Yet More Boring Beginner Questions!

[ghostchoir]

First of all, I've finally got my tank and everything set up and ready, for the most part. It's a beautiful tank, 125L, sandy flor, and I think we did the decorating really nicely as well. We've begun the process - made all the water safe and put in all the bacteria (I've forgotten what it was called but it was a large bottle of live bacteria that we were just supposed to pour in. I know, I know, fishless cycling is better - but I'd heard only good reviews about this brand, all of the fish places we went to recommended in (and yes, one of them is actually very knowledgeable!) and at least I'm not just dumping the fish in straight away) . I'm leaving it a week before doing any tests to see if it's safe to add the fish (well, taking a sample to the fish store just in case) but I was just wondering if I should do anything else before then.

Will I need to clean the water out during the week, if so how often? Should I clean it out a while before adding the fish, or anything like that?

Would corydoras be suitable to add after the first week? (provided the tank is okay, etc)

I don't know the correct terminology here, sorry. But basically, the thing we got with the tank does sort of move the water around in a calm manner. Today we went and bought an add on bit for it that gets the air from above and forms bubbles. Is the new add on actually needed? I don't mind keeping it on permanently but it's a bit loud at night so I'd rather only use that during the day if possible - and as it didn't come with it I didn't think it was needed.

When adding new water - I know I should keep the new water in the bucket and treat it before adding it to the tank. Is there a certain amount of time I should leave it? As well as this, should I be pouring the water in anywhere specific? When the tank was first set up the book said to pour it in through the filter, should we be doing this for all water changes or does it not really matter?

This is a bit of an odd question, but we've added a few of the novelty decoations - a ship, etc. Are there any small fish that will actually use these, or will they all do it to a certain extent?

As well as the heater, pump, filters etc, I have the following: a net, a thermometer, a scraper, test kits, dechlorinator. Is there anything else I will be needing? Also the thin white sponge that goes at the top of the filter says it will needed to be changed once a week - is this true, and does this count during the first week when there aren't actually any fish?

Thanks for taking the time to answer these

 

[CLOSSIE]

I will try to answer from my experience. Apologies if I go off track.
1. On a 125 litre tank, I would leave it at leastr 2 weeks to ensure it is cycled. After a week, I'm not overly confident that all will be settled - using starter bacteria or not.
2. Dont clean the water out. What I have done previously to cycle a tank is to drop a few flakes into the water each morning. as these rot down, they produce the ammonia etc to encourage the growth of beneficial bacteria. Once the numbers have settled down and the tank looks cycled, add a few fish.. Watch for fish gasping, anything strange as this could indicate ammonia spikes. After the fish have been in for a couple of days, start your water change process. I would recommend a 30 litre (3 bucket) swap out each week.
3. Corys - - I have always added these last. Sorry will have to leave someone else to answer that question, although if the tank has cycled, there should be no reason why you cannot use them.
4. The air bubbly thingy - Depending on the shape of your tank, you may not even need an air pump. If the opening at the top of the tank allows plenty of water to air contact your fish should get enough oxygen. Best way to tell, turn the pump off for a few hours in the day and see if all the fish start gapsing / heading to the water surface. I poersonally turn mine off over night as the fish and plants are less active, therefore should not be using gthe oxygen in the water up so quickly.
5. I use Tapsafe and I can add the water into the tank straight away. (I use a pipe and raise the bucket above the water line of the tank to syphon the water in). This stops too large a quantity of water hitting the tank at once... Always remeber your dechlorinator and try to mach the tanks water temp.
6. Not sure if yoyu expect the fish to "use" the decorations - But fish are nosey enough, so who knows.
7. Whilst you have no fish in the tank, I would suggest that you do not need to clean out the white foam pad, however if you notice the flow rate of your filter reducing, rinse it out in old tank water to avoid killing off the bactieria.. I rinse mine out once a month (and thats with fish) - if it helps...

Finally good luck, read and post as many questions as you like... Enjoy the tank

 

[ghostchoir]

Sorry, the white one I'm talking about is "filter wool" which apparently removes large particles of dirt and excess food so that the other sponges do not get clogged. How often would this need to be changed?

Sorry, my fault for not being clear! Thanks for the answers so far though.

 

[ghostchoir]

I have another question, sorry The people at the fish stores said to leave the tank for a week after putting the bottle of bacteria in. Is there anything else I should do during this time? I've left the heater, air, etc running, but should I be doing anything else in the meantime?

 

[stang1]

All you can do is wait, I'm afraid.
Have you got a test kit? It's worth investing in one, that way you can check your water and know when it is fully cycled.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Sorry, the white one I'm talking about is "filter wool" which apparently removes large particles of dirt and excess food so that the other sponges do not get clogged. How often would this need to be changed?

Sorry, my fault for not being clear! Thanks for the answers so far though.

The manufacturers tell you to change this once a week, but I have found that you can go on using it a long time if you rinse it out once a week in your old tank water- saving myself a fortune. I only change it when it becomes too disgusting to come clean(ish).

 

[ghostchoir]

I do have test kits yes; I've got one for PH, KH, GH, NO2, CO2 and NH3/NH4. I didn't know which I'd need so I got them all! I haven't tested the water at all yet - I thought I'd leave it a week at least, I'm not entirely sure how I'll know when it's cycled?

Thanks to dwarfgourami too, I was hoping that was the case.

 

[stang1]

Your main ones to test are the following and should read:
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - Anything up to about 100 is generally ok but seems to be about 40 on average
PH - generally about 7 but again varies.

When your ammonia and nitrite read 0 then you should be fine to go.