I have a few questions regarding my first "serious" tank.

[mrhelton]

Hello! This is my first post though I've been reading this site for weeks now.

I've tried the whole aquarium thing a few times in the past, but never did ANY research on the subject, and the fish always die within a few months. This time I want to do things right. I'm keeping up with water changes and got a test kit to keep up with the chemical maintenance. I'm using a 29 gallon tank because it's really the biggest feasible size my house can support.

Unfortunately I put fish into the aquarium before finding this forum, specifically this post http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...guide-and-faq-to-fishless-cycling-148283.html

I only have 5 medium tetras in the tank right now. My ammonia is less than 1 ppm, my nitrites are 2 ppm or so, but the problem is, my nitrates were off the chart. I have well water without a softener, so I decided to check the water right from the tap and it's about the same, maybe around 120 ppm nitrate. I assume this isn't a good thing.

What are my options? I don't really have a better source for water, and I can't really do much to the well because I rent this house. I bought some purigen an hour ago and had it overnighted so I can get it in right way. Hopefully it will take out some of the nitrates so it isn't at a dangerously high level. Do you guys have any other suggestions? Should I replace a few of my plastic plants with real plants? Is there a feasible place to get water often (and cheap) enough to do weekly water changes?

Just a note: I followed the directions perfectly on the test kit. I shook #2 for a full minute then shook the vial for a full minute.

I hope I made my issue clear. Thanks! I'm loving this forum!

 

[alLexX]

Hello! This is my first post though I've been reading this site for weeks now.

I've tried the whole aquarium thing a few times in the past, but never did ANY research on the subject, and the fish always die within a few months. This time I want to do things right. I'm keeping up with water changes and got a test kit to keep up with the chemical maintenance. I'm using a 29 gallon tank because it's really the biggest feasible size my house can support.

Unfortunately I put fish into the aquarium before finding this forum, specifically this post http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...guide-and-faq-to-fishless-cycling-148283.html

I only have 5 medium tetras in the tank right now. My ammonia is less than 1 ppm, my nitrites are 2 ppm or so, but the problem is, my nitrates were off the chart. I have well water without a softener, so I decided to check the water right from the tap and it's about the same, maybe around 120 ppm nitrate. I assume this isn't a good thing.

What are my options? I don't really have a better source for water, and I can't really do much to the well because I rent this house. I bought some purigen an hour ago and had it overnighted so I can get it in right way. Hopefully it will take out some of the nitrates so it isn't at a dangerously high level. Do you guys have any other suggestions? Should I replace a few of my plastic plants with real plants? Is there a feasible place to get water often (and cheap) enough to do weekly water changes?

Just a note: I followed the directions perfectly on the test kit. I shook #2 for a full minute then shook the vial for a full minute.

I hope I made my issue clear. Thanks! I'm loving this forum!

prime neutralizes ammo and nitrite(not sure about nitrate) so that its available for the bacteria but not harmful. i would get a fast growing plant like hornwort as well to help out. whats your lighting?

 

[mrhelton]

Well I bought this kit (or something very similar) because it was on sale for $70 at petco. Aqueon » Deluxe Aquarium Kit | Products

It came with a fluorescent tube light in the hood. I did a quick google search and it said that prime detoxifies the nitrates, so that would be a good idea. My pet shop is closed so I'll wait until tomorrow to get some.

Hornwort is the plant I read about earlier but I couldn't remember what it was. thanks!

My friend used to work at a pet shop and told me that live plants make the tank really messy. Is there any truth to that?

 

[mrhelton]

Anyway, today the Purigen came in, so I put the bag next to my filter. I also went to the fish shop and got some Wisteria and Amazon Sword plants. (They didn't have any Hornwort, unfortunately). I put a few in the aquarium and put a few in a dedicated plant aquarium that I set up.

I also got some pH reducer to bring it down from 8.2 because that's obviously too high.

I'll check my levels again tomorrow and see how things are. My parent's house is 2 minutes away, and their well water is much better than mine (0 ammonia and nitrate). If I need to I'll do the next few big water changes using their water until I get my nitrates down near 0, then start using my own water for smaller water changes.

 

[glassbird]

Be very very wary of the "pH reducer". Most fish can handle a stable pH, even if it is on the high side...but they can NOT handle pH swings. And those adjusting products will alter your pH artificially for a while and then "fail" and cause your pH to crash, which your fish will not handle well at all. Better to go with your natural (stable) pH.

The exception to this might be if you have your heart set on keeping a specific variety of fish that is well known for requiring a specific pH....and then you had better be prepared to test your pH on a frequent and regular basis.

 

[BBradbury]

First Serious Tank

Hello mr...

Not an expert on well water, but can tell you fish and plants are very adaptable. Plants will use up the nitrates, so a natural remedy to this problem is to check your lighting and get some appropriate plants into the tank and soon as you can. Large and frequent water changes are always the best thing you can do for any tank in general.

B

 

[eco23]

Assuming the test kit is correct...there may be a more serious (non-aquarium related) issue. Check out this link when you get a second-
http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/basicinformation/nitrate.cfm

 

[mrhelton]

I read about the negatives of pH reducers after I used it. ugh live and learn I guess. From now on I'm checking here before I add any chemicals to my tank. Luckily I didn't use much (and it didn't make any difference anyway, so I'm returning it).

The test kit is almost certainly working correctly because I tested my neighbor's water (a deep well) and it showed 20 ppm, then I tested my filtered bottled water and it showed 0. My mom's well also reads 0.

The first thing I did when I found out about my nitrate levels was to see what it means for me (I don't drink it, but we cook with it). I actually dropped a bottle of my water off at my local water testing facility so they can assess it and see if I need to give a report to my landlord.

Thanks for the replies, you guys are great!

 

[mrhelton]

Update: The plants seem to be growing a little. I put some Flourish in because they were starting to turn a little yellow.

I can't seem to curb my nitrate problem, so I went to the store and got 10 one gallon jugs of distilled water and changed 10 gallons. I'm going to save the container and fill them at my parent's house (their well water is 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 0 nitrate) and use their water for water changes from now on.

I've switched to Prime as well.

I'm pretty sure I need a new light fixture. I did some research and found out that I have less (probably much less) than 1 wpg in my kit. I have the 29 gallon kit seen here Aqueon » Deluxe Aquarium Kit | Products

Anyway, I did a bunch of googling and found a few similar questions, but most of the links are broken as the topics are old. What kind of fixture am I looking for here? I'm not planning to use CO2 anytime soon, so I don't think I need to get too crazy with the wattage. Maybe a 48 watt?

Can anyone recommend something fairly priced (my wife has already been kind enough not complaining about all the money I've put into this project, don't wanna push my luck too much) that will brighten up my aquarium enough to support my plants? Right now I just have Amazon Sword plants and Wisteria plants. Thanks!

 

[mrhelton]

I have my final update in this topic. I just want to thank everyone for the help that I received.

My tank is fully cycled with no fish lost. I have 8 zebra danios, 3 black skirt tetras, and a little pleco (who will be going in the 90 gallon tank I'm getting once I move)

I have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, but still have the nitrate issue. I'm trying to find a water source that doesn't have 100+ nitrate lol. I did a water change with distilled water, and saved the 10 one gallon containers to fill up with [hopefully] my neighbor's water. I haven't tested theirs yet though.

At this point I'l going to get a couple more fish everytime I visit the lfs.

 

[librarygirl]

Um......not sure you should use distilled water as it is stripped of the minerals the fish need. If anything, use SPRING water but make sure it has minerals and isn't just RO water (I think Dasani and Aquafin are bad choices if I'm remembering correctly). Poloand Spring, Deer Park, or Nestle Pure Life are good. BUT the PH in spring water tends to be low, so pick one brand and stick to it; you might need to add some crushed coral or something in a mesh stocking in your filter to buffer the PH. I'd stop using the distilled.

For light fixtures, try a T5 fixture, they're good for plants (something like this; you'll have to search for ones that are long enough for your tank, they come in varying lengths).