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I get my ammonia from home base (just make sure its unscented and no added extras) and API is the brand of the test kit which you can get off Amazon or most fish shops. If you can get some filter squeeze water from the LFS it will help speed things up. There are some products out there that you can get that help speed things up - highly debated how successful they are but some options that wont hurt if they are not 100% relied on.
5 ppm is too much. The fishless cycling method on here says 3 ppm - the person who wrote our method, TwoTankAmin, has done a lot of research in the science of fishless cycling.
www.fishforums.net
Is this the correct kit?
That's the one
A couple of things to be aware of.
Ammonia and nitrate have two bottles. Make sure you use them both, as per instructions. There have been members use just one of the bottles.
Nitrate - the instructions say to shake bottle #2 before using, and to shake the test tubes after adding bottle #2 before starting the timer. This is because one of the reagents settles on the bottom of the bottle and all that shaking is to get it back in the liquid. In fact, shake the bottle longer than it says before adding, and before shaking tap the bottle on the worktop to break up any lumps.
pH - there are two bottles, one measures from 6 to 7.6, the other from 7.4 upwards. Start with the 6 to 7.6 one. If the colour is the highest on the chart it will show that colour regardless of how high it really is, so then use the High Range tester.
Test the pH of freshly run tap water then let a glass of water stand overnight and test again. That lets any dissoved gasses gas out and the pH may be different.
It's a very steep learning curve. Shops will have you believe all you need to do is fill the tank, let it run a few days then get fish. If your fish die, they can sell you more. If the fish get sick, they can sell you medication.
We can talk you thought cycling, stage by stage. The first thing is to get that test kit and ammonia, and if you want to speed things up a bottle of Tetra Safe Start. When you have the ammonia and test kit, add enough ammonia to get 3 ppm with the tester, then ask what to do next.
You may find it useful to chart your progress in a journal in here
That'll keep everything together in one place. If you need help, ask in the journal and we'll help.
Okay so the first thing I will do is get that kit and a bottle of Tetra Safe Start
There’s so many different ones I don’t know we’re to start. If I’m being honest I havnt got a clue what I’m looking at. I can see a lot of house hood ammonia? Ammonia remover? Would you be able to point me in the right direction please?
Its always a shock - the hardest part of any tank is the first few weeks so if you get it right you'll be set. There are a lot of people that just follow what they are told or what they think is best and some muddle through the first few months buy a lot of fish and medications and treatments etc and after about 12 weeks usually give up, though a few will stick around.
Its always a shock - the hardest part of any tank is the first few weeks so if you get it right you'll be set. There are a lot of people that just follow what they are told or what they think is best and some muddle through the first few months buy a lot of fish and medications and treatments etc and after about 12 weeks usually give up, though a few will stick around.
But if you get it right from the start its a great hobby to get into and so much info on the web and videos on youtube these days you can't go too wrong if you put a bit of homework in
Wills
