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Week 3 cycle... just checking in

Nichola_C

Nichola_C

Fish Fanatic
Joined
Jan 31, 2021
Messages
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Location
Essex
Tank cycling going well. (I think)
Been 3 weeks. I also do have 4 Rosie barbs already in there.

I need to get the PH down abit as we have very hard water (fluctuates between 350 and 388 ppm) so have ordered a nice big bit of bogwood which should be here in a few days (I will boil 6 hours and then soak in bucket for a week before putting in tank)

That gives me another week or 2 of cycling and should I be ok to start introducing some more fish?

I was contemplating mixing bottled water to do the water changes to help PH level. (Iceland do big 5lt bottles for £1, so could do 1/4 tank for £7). But I've read mucking about with the PH levels are not recommended

Suggestions/advice welcome
 

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Sorry, I don’t have any suggestions but look at the stuffs in the back! You have a lot of stuff!
 
Nichola_C said:
we have very hard water (fluctuates between 350 and 388 ppm)
Click to expand...
The TDS meter shows a reading of 388 - is that what you mean by hardness? because TDS is more than hardness, it's everything in the water and hardness is just part of that. So if you are going by the TDS reading, your hardness is less than the reading.

Though in Essex, you probably do have hard water. What does your water company give it as?



I think Barry is looking at the stuff on the shelves behind the wood. That's the seller's photo isn't it?
 
Barry Tetra said:
Sorry, I don’t have any suggestions but look at the stuffs in the back! You have a lot of stuff!
Click to expand...
Ohhhhhh you mean in the back of the wood picture ?? That's not my stuff, that's the pictures of the bogwood I bought, im waiting on it being sent in the post, so im guessing that the shop where it came from
 
Essjay said:
The TDS meter shows a reading of 388 - is that what you mean by hardness? because TDS is more than hardness, it's everything in the water and hardness is just part of that. So if you are going by the TDS reading, your hardness is less than the reading.

Though in Essex, you probably do have hard water. What does your water company give it as?



I think Barry is looking at the stuff on the shelves behind the wood. That's the seller's photo isn't it?
Click to expand...
Ohhhh, thanks for telling me, I thought that reading on the meter was the hardness. I will look at what my water company says on their website.

Yes thats the sellers picture of the wood ?
 
Nichola_C said:
Ohhhhhh you mean in the back of the wood picture ?? That's not my stuff, that's the pictures of the bogwood I bought, im waiting on it being sent in the post, so im guessing that the shop where it came from
Click to expand...
Thoughts it was yours :hyper:
 
Yes its still very hard ... not much difference ?
 

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I thought it would be hard in Essex. The TDS meter at the moment shows there's not much else dissolved in the water. Once the tank is fully stocked, you may find it increases - fish excrete and secrete things which are included in TDS.
 
Thanks for the tip,
The difference in hardness doesn't give me any more options with the fish I can have though lol back to the drawing board ?
 
madmark285 said:
Just wondering, in the USA I can buy the Aquatic Life RO Buddie Four Stage Osmosis System for $59. How much does this cost in your area?

At £7 for a 25% water change, you could justify the cost of a RO system.
Click to expand...
I will look into that thanks.

We bought a zero water filter. It made our water 0ppm HOWEVER as our water is so bad we were having to change the water filter weekly and at £15 a pop per week it was just to expensive.
We thought we could use the filter longer and just have maybe a 100-150 ppm but it just made the water taste of fish (literally, im not saying that cause this is a fish forum...it really did taste of fish). £100 wasted ??
 

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Nichola_C said:
We bought a zero water filter. It made our water 0ppm HOWEVER as our water is so bad we were having to change the water filter weekly and at £15 a pop per week it was just to expensive.
Click to expand...

Which raises the question, how long does the cartridges last in a RO system? The Aquatic Life RO Buddie Cartridge replacement cost $32 on Amazon.

Not sure what size your tank is but have you consider Mbuna tank? These African cichlids are very hardy fish and can tolerate hard water. I am biased, I love Mbuna and hope to have setup another tank for them.

Mark
 
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