I am setting up a tank for my son. We have a bio wheel emperor 400. The tank is a 29 gallon. We have no fish yet. i tested my water after I filled it and the alkalinity was 60ppm. then the ph was 6.8. we let it run for 24 hours and the ph jumped to 7.8. still no fish. we were told to use ph down and did as instructed. got it down to 7.2. let it run for another 12 hours and ph jumped back up to 7.5 or 7.6. I thought that the 60ppm alklinity was the problem cause when I do my pool water that has to be 80-120ppm. got the alklinity to 110ppm and started over. same problem. So I drained the tank and filled it and here I am. The alklinity was 70ppm the ph was 7.0 last night. i did nothing and this morning the ph jumped to 7.5. Please give me step by step instructions what I should do and test for. Also should I get a cheap gold fish or two to get the tank ready for for fish so I can make bacteria. Thank you and you can e-mail me direct if you want. I think I set up the e-mail address properly.
Newbie
- Thread starter lougotzz
- Start date
Phantom Thief
Population Control Volunteer
I believe you'd be better off not messing with the pH. I suggest you read the article on New Tank Syndrome in beginners section, it will explain all about what fish to use, the 'fishless' cycle, and basically everything you need to know.
Good luck
P.T.
Good luck
P.T.
gixer
Fish Addict
have you got any rockwork or stone in the tank at all?
also what is the ph from your tap?
also what is the ph from your tap?
PH from my tap is 6.8 No rocks. just water and the filter. we left for the morning and the ph rose to 7.8 and we did nothing to the water. the only thing is that the filter is on. we do have gravel on the bottom. i dont understand why the ph is jumping. I thought it was from low alkalinity but when I used baking soda to raise the alkalinity on the first batch of water to swimming pool specs the ph still was bouncing. Do live plants help keep PH under control?
PH from my tap is 6.8 No rocks. just water and the filter. we left for the morning and the ph rose to 7.8 and we did nothing to the water. the only thing is that the filter is on. we do have gravel on the bottom. i dont understand why the ph is jumping. I thought it was from low alkalinity but when I used baking soda to raise the alkalinity on the first batch of water to swimming pool specs the ph still was bouncing. Do live plants help keep PH under control?
gixer
Fish Addict
confused now.... so are you adding baking soda to the tank water at all?
after I started over with my water I only added a dechlorinator. I did nothing else. I am going to try to cycle my tank without fish. Then I will take it from there. I am very curious about my water hardness. I do think this might be an issue. You guys tell me is hard water an issue when starting a tank? When the first tank of water had ph jumping I added backing soda. but the ph was still jumping. I am going to test for water hardness in the next few days.
tstenback
Hopelessly Addicted
Hi lougotzz
So you are sitting with a tank full of dechlorinated water. At this point dont worry too much about PH. Just let it settle out as the tank cycles. To cycle without fish try the following:
1. Get some filter material or gravel from a cycled tank. (most lfs will give you one or the other) The reason is that it already has the bacteria that you will need and it really does speed up the process.
2. if you cant get either of those try getting a couple of real plants or an ornament from a cycled tank.
3. get some pure ammonia ( if you shake it no foaming occurs).
4. Get test kits for ammonia, nitrITE, and nitrATE.
5. put in enough ammonia so that you will measure about 3-5 ppm. Remember that amount.
6. add the same amount daily.
7. Measure for ammonia and nitrITEs every couple of days until you get a reading for nitrITE.
8. Once the nitrITE shows up cut the ammonia in half and continue to add daily.
9. Measure for Ammonia, NitrITEs and nitrATEs daily or every other day.
10. The tank is cycled when your readings are ammonia 0 and nitrITEs 0 (after they both spike) and a positive reading for nitrAtEs.
The nitrIte spike will be the longest part of the cycle. It is this part that the seed material mentioned in steps one and two really helps. It can reduce this phase from 6-8 weeks down to as little as 1-2 weeks. HTH
So you are sitting with a tank full of dechlorinated water. At this point dont worry too much about PH. Just let it settle out as the tank cycles. To cycle without fish try the following:
1. Get some filter material or gravel from a cycled tank. (most lfs will give you one or the other) The reason is that it already has the bacteria that you will need and it really does speed up the process.
2. if you cant get either of those try getting a couple of real plants or an ornament from a cycled tank.
3. get some pure ammonia ( if you shake it no foaming occurs).
4. Get test kits for ammonia, nitrITE, and nitrATE.
5. put in enough ammonia so that you will measure about 3-5 ppm. Remember that amount.
6. add the same amount daily.
7. Measure for ammonia and nitrITEs every couple of days until you get a reading for nitrITE.
8. Once the nitrITE shows up cut the ammonia in half and continue to add daily.
9. Measure for Ammonia, NitrITEs and nitrATEs daily or every other day.
10. The tank is cycled when your readings are ammonia 0 and nitrITEs 0 (after they both spike) and a positive reading for nitrAtEs.
The nitrIte spike will be the longest part of the cycle. It is this part that the seed material mentioned in steps one and two really helps. It can reduce this phase from 6-8 weeks down to as little as 1-2 weeks. HTH
I am in the process of doing this. I am starting tonight. After all this what do I do with water chemistry? or will I be pleased to find good chemistry after the tank is cycled? I bought clear ammonia from giant supermarket. I shake it and I only get air bubles. it does contain surfactant opacifier. also clarifying agent. is this ok.
tstenback
Hopelessly Addicted
Should be fine its the detergent that is the main problem. Just let the tank settle out naturally. The fish you will purchase will likely be from an lfs that is in your area and has the same water chemistry as you do. therefore the fish will already be acclimated to the water. That being said once you get to the fish part just watch the fish...if they are happy and active then everything is fine. good luck and be patient the cycle can be frustrating.
I did get 2 plants today. I went to petco cause I didnt know where else to go and I was pressed for time. They are aquatic plants for fish. I rinsed them off cause the girl said they might have small snails on them. I looked very carefuly and they are now in the tank. Do i need a grow lite or are they good with the regular lite?
tstenback
Hopelessly Addicted
The regular light should be fine for now (during cycle) but depending on the type of plant more light may be required if you want them to grow to their full potential.
when cycling without fish do I keep adding ammonia everyday untill I get a nitrite spike? i brought my ammonia up to 4-5 ppm. Thats what it was last night and thats what it is tonight. Do I still add more even though the reading is the same?
tstenback
Hopelessly Addicted
Yes, normally this is the process the ammonia readings get pretty bazaar after a while but they all settle out. Some here have gotten a successful cycle without adding daily and some have had it fail or do strange things no matter which way they did it. In the 4 tanks that i have done in the last 3 months i have added the ammonia daily until the nitrite spike. Then cut it in half. If there is enough seed material you should start to see nitrates in a few days time (4-7days) HTH
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