Newly Cycled Tank - Next Steps...?

[NannaLou]

I’m doing this slightly back to front, I’ve already been on here for a couple of weeks and have received wonderful advice and support regarding the correct set-up and cycling process. I think I am at the end of that now, but am doing one more 24hour check to be totally certain.

This whole aquarium thing is very complicated and technical though - isn’t it..?

Starting with the fact that the tank I’ve bought that advertises it’s 25 ltrs can only hold about 24 from my calculations (L 43 cms, W 25cms, H 22.5 cms = 24,187.5 cubic cms). 1 ltr = 1000 cubic cms - no wonder I was being a bit heavy handed with the ammonia! I‘ve turned into a bit of a “measurement maniac” and have used high school maths and worked out the volume of the sand, stone, air gap and wood...the maximum water I have is 18 ltrs; I knocked off a bit for the plants but couldn’t work out how to calculate those.

The tank was bought for the specific purpose of holding one male Betta, very sadly, based on inaccurate advice (not from here) I have already lost two but that’s another story...

The temperature is at 77 degrees (it was about 79 but I was advised to turn it down a tiny bit) and the parameters are all ok (see Two dead Betta’s for details on this). My big worry from reading on here is that @Essjay has helped me to work out my hardness ratings and I have 281ppm (mg/l calcium carbonate) and 16 dH. I have been advised that these are a bit high for a Betta.
Further reading from posts by @Byron have made me really question if it is ok to have a Betta in water parameters that are “ok” and “can be tolerated”... So I have been reading up on RO water, and it seems that by mixing this 50/50 with my tap water will halve (not sure if I’ve made this figure up,or read it somewhere) and will bring it into a much more suitable range for a Betta. However, having purchased said RO water, I made the rookie error of saying yes when asked if I wanted it remineralise!! So still no softer....My plan is as follows (please give your advice/opinion if this is the correct way to go..):
1. Replace 50% of the water on Friday with NON- remineralised RO water
2. On Saturday buy Cherry Shrimp (3..5..?) and let them settle for a week. I’ve been advised that if they are ok in the water that a Betta will be too...
3. The following weekend go and find my long awaited Betta.

I have a reasonably well planted tank and the plants are doing well (the floaty ones are multiplying like mad)!!

Thoughts...?
Thanks in advance ?

 

[Naughts]

Sounds good apart from step 2. Shrimp do better in mature (6+months) tanks so get the betta first, as soon as the water quality is confirmed.
The tank is beautiful, the driftwood is very atmospheric. "Third time's a charm" for the betta. 78-80 degrees is good for betta.
BTW, the cycling is probably the hardest/ most technical part so well done on the steep learning curve

 

[NannaLou]

@Naughts - I do hope so...

 

[NannaLou]

@Naughts - sorry I forgot to say thank for the compliment on my tank - too obsessed with the prospect of getting a fish?

@Essjay - it has done it!! 1 ppm Ammonia to 0 Ammonia and 0 Nitrites in 18 hours..

I have officially got a cycled tank!!

 

[Essjay]

Great news

 

[Colin_T]

I prefer to do a complete water change after cycling has finished so you have nice clean water for the fish. Just make sure it's free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

Yes, if you mix 50% tap water with 50% R/O water, you will have water that is around 150ppm and that is fine for Bettas.

 

[Essjay]

And make sure the tank is up to temperature before going fish shopping.

 

[NannaLou]

I prefer to do a complete water change after cycling has finished so you have nice clean water for the fish. Just make sure it's free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

Yes, if you mix 50% tap water with 50% R/O water, you will have water that is around 150ppm and that is fine for Bettas.

@Colin_T - Thank you, I was going to do a 50% change to make up for the re-mineralisation error, but I can certainly swap most of the tank out. Just for total clarification, I will only need to add ‘tap safe’ to the tap water %...?

And make sure the tank is up to temperature before going fish shopping.

@Essjay - Thank you, I was going to add hot water from the tap for the tap water section and get it as close as possible to the tank temperature as I can. Update: I don’t have a hot water storage tank, water is heated as it comes through the boiler/pipes/tap.

It will be at least 24 hours between the water change and getting a fish...so that should be ok?

Moving forwards I’m expecting to change 5 ltrs a week (between 25-30%) with a 50/50 mix of tap and RO water - this should keep the PH etc the same, is it enough of a swap?

I feel the need for another visit to Amazon...digital thermometer anyone..?

 

[Essjay]

As long as you use exactly the same mixture every time, it should keep things stable.

Most of us change at least 50% a week.
Make sure you know exactly where the betta is throughout a water change. They are nosey fish and if you take your eye of him, he can sneak up to the siphon tube. When i first kept bettas I accidentally tore of a bit of a tail when I failed to see he was too close to the siphon tube

 

[NannaLou]

I’m getting quite excited now, almost time for a fish!!

I’ve been thinking about water changes; for the big change this weekend the mix/temperature won’t be much of an issue as there will be a big enough gap to mix and warm the 50/50 mix of tap and RO water.

Next week I will have a fish in the tank, can I just confirm that I only need tapsafe for the tap water (and not the RO) and that the tap water can be hot to make up the temperature?

I‘m planning two add 2 x 5ltr mixed buckets...?

 

[Essjay]

That's right, the RO process removes chlorine and chloramine so you only need enough dechlorinator to treat the amount of tap water in the mix.
Hot tap water is OK if it's a combi boiler (I've forgotten if we established what type of boiler you have )
Each bucket should be made up to the same mixture with the dechlorinator added for the amount of tap water in each bucket.

 

[NannaLou]

@Essjay - thank you ? and it’s a boiler that heats the water when you turn the hot tap on, there isn’t a hot water tank.

 

[NannaLou]

Quick question, when I get the new fish home, I know to float him in the tank 15 minutes (?), add some tank water and wait another 15 minutes, do I repeat that a third time? And, then do I tip all of the water from the bag into the tank, or catch him in a net and just put him in the tank..?

Happy to get a new version of the above process ?

 

[Slaphppy7]

Quick question, when I get the new fish home, I know to float him in the tank 15 minutes (?), add some tank water and wait another 15 minutes, do I repeat that a third time? And, then do I tip all of the water from the bag into the tank, or catch him in a net and just put him in the tank..?

Happy to get a new version of the above process ?

DO NOT add the water from the bag to your tank.
Wipe the bag down with a wet rag, then float in your tank for 30 minutes.

Then, get a large net, position it over a bucket, then slowly pour the bag into the net, letting the water run into the bucket, but capturing the fish...then lower the net into your tank, and let the fish swim free of the net.

 

[NannaLou]

@Slaphppy7 - thank you, can I just check - do I add my tank water to the bag to “acclimatise” him..?