My Two Fish Tanks. One Very New, One Kind Of New.

[NeonSagaris]

I guess we'll wait and see.

 

[KCB]

I guess we'll wait and see.

Yep, good luck with your cycle

 

[NeonSagaris]

Thank you

( I will be adding fish just before New Year)

 

[DrSlackBladder]

I have to recommend a fishless cycle too. And a liquid test kit. Yes it sounds complicated, but it's not when you make an effort to get your head around it; my 8 yr old son got it after a few explanations. And guys on these forums will help every day if needed. I completed my first fishless cycle using neat ammonia solution a couple of months back, and it was actually fun! And once you've done it, not only will your fish be healthier and happier, but you'll understand what it means to keep their environment healthy. It will save you frustration, time and money in the long run. You say that your older tank has happy fish - forgive me if it sounds harsh, but their dorsal fins are down, suggesting that they are not as happy as maybe you'd like to think. Probably too high ammonia/nitrite/nitrate in the tank!

 

[sadguppy]

It is so, so much easier to do a fishless cycle than a fish-in; in my first tank i did a fish-in and it was bloomin hard work changing the water twice a day for six weeks! I used quick start, and it did nothing at all. Fishless is not hard at all, you just have to add ammonia or fish food and then see when the ammonia and nitrite disappears. You will need a testing kit anyway so the only added cost is the ammonia which i bought for about £3. Cheaper than just one dead fish!

But if that still doesn't convince you then good luck I guess.

By the way, clown loach can live over 20 years so 5 years is a very short life for them.

 

[NeonSagaris]

Hello everyone!

I have completey finished decorating the tank now, and it looks pretty cool I think! I will post some snaps of it up soon-ish.

The other day I went down to my LFS and brought a fish tank test kit - 'King British Water Quality care' - and I have some results which are kind of pleasing. here they are -

• Ammonia - Ideal (yellow)
  
• Nitrate - 25
• Nitrite - 0.5
• GH - 500
• KH - 100
• pH - 7.6

That seems pretty good, and I'm happy about the ideal ammonia reading! However, I'm confused about my GH reading. The water in the area I live in is meant to be a lot softer than that, maybe the strip is faulty... but I'm sure it will be fine. To lower the GH, I'll probably filter my tap water first before using it in a water change. The KH is pretty good I think and, although the pH is in the area which is good for keeping fish in, I'd like it to be a bit lower. (Just a reminder, I'm getting fish on the 4th of January)

Thoughts?

 

[DrSlackBladder]

Your nitrite reading is high enough to bother the fish; with zero ammonia you have sufficient first stage bacteria, but insufficient second stage to convert toxic nitrite to nitrate. I'd be doing 50 % water changes daily with temperature matched dechlorinated water until your nitrite reads zero.

 

[NeonSagaris]

Daily water changes, ok, for how long?

My currant tank temperature is about 24C by the way.

 

[DrSlackBladder]

...until your nitrite reading is always zero.

 

[NeonSagaris]

I'll try the water changes, but it sounds like I need to give the bacteria time to grow. I'm adding more of that Quick Start stuff which should help bacteria to convert nitrite to nitrate on Sunday.

Thank you for responding!

Another quick question: What pH level do Neon Tetras need? If it's lower than the level that my tank has currently, then would water changes also help lower that?

 

[wirralbull]

thers no fish in the tank youre testing water in so u probably wouldnt get an amonua reading yet. seeing as youre not going to cycle youre tank you should take some of the media out of youre other filter and add it to youre new filter when you add youre new fish. replace the media you have taken from youre old filter with new and do regular large water changes for a week or two on both tanks

 

[NeonSagaris]

Still new to this ...media? Is that the filter?

 

[wirralbull]

some of the foam in the filter

 

[NeonSagaris]

That sounds professional. I'm assuming you do this just when you get new fish.

 

[wirralbull]

well that quik start probli wont do anything. but using some of youre established media will give you the best chance if youre not prepared to cycle youre tank first. you could do it now and add water from youre old tank to the new one daily. that would provide some sustanence for the bacteria until you get youre new fish