish in for the first time.

Good luck..what fish are thinking of getting today?

Terry.

 

[menacer]

Thanks Taffy Harlequin Razboras and some lampeye or cardinal tetra

 

[StandbySetting]

I wouldn't do a 99% water change personally, there is likely to be a large difference in PH due to the nitric acid produced during the fishless cycle, 50% will suffice, Nitrates are pretty harmless anyway unless the levels get into the hundreds, do a 50% water change, add your fish and then do your weekly water changes as normal, you're better of getting Neon Tetra's as a pose to Cardinal Tetra's, Neon Tetra's will do better at the temperature that the Harlequin Rasbora's require, also I recommend you look at Trigonostigma hengeli and espei instead of hetoromorpha, hengeli and espei are a more attractive species.

 

[KittyKat]

Get the temperature right down to 22-25C after the water change. Don't forget to dechlorinate water before adding it to the tank. Once the water change is done, put the plants and fish in. I recommend that you try to get espei rasboras over harlequins if you can. The biggest difference is that harlequins grow to 5cm, while espei grow only to 3cm. Same reason I would recommend neons over cardinals.

I wouldn't do a 99% water change personally, there is likely to be a large difference in PH due to the nitric acid produced during the fishless cycle, 50% will suffice, Nitrates are pretty harmless anyway unless the levels get into the hundreds, do a 50% water change, add your fish and then do your weekly water changes as normal, you're better of getting Neon Tetra's as a pose to Cardinal Tetra's, Neon Tetra's will do better at the temperature that the Harlequin Rasbora's require, also I recommend you look at Trigonostigma hengeli and espei instead of hetamorpha, hengeli and espei are a more attractive species.

I would recommend a 100% water change or as close as possible. The OP has been doing 90% water changed during the cycle, so pH is not a problem. Nitrate harmfulness is debatable, I believe one should aim to keep them under 25 ppm for most fish, even though some fish will survive with nitrates in the 300-500 ppm range.

 

[StandbySetting]

I think the PH problem is debatable also, I'd rather do 2 50% water changes on different days as a pose to a 100% water change in one go, large PH changes will put filter bacteria into a dormant state, similar to when there is a PH crash during a cycle, I haven't read the OP's journal if they have one, so I'm not sure of their KH or how well their Water is able to buffer the acidic nitric acid produced as a result of the ammonia being processed. It's up to OP but it's not how I'd do it, 2 smaller water changes give much bigger leeway should there be differences in water chemistry which may be detrimental to the established bacterial colony.

 

[OldMan47]

The 50% water change is far too small if you have been following the fishless cycle recommendations. It is not debatable that you need a far larger water change. The possibility of pH shock does not enter into things at all unless you presently have fish in the tank, which is not your situation. Do the maximum water change that you find practical. For me that would be well over 95%. I will do a 90% or larger water change even if I have fish in a tank when I find any of my chemistry out of specifications. Even if the fish notice the change, they always look far better after the change. The only time I would avoid such large changes is if I had completely ignored maintenance on a tank for several months and had allowed the water to become quite concentrated on minerals. Otherwise, a huge water change is always greeted with an improved appearance of my fish.