New 55 Gal Fish Tank Cycle

[Freshwater Sucker Fish]

Temp 15 Degree Celsius or around 60 Fahrenheit

PH 6.6

High range PH N.A

ammonia NH3/NH4 0 ppm

nitrate N02 0 ppm

Nitrate N03 0ppm

I have not added sand yet but plan on doing that just a few rocks have been added.

aquarium and pounds encyclopedia says for Pictus catfish
WATER Temperature 72–77°F (22–25°C); soft to hard (50–100 mg/l) and neutral (pH 7.0)

Would like to try breeding Pictus Catfish. Temp should be around 22-25 Celsius or 72-77 Fahrenheit. I just added the heat source. The heat source came with the tank.

Question 1: do all heat sources have a temperature adjustment.

Question 2: Whats 50-100 mg/I mean in the statement above (see the red text).

Question 3: my PH is a bit low is that bad?

any other advice is very helpful I'm new to this size of the tank. I have guppies and they do amazing! They are in a different tank don't worry.

 

[Freshwater Sucker Fish]

Sorry, I forgot to ask... I have water condiction can someone explain the reason for it should I add it now?

 

[Essjay]

To answer your questions:

1. No, some heaters have a fixed temperature. Where possible it is better to buy one with variable temperature settings.

2. In this context it means 50 to 100 mg/l calcium carbonate, also called ppm. This is one of the hardness units used in fish keeping. The other is dH and 50 to 100 ppm converts to 2.8 to 5.6 dH.
I know it says soft to hard but that range, 50 to 100 mg/l, is actually very soft to soft.

3. The pH is low which suggests you have soft water. It is not too low, depending on which species of fish.


Water conditioner - these remove chlorine from the water. Chlorine harms fish and kills the good bacteria we need in the tank. Water conditioner should be added to the tank when it is first filled, and to the new water at every water change.





Is this tank newly set up with no fish yet? If it is, don't forget you need to cycle it before putting any fish in there. As you have another tank (the one with the guppies) you could take some media from that tank's filter to kick start the cycle.

Do you know how hard your tap water is? You may be able to find it on your water provider's website. You need a number and the unit of measurement as there are around half a dozen different hardness units.

The website most of us use for info on fish species is Seriously Fish. This is their profile on pictus

Pimelodus pictus (Pictus Cat) — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

 

[Freshwater Sucker Fish]

To answer your questions:

1. No, some heaters have a fixed temperature. Where possible it is better to buy one with variable temperature settings.

2. In this context it means 50 to 100 mg/l calcium carbonate, also called ppm. This is one of the hardness units used in fish keeping. The other is dH and 50 to 100 ppm converts to 2.8 to 5.6 dH.
I know it says soft to hard but that range, 50 to 100 mg/l, is actually very soft to soft.

3. The pH is low which suggests you have soft water. It is not too low, depending on which species of fish.


Water conditioner - these remove chlorine from the water. Chlorine harms fish and kills the good bacteria we need in the tank. Water conditioner should be added to the tank when it is first filled, and to the new water at every water change.





Is this tank newly set up with no fish yet? If it is, don't forget you need to cycle it before putting any fish in there. As you have another tank (the one with the guppies) you could take some media from that tank's filter to kick start the cycle.

Do you know how hard your tap water is? You may be able to find it on your water provider's website. You need a number and the unit of measurement as there are around half a dozen different hardness units.

The website most of us use for info on fish species is Seriously Fish. This is their profile on pictus

Pimelodus pictus (Pictus Cat) — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

1. Okay so maybe I need a bigger heater then

2. So I should get a test kit for calcium carbonate? Whats dH stand for? do I need a test kit for that too?


"Is this tank newly set up with no fish yet? If it is, don't forget you need to cycle it before putting any fish in there. As you have another tank (the one with the guppies) you could take some media from that tank's filter to kick start the cycle."

OOO that was a question I had. do different fish need different media? Or universal for all fish? Also Yaaaa totally I am going to take the media and add it to the new tank. one of my plans. can I do this before I get sand? or do i do it after I get the sand

3. The pH is low which suggests you have soft water. It is not too low, depending on which species of fish. For Pictus catfish is it too low??

Do you know how hard your tap water is? You may be able to find it on your water provider's website. You need a number and the unit of measurement as there are around half a dozen different hardness units.

Ya it's horrible has high chlorine content and is very harsh it's okay for guppies sorta but not for soft fish. That's why I bought store water for Pictus catfish. in other words, I have two different water qualities

 

[Essjay]

Heater.
You need one rated for the size of the tank, but also one with a dial on top so you can change the setting. It is no use using a 50 watt heater in a 55 gallon tank, for example. For 55 gallons you need a 200 to 250 watt heater.

Hardness.
dH stands for degrees hardness. You don't need a tester unless you intend altering the hardness of your tap water. If it is left alone, the tank hardness should be roughly the same as your tap water hardness, and your water provider's website should have your hardness listed on there, somewhere. Unless of course you are on a well.

Filter media.
All fish need the same media, whatever it is the the filter uses. Having said that, carbon cartridges are not good media so if that's what the filter has it would be worth swapping them with filter sponge before the tank is cycled.

pH.
If you read my link for pictus you'll see their ideal range is pH 5.8 to 6.8. Yours is fine for them


Chlorine.
Any level of chlorine is bad for fish. It will kill guppies if it is not removed from the water.
Are you thinking of hardness? Guppies need hard water. Pictus can live in soft to hard water (1 to 15 dH, or 18 to 260 ppm)
Don't forget you'll need to do 50% water changes when there are fish in the tank. It it an option to buy 22/23 gallons of store water every week?

 

[Freshwater Sucker Fish]

Heater.
You need one rated for the size of the tank, but also one with a dial on top so you can change the setting. It is no use using a 50 watt heater in a 55 gallon tank, for example. For 55 gallons you need a 200 to 250 watt heater.

Hardness.
dH stands for degrees hardness. You don't need a tester unless you intend altering the hardness of your tap water. If it is left alone, the tank hardness should be roughly the same as your tap water hardness, and your water provider's website should have your hardness listed on there, somewhere. Unless of course you are on a well.

Filter media.
All fish need the same media, whatever it is the the filter uses. Having said that, carbon cartridges are not good media so if that's what the filter has it would be worth swapping them with filter sponge before the tank is cycled.

pH.
If you read my link for pictus you'll see their ideal range is pH 5.8 to 6.8. Yours is fine for them


Chlorine.
Any level of chlorine is bad for fish. It will kill guppies if it is not removed from the water.
Are you thinking of hardness? Guppies need hard water. Pictus can live in soft to hard water (1 to 15 dH, or 18 to 260 ppm)
Don't forget you'll need to do 50% water changes when there are fish in the tank. It it an option to buy 22/23 gallons of store water every week?

Water hardness
ya, i was thinking water hardness. But My tap water has chlorine added to it. Because it's very hard water. Don't ask why there is chlorine this is a rabbit hole I don't want to go down.

Do i really need to do 50 percent every week that seems way overkill?

Heater.
You need one rated for the size of the tank, but also one with a dial on top so you can change the setting. It is no use using a 50 watt heater in a 55 gallon tank, for example. For 55 gallons you need a 200 to 250 watt heater.

Mine came in box with fish tank seems it only has one setting tho. non adjustable so its the right size but idk why its not adjustable.

 

[Freshwater Sucker Fish]

25 percent every 2 weeks or 50 percent once per month I thought @Essjay

 

[Essjay]

The reason chlorine is added to the water is to make it safe for us to drink. It kills bacteria which would otherwise make us ill when we drank the water. It also kills the good bacteria we need to grow, the ones which eat the ammonia made by the fish and the nitrite made from that ammonia. Chlorine also harms fish - it irritates their skin and gills.
Some water providers add chloramine (chlorine and ammonia joined together), some add plain chlorine. Whichever they add, water conditioners remove it.
Chlorine has nothing to do with hardness.

You will find that most of us on here do water changes every week, and most of us change at least half the water. This is why

Regular Partial Water Changes

Byron Hosking November, 2010 (rev April 2021) Nothing is more important when it comes to aquarium maintenance than regular partial water changes. The adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” certainly applies here. One frequently reads of products that will reduce the need for...

www.fishforums.net

 

[Freshwater Sucker Fish]

With all due respect...

REGULAR MAINTENANCE TASKS DAILY ● Check the thermometer; if the water temperature has changed, the heater or the thermostat may be faulty. ● When feeding the fish, watch out for any decline in appetite, since this is usually a sign of illness. ● Check the lights above the tank; replace a burned-out tube without delay. ● Make sure the filter is working effectively; if it is not, there may be a blockage in the system or even a power failure. ● Reposition any substrate plants that have become uprooted and floated to the surface.

WEEKLY ● Carry out water tests to monitor levels of nitrogenous waste. Keep a check on the pH as well, using either test kits or a meter. ● In a newly established aquarium, carry out a partial water change of up to 20 percent every week, since the filtration system will not yet be fully functional. ● Check for any change in the appearance or behavior of the fish that may indicate that they will soon be breeding. ● Siphon out any mulm accumulating on the substrate. This will reduce the burden on the filtration system.

MONTHLY ● Carry out a partial water change— approximately 25 percent of the functional tank volume—using a gravel cleaner as well. ● Trim dead stalks and leaves from plants. Add aquarium plant fertilizer to the water. ● Remove any buildup of algae in the tank by cleaning, and then adjust the period of light exposure within the aquarium. ● Where an internal power filter or an external filter are being used, strip down, check, and clean the filtration system.

Monthly 25 percent water change after new take is established


Credit to
encyclopedia of aquarium and pond fish

 

[Freshwater Sucker Fish]

The reason chlorine is added to the water is to make it safe for us to drink. It kills bacteria which would otherwise make us ill when we drank the water. It also kills the good bacteria we need to grow, the ones which eat the ammonia made by the fish and the nitrite made from that ammonia. Chlorine also harms fish - it irritates their skin and gills.
Some water providers add chloramine (chlorine and ammonia joined together), some add plain chlorine. Whichever they add, water conditioners remove it.
Chlorine has nothing to do with hardness.

You will find that most of us on here do water changes every week, and most of us change at least half the water. This is why

https://www.fishforums.net/threads/regular-partial-water-changes.471488/[/

My point is my tap water is very hard water. not soft. whereas store-bought filter water is soft.

Guppies do well in hard water I use tap water

Pictus use soft water So I buy that water from the store there is a rule of thumb. Get fish that agree with your water instead of trying to play god with water properties. So instead of making hard water soft, I buy soft water...

You are of course right about the chorine factor. Being not due to the harshness of water. The hard water concept still confuses me a lot LOL. But that for a different post [/URL]

 

[Essjay]

I'm afraid your source is out of date. Nowadays 50%+ weekly water changes are recommended with filter cleans at least once a month, with the exception of a new tank where the filer should not be cleaned for the first 6 weeks. Changing only 25% once a month will lead to old tank syndrome.

Fish keeping evolves. We now know that not everything which used to be done is best practice. In years to come people will say the same about today.
This thread is an example of how things have changed over the last 50 years.

A Taste of 1960s Aquarium Keeping

Unless you've actually and personally experienced it, it's often hard to appreciate just how far the hobby has come, (he says, desperately trying to ignore the small detail that that progress has taken place over half a century and progress is, to be honest, quite expected). Of course, they do...

www.fishforums.net

 

[Freshwater Sucker Fish]

with all due respect that was in the 70s a lot of that stuff in that information. The book I'm reading had copyrights text in 2005. That being said there is a time gap but septical how big of a difference that would make. if I was to test if water change plays a significant role in the well-being of my fishes. Let's say I do a water test after 1 week 50 percent water change and one after 1 month at 25 percent. If you are right It should show up in the test. Correct??

I do Understand That prevention is the best way to keep fish healthy but it's kinda like an oil change in a car. You could change it every 6 months or you could change it once a year.

 

[Essjay]

In a tank with no plants, nitrate will increase between water changes. This is an indicator of all the other things we can't test for which also build up. In a planted tank, nitrate won't increase as plants take up the ammonia made by the fish, but all those things we can't test for will still build up.

The reasons we do weekly water changes is:
to remove all the things excreted and secreted by the fish, micro-organisms and plants (in a tank with plants)
to replenish the minerals used up since the last water change
to remove disease organisms in the water
to keep the chemistry of the tank water similar to the source water (tap, bottled etc) used to refill the tank.


A book published in 2005 is out of date, I'm afraid. It's in the last decade that we have come to realise that big weekly water changes are important, particularly in tanks that do not have live plants.
And in the last few years we have come to realise that 20 ppm is the highest nitrate should be. Before that it was thought that 50 ppm was OK, then before that anything under 100 ppm was OK. We now know that zero is the best nitrate level, but under 20 ppm is OK and the lower the better.

 

[Byron]

I agree with everything @Essjay has posted. If you read the article on water changes (which I authored by the way, and it is based on science, not someone's opinions) you should understand the immense value of water changes. Nothing else is as important in keeping fish healthy.

Many in this hobby do not always grasp that this is a scientific hobby. Once you put a fish in a tank of water, there are natural laws of chemistry, biology, microbiology that come into play. We must recognize these, and understand that sometimes we may be able to influence things for the better, but usually the reverse occurs.

The other real problem this hobby has is in the mountain of inaccurate, misleading and simply false "advice" that one can find on internet sites (and in books too). You just have to know the source of the information--i.e., who is the individual saying it, and what are his/her qualifications in biology, etc.. I know this is a real hurdle for most of us initially.

 

[Freshwater Sucker Fish]

Thank you @Essjay and @Byron I'm still pretty new and I appreciate the correction. One last question though. How is it possible to get the water quality for fish like pictus? I don't think anywhere has tap water that is on point with fish like this. If you get from the ocean IDK how legal that is. As well as you have to haul Soooo much water into your home. How is it possible???