Hi Guys

[Ollie36]

Hi guys, I'm Ollie and I'm a new member and a newbie to the fish keeping world (apart from fairground goldfish!) Today I got my hands on a Juwel Rekord 600 tank and have it all set up in my lounge. I have read and been told that i should wait a week till introducing fish to the tank to let everything settle etc which is fine, but i was just wondering if i need to leave the heater and filter on for that week too. Sorry if it is a silly question or has been answered somewhere else.
I will hopefully get some pictures of my setup sometime this week.
So hello!

 

[dh058977]

Hi and welcome to the forum! Head over to the beginners section and have a good read, esp the sections on cycling. Unless you have some mature media then you will need to cycle your tank using Ammonia for alot longer than a week. Seems like a long time but well worth it in the end! Also try and invest in a liquid testing kit.

 

[Ollie36]

Thanks for the quick reply. I have just been reading some of the threads and I need to go get an API Fresh Water Master Test Kit. Whats a good price to pay for one? £25? Sorry for the newbie questions!

 

[DrRob]

Hi and welcome. £25 isn't a bad price for an api master.

 

[dh058977]

Thanks for the quick reply. I have just been reading some of the threads and I need to go get an API Fresh Water Master Test Kit. Whats a good price to pay for one? £25? Sorry for the newbie questions!

I know you said newbie question not stupid but remember around here nothing is a stupid question. There are alot of people around here with tons of experience that they are willing to share, we all make the most of it! Id say £25 isnt that bad, you might get one slightly cheaper on eBay if you shop around.

 

[phishyphil]

Hi guys, I'm Ollie and I'm a new member and a newbie to the fish keeping world (apart from fairground goldfish!) Today I got my hands on a Juwel Rekord 600 tank and have it all set up in my lounge. I have read and been told that i should wait a week till introducing fish to the tank to let everything settle etc which is fine, but i was just wondering if i need to leave the heater and filter on for that week too. Sorry if it is a silly question or has been answered somewhere else.
I will hopefully get some pictures of my setup sometime this week.
So hello!

Hello and welcome to the forum

As said by dh058977, Please Visit the Beginners Resource Centre to read up on how to get started with tropical fish.

Expect to pay anything from £23 - £35 for the API Master Kit. Ebay is going to be the cheapest in my opinion. LFS will be more expensive, especially the smaller ones.

You will need to cycle the tank at the begining of your fish tank. Pet stores usually recomend you buying "Beneficial Bacteria" to add to the tank for a week to help "Get the tank ready". This however is just a ploy to get you to part with your hard earned cash.

Fish-Less cycling is the prefered method of choice around these parts, and overall not harmful to your new fish. Read up on cycling here

-LINK-

 

[Ollie36]

Thanks alot. I was bidding on Ebay last night for an API tester and lost out by 10p in the last second! Ended up buying one on a buy-it-now for £21 so not too bad. Popped into my local Petsathome today and it was £35! I will get some pictures of the tank up later tonight hopefully.

 

[Rocknrobyn]

Hey Welcome!

 

[phishyphil]

Thanks alot. I was bidding on Ebay last night for an API tester and lost out by 10p in the last second! Ended up buying one on a buy-it-now for £21 so not too bad. Popped into my local Petsathome today and it was £35! I will get some pictures of the tank up later tonight hopefully.

Good job mate. A Worthwile investment which will last you a while

 

[Dieses Madchen]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[Ollie36]

As promised here are a couple of pictures of my tank, obviously only being setup for a day its nothing amazing. Going for the natural minimalist look of just a few plants and rocks really, nothing too crazy. Just waiting on the delivery of the water tester now, anything i could be doing inbetween now and then?

 

[colleen0309]

Looks nice! Welcome to the forum! Make sure to read up on cycling your filter. Preferably fishless cycling.

 

[Ollie36]

Thanks Colleen!

Well today my water test kit arrived and here are the results after the tank has been standing for 4 days:
ph: 7.6
High pH: 8.2
Ammonia: 0.5ppm
Nitrate2: 0.25ppm
Nitrate3: 10-20ppm (the oranges on the card are practically the same

Are these results good after 4 days? Any info or advice would be greatly received

 

[colleen0309]

Have you had a chance to read up on fishless cycling? You will need ammonia. If you have a friend that can give you some mature filter media, this will speed things up for you. Please avoid doing a fish in cycle. This is very hard on the fish and takes longer to establish.

 

[Ollie36]

Yep, I've even printed it out So last night i popped to the local Homebase and picked up some Ammonia but it doesnt have ingredients on the bottle or the website of the actual suppliers. I don't want to add it yet as im unsure if its the correct type. I've tried shaking it to see if it foams but by the time i've opened the lid the foaming could of stopped as its in a white plastic bottle!! (it also blew my nose away in the process haha!)
Here is the bottle in question, any light shed on if this is ok to use or not would be great!