Cycling not working?

[chilledaz]

Alright sweet I'll let you know after 24 hours! Hopefully it's not something complicated cause I'm running out of ammonia so I'm only dosing 1 ppm a day

 

[chilledaz]

I tested the water in my bucket and it reads about 6.8-7 ph! I tested the water in my tank again and it reads 6 once again

 

[jlk]

Thanks! Ok, I did some reading about your substrate and it appears this is the cause of your low ph. Apparently, it reduces hardness and increases acidity/lowers the ph. It's not your tap water that's the cause of this and your tap test verified it. If you plan on fish that thrive in soft, acidic water then your fine. If you want fish that prefer a more neutral or higher ph/harder water, then you will need to decide where you want to go from here. Not sure if this is good or bad news...

 

[chilledaz]

I was thinking of keeping community fish like livebearers, tetras and harlequin rasboras

 

[jlk]

Hopefully, Librarygirl or another member will chime back in here! I don't keep tropicals so I don't feel comfortable advising you with fish I have no experience with. You may need to post a new question in respect to if this is suitable for them. Sorry I cant be of more help with this!

 

[Mrs.h2012]

I was thinking of keeping community fish like livebearers, tetras and harlequin rasboras

From what I know these are all pretty hardy fish. Do you use the same water as your LFS does or
Does your water come from a well?

 

[chilledaz]

That's okay you've been very helpful during my time of need

I did a little research and apparently my fish prefer a ph of 6.6-7. Should I change my substrate then??

 

[jlk]

I would wait to hear from some others as well. The 'suggested' ph ranges that you will find online vary quite a bit and some are quite erroneous. 'Generally' , the larger majority of fish are quite adaptable as long as they properly acclimated and the ph stays reasonably stable. But, this does not apply to all fish so it's worth asking about and doing some more research.

 

[chilledaz]

From what I know these are all pretty hardy fish. Do you use the same water as your LFS does or
Does your water come from a well?

I just use tap water and I just use a de-chlorinator

 

[Mrs.h2012]

I just use tap water and I just use a de-chlorinator

I think as long as your tap water is from the same source as LFS's is, then chances are the fish are already used to the pH of the water.

 

[chilledaz]

I think as long as your tap water is from the same source as LFS's is, then chances are the fish are already used to the pH of the water.

I'm not sure if we are using the same water or not... =[