introduction

[dazzy6882]

hi my name is Darren I have always had a bug for fish but never actually kept an aquarium. untill now i started small witch i have been told thats a mistake as bigger tanks are a little better to maintain . I hope to get a great understanding of my aquarium and i know a little now but not with the problems 1 the pet store told my to cycle my tank for a week witch of course i did then add fish . However my fish seem to be doing great but i do have Nitrate in my tank 12.5mgl im currently doing 10% water changes every day i have also been advised to make the water up from my tap and leave the water for 24 to de chloranate the water however my readings are still the same . know a little about me and what i hope to achieve from this little gold mine i have stumbled across i just want to meet other fish lovers and gain as much information as possible in order to care for my new found friends.
setup extremley basic
57 litre aquarium
jewell bio mini filter
jewell 100w heater
1 japanese fighting fish male
5 rosboras lease feel free to email me or speak i dont bite

 

[Rivercats]

How long has the tank been set up? Was it cycled? A nitrate level of 12.5ppm is fine. Anything under 20ppm is good. You don't need to do daily WC's. I do a 50% WC on all my tanks 1x weekly.

You don't have to let water sit 24 hours before using. Remove your water, fill your container with freshwater from the tap that is close in temp to water in the tank, add the proper amount of declor, add to the tank. I've been doing it this way over 30 years without any problems.

 

[dazzy6882]

thanks very much for your reply the reason i was told to leave my water by the guy at the store was because my ph was 8 and it should only be between 7. and 7.5 but i would also like to keep cardinal tetra but he said they wont last 2 seconds

 

[Rivercats]

That simply isn't true. Leaving tap water sit for 24 hours allows it to gass off and will give you a true Ph reading from you tap but that doesn't mean the ph will drop any. Plus most fish acclimate to the levels in your tank. If this shop is in your area it most likely is using the same water as you. A stable ph is the best thing for fish. Not all the information you get from fish shops is good information and it's always better to ask on a forum and do your own research. Don't just take their advice as gospel.

 

[dazzy6882]

thank you very much 1 will do as you said i will just change 5o% once a week but i havent been putting any tap water conditioner as he said not to my tank as been going for weeks almost 8

 

[Rivercats]

Use a good declor. Prime IMO is the best on the market. It costs more but you need very little.

So did they tell you about cycling the tank? Here is a good article you should read.... I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?! - Aquarium Advice. I also suggest getting an API Master test kit so you can test your ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and ph.

 

[dazzy6882]

sorry nitrite levels 125 mgl

 

[dazzy6882]

ive got a tetra master test kit

 

[Rivercats]

sorry nitrite levels 125 mgl

Are you sure? I found out it's basically the same as ppm's and 125ppm of nitrite couldn't even be measured so did you mean 1.25?

 

[Masha]

I use that tetra kit...12.5 is the lowest level just above 0 nitrate. It's a sort of light orange in the test. Is that the reading you are getting?

 

[Platiesareawesome]

Use a good declor. Prime IMO is the best on the market. It costs more but you need very little. So did they tell you about cycling the tank? Here is a good article you should read.... I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?! - Aquarium Advice. I also suggest getting an API Master test kit so you can test your ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and ph.

Agreed prime is the best.

 

[Platiesareawesome]

Welcome to AA, btw!

 

[jlk]

sorry nitrite levels 125 mgl

Are you sure you don't mean ni"trate"? I honestly do not know of any test kit available to most aquarists that measures ni"trite" up to 125mg/l (ppm).

 

[dazzy6882]

yes masha it is a light orange when i first do the test it stays yellow for a minute or two then goes a light orange

 

[dazzy6882]

yes masha it is a light orange stays yellow for a couple of seconds then goes light orange

 

[Masha]

Ok, that means your nitrates are fairly low, then.

 

[Rivercats]

What are your ammonia and nitrite readings?

 

[dazzy6882]

nitrate

yes thats correct just before 0%