Missed water test.

I like that terra cotta filter idea. Clever.

RED1958 said:

I keep reading that a tank is cycled when the Nitrite goes up then back down again. What if I missed doing this first test? Is there a way to know if my test reading now is the one I should be going by? Tank was set up April 2nd, it had 4 neons and 4 guppies, only one neon left and doing fine. the API master test is ---Ammonia =0 , PH= 7.6 , Nitrite=0 and Nitrate=5.0. Did my nitrite go up and now is in the down slope?

P.S there are a couple of water plants in there and some house plants rooting at the surface.

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Hello RED. Actually. you don't need to test the tank water, unless you like doing that sort of thing. The fish simply need a steady water chemistry that's near nitrogen free. So, how does one achieve this? Simple. You don't keep very many fish. Be selective. If your tank is less than 30 gallons, you change most of the water twice a week. If the tank is 30 gallons or larger, you change most of the tank water weekly. By doing this one thing, you'll remove what little dissolved waste a few fish make before it can build up to anywhere near toxic levels. But, you must follow this routine essentially for the life of the tank.

10 Tanks (Now 11)

RED1958 said:

I keep reading that a tank is cycled when the Nitrite goes up then back down again. What if I missed doing this first test? Is there a way to know if my test reading now is the one I should be going by? Tank was set up April 2nd, it had 4 neons and 4 guppies, only one neon left and doing fine. the API master test is ---Ammonia =0 , PH= 7.6 , Nitrite=0 and Nitrate=5.0. Did my nitrite go up and now is in the down slope?

P.S there are a couple of water plants in there and some house plants rooting at the surface.

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Test the tap/source water and see if it has nitrate in it. If it does, the 'Cycle' may not have established.

GaryE said:

I like that terra cotta filter idea. Clever.

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Thank you, I saw it on you tube and thought I would try it, so far so good.

10 Tanks said:

Hello RED. Actually. you don't need to test the tank water, unless you like doing that sort of thing. The fish simply need a steady water chemistry that's near nitrogen free. So, how does one achieve this? Simple. You don't keep very many fish. Be selective. If your tank is less than 30 gallons, you change most of the water twice a week. If the tank is 30 gallons or larger, you change most of the tank water weekly. By doing this one thing, you'll remove what little dissolved waste a few fish make before it can build up to anywhere near toxic levels. But, you must follow this routine essentially for the life of the tank.

10 Tanks (Now 11)

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how many fish is okay for a 36 gal? Small fish, tetras.

Hello again. Tetras are fine. But, you want larger bodied, robust fish. Neons have neither of these qualities. The best Tetra species for setting up a new tank are Buenos Aires Tetras. There are two species that come in second place and those are White Skirt and Black Skirts. I keep all of these and put in my vote for the Buenos Aires type. These will grow to be about 2 to 2 and a half inches and have nice coloring. For a new 36 gallon tank, you can easily have have six or seven. Starting out, once the fish are in, you need to perform a 50 percent water change a couple of times a week for the first month or so to allow the bacteria to colonize the surfaces inside the tank. Feed a little variety every day, but just a little. Small fish have very, very small stomachs. At the end of a month or even six weeks, you can add a few more Tetras, but just a few. Then, you can change the water change routine to half the tank's volume once a week. But, if you want to keep the fish healthy, you can't miss a water change. This is a simple way to maintain a tank, but you must follow it religiously.

10 Tanks (Now 11)

But only if you like and want to keep those fish

I'm not a fan of fish in cycling but putting that aside...
BA tetras are not a good choice if you plan on having plants (and I do recommend plants )

seangee said:

I'm not a fan of fish in cycling but putting that aside...
BA tetras are not a good choice if you plan on having plants (and I do recommend plants )

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Hello. If you change enough water and do it often enough, the nitrogen produced by the dissolving fish waste, can never harm the fish. That's because it never builds up before it's removed. Tetras won't harm hardy plants. I keep Java Fern, Anacharis, Dwarf Water Lettuce and different species of Anubias in my tanks and the plants do very well. The Tetras you get from the LFS won't get large enough to damage the hardy species of aquarium plants.

10 Tank (Now 11)

Essjay said:

But only if you like and want to keep those fish

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Hello Essjay. I don't understand why anyone wouldn't want to keep Buenos Aires Tetras. They're beautiful and get large enough to be the center of a well planted aquarium. They'll thrive in quite a large range of water temperatures. I keep quite a few in different tanks with no heaters and given good water conditions, they're longer lived than most other species of Tetras. What else can you want in an aquarium fish?

10 Tanks (Now 11)

I for one don't want them. I don't have any tetras as my main tank is loosely Asia based. (Harlequins, cherry barbs, Microdevario kubotai [too many common names])
Just because one person likes a particular fish doesn't mean everyone else will want them.

10 Tanks said:

Hello RED. Actually. you don't need to test the tank water, unless you like doing that sort of thing. The fish simply need a steady water chemistry that's near nitrogen free. So, how does one achieve this? Simple. You don't keep very many fish. Be selective. If your tank is less than 30 gallons, you change most of the water twice a week. If the tank is 30 gallons or larger, you change most of the tank water weekly. By doing this one thing, you'll remove what little dissolved waste a few fish make before it can build up to anywhere near toxic levels. But, you must follow this routine essentially for the life of the tank.

10 Tanks (Now 11)

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I'm not sure that telling a beginner they don't have to test their water is particularly helpful.

I agree that regular, larger water changes are beneficial to a healthy aquarium but please bear in mind that not everyone has the capabilities or desire to be doing these huge changes twice weekly as I see you keep suggesting. I'd say up to 50% on a weekly basis is ample for most setups with the exception here and there

10 Tanks said:

Tetras won't harm hardy plants. I keep Java Fern, Anacharis, Dwarf Water Lettuce and different species of Anubias in my tanks and the plants do very well. The Tetras you get from the LFS won't get large enough to damage the hardy species of aquarium plants.

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That's not my experience with BA tetras

Hello Captain. As I say, the more water you change and the more often you do, the healthier the fish will be. If I was living in the same water I did all my business in, I'd sure appreciate large, regular water changes. The fish tank is essentially a toilet. And, as we all know, toilets need to be flushed regularly. There is no tank with fish in it, that doesn't require and benefit from at least half the water being removed and replaced weekly. Unless, you're satisfied with keeping fish that aren't their healtiest.

10 Tanks (Now 11)

Hello again. Attached is a nice Buenos Aires Tetra. A younger one, a little more than an inch. A very robust fish that will easily handle the "fish in cycle" as long as you follow an aggressive water change routine. I recently started a 52 gallon with a small school of these fish and they've been fine throughout the process. Now, you've got to love a fish that's so hardy, nice looking and thrives in such a wide range of water temperatures. The key to healthy fish is a lot of water changed out and changed out at least weekly. But, there's no slacking!

10 Tanks (Now 11)