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@AbbeysDad I am not suggesting we let our tanks get to 3 figure nitrate ppm, I am also not the one looking for a precise number. Many others seem to have the precise number of ' always below 20ppm'. My entire point is to not have this precise number, it over complicates an already over...

We seem to be going on a tangent here. Clinical trials have huge population sizes in order to evaluate whether the drug works, and for how long, while also making sure the side effects are known and which individuals should or should not use it. These studies are not creating fish medicine, they...

Yes, experts do tell us nitrates weaken the immune system, cause hematological changes, negatively impact reproduction. The issue is that, the concentrations of nitrate that do cause such significant changes are A LOT higher than the 20 or 40 or whatever ppm. I do not count random websites on...

All of these studies also used juveniles for the experiments. Adult fish would have even higher tolerance, while fry is much less tolerant of nitrates.

It mentions blindness at 200mg/l nitrate, with no link to the study I would have to assume it is No3-N with would actually be over 800 ppm based on the fact that I have not seen such a low value having such a large impact in any of the studies I reviewed. ( I have checked much more than the 3...

That is just a google search link? Is there something I am missing?

I am well aware of the general consensus here, it is that I have yet to see any reason for why this number (or similar values) in particular are ones we should aim for.

I am by no means saying we should therefore let our tanks get that high, but having someone with 40 ppm nitrate being told it requires urgent fixing is wrong in my opinion.

So I have seen the general advice here to always be 'keep nitrates under 20ppm'. Why? What is this number based on? Out test kits show nitrates as just NO3- ions, the studies below use nitrate nitrogen, to convert their numbers to ours multiply by 4.43...

I have no personal experience with Kribensis. But I don't see any immediate issues that would arise from your proposed stocking.

You should do some more research on the Kribensis, maybe find some personal experiences from other forum users. I would have to say it is entirely up to you on the Kribensis. I would get at least 5 loaches. (I would also skip the frogs like others have said.)

If you want Kuhli loaches, you should get more than 3. If your kribensis pair breeds, they will become very territorial, especially to other bottom dwellers. Something to keep in mind.

Not familiar with test strips, not sure why the GH requires 3 readings. What is the general hardness value that you got from the test strip? Your pH looks around 7 to me. Honestly, you should be fine with most fish species. if your water is hard probably try to avoid the more sensitive fish...

I would disagree about guppies needing that high hardness. Guppies are actually native to relatively soft waters in southeastern Brazil.

Honey gouramis

@Byron Do you have a link to this study? " Back in the 1980's a study in Germany on the effect of hard water on Paracheirodon axelrodi reported in TFH found that the life span of the fish was related to the GH of the water. In very soft water the fish lived up to a decade, but as the GH was...

80 ppm nitrate wouldn't have been the cause of your fish death(s).

Check your tap water, does it maybe have a strong chlorine smell? They water company may have added more chlorine to the water than your dechlorinator could have handled.

The time you spent is establishing nitrifying bacteria colonies in your filter. The water itself doesn't really matter.

That is what I would personally do, you can find a calculator online which will tell you how much ammonia you will need to add. You will be waiting for the ammonia to go down, this will cause nitrites to go up, then the nitrites will go down. The end product is nitrate. Once both ammonia and...

What kwi said. If you haven't established the nitrogen cycle in your tank, your numbers may be fine right now but as soon as you add fish and start feeding them they will become real bad.

Definitely not an anubias

Wish these weren't illegal in the uk.

No need to change your PH, especially considering they have already lived in it for years.

Only reason I don't order fish online is because I never buy a load of fish at once and paying £15 for delivery + cost of fish is much more expensive than going to the LFS.

90cm minimum is a bit of an exaggerated requirement in my opinion, that's like saying an oscar needs at least a 10 foot tank.

My LED is the entire length of my tank.

Your test kit tests for total ammonia (NH3 and NH4+)

I don't think dechlorinator was the issue. Please do update with how it goes with the Dr. Tims ammonia solution.

As fish food decomposes, it slowly increases the ammonia level. You may have had enough bacteria to turn it all in to nitrite as it was produced. You can check this when you get the ammonia chloride, if you add it and the ppm is noticeably lower the next day then you already have some of the...

It is odd you haven't seen ammonia at all. Did you use any filter media/gravel from your other tank?

If you look for something wrong you will always find it :). If there is nothing obviously wrong, don't worry about it.

I mean they can't all be that bad in every shop near you right?

Under lab conditions, with a proper food source the generation time of nitrifying bacteria is 10-12 hours at maximum growth rate. If you go ahead and buy a load of fish for a 350L while having only half the media from a 100L tank, there will a significant time-lag until the bacteria catches up...

Since you removed half the media from the old tank it may create a mini cycle. You should avoid feeding it for a few days to reduce the chance of a small ammonia spike.

Bacteria only grows to match the waste output of your tank. If you remove half the media and place it in your new tank, it will at best be enough for half of the stocking level of your old tank. You would have to add fish slowly and monitor parameters.

Yes, nearly all fish from true tropical regions would be fine in that temperature. The thermal maximum for some of the less tolerant fish is still in the 92 fahrenheit range. You can skim through the following paper below if you want to see some temperature tolerance studies on the common fish...

You said some of your fish weren't feeding yesterday. See if they do today. I would keep observing the fish, if things aren't getting worse then it is a good thing.

Are the cardinals scratching against objects? I see gold some gold specks on their bodies, could be velvet but it's probably just part of their colouration. Clown loach is doing clown loach things.

The one on the left is a yoyo loach. https://www.fishkeepingworld.com/yoyo-loach/