New Tank/Cycling questions. . .

[Phaedrus]

I am a complete novice and have a few questions. . .

At this point I have fill the tank (55 Gal) with water, added substrate and decorations, and set up my heater & filters but have not added any fish. I have read enough to know that new hobbyist often kill their fish and I would like to avoid doing so! I have a wife and daughter who are not as patient as I am and are begging to get some actual fish but I want to do it right. When all is said in done, I plan to have about 5 platies, 8 danios, 6 lemon tetras, 6 serpae tetras, and about 6 cory cats.

In any event my first question involves water quality. All I have done so far is add a dechlorinater and my water's ph is very high, about 8.4. It is my intention to have tropical/community fish and I know the ph is too high. I know there are chemical additives out there but should I use them? The book I have gotten the most benefit from is called "The Simple Guide to Freshwater Aquariums" by David Boruchowitz and he suggest that large and frequent (50% weekly) water changes will allow my fish to thrive even in such alkaline water. He seems to suggest that water consistency will more than make up for the chemistry.

Secondly, I am not sure about the best way to cycle the tank. I have seen several products that are supposed to help in this regard and I was wondering if this is better than other methods. In particular, I have seen a product called Bio-Spira mentioned in this forum. Does this work well and if so is it sold locally in most markets or must I mail order it?

Anyway, any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[TankGirl]

Welcome to Aquarium Advice, Phaedrus!!

You have come to the right place, and kudos to you for holding off on stocking the tank until you get your research done - this is going to save you so many headaches that your family would appreciate, if they only knew!

Your tap water does have a high pH, but as a novice I would strongly recommend you get fish from a LFS close to you that might have similar water parameters, or from local breeders who use the water you have. Many community fish are well adapted to higher pH values than what they would have in the wild, but some fish to consider are livebearers like platys, swordtails and Endler's, as well as rainbow fish.

African cichlids also really thrive in water like yours but I don't know if you want to start off with a very aggressive bunch like that on your first tank - those fish have to be very carefully stocked to prevent literal mayhem.

I have used Bio-Spira many times and as long as you stock the tank FULLY, with the number of fish that you plan on keeping in the tank, and use the correct amount for the size tank, you should have success. You add the fish to the tank that has been up and running for a few days to make sure the temp is stable and all equipment is working properly and add the Bio-Spira at the very same time, and wait a couple of days, testing your water for ammonia and nitrite, and be sure the cycle has been achieved.

Here is some reading about the nitrogen cycle that will help explain the process:

http://faq.thekrib.com/begin-cycling.html

Good luck and post back with the fish you are interested in, so we can assist you with your choices.

EDIT: Almost forgot, many LFS carry Bio-Spira so call around. Mainly it will be the smaller Mom & Pop type shops that carry it rather than the big chains, but I think someone said Petco carried it.

 

[Phaedrus]

Thank you for your response!

I have called around and found a local supplier for the Bio-Spira so I know it's available here. As far as stocking the tank, I am working off a list I got from a book that seemed to make sense to me since whatever I know about aquarium fish I learned in the month or so from books and forums like this one. I had not planned to deviate due to my lack of knowledge but I trust there are quite a few people around here who know what they are doing.

The complete list is as follows:

6 platies
8 danios or 6 giant danios
6 lemon tetras
6 serpae tetras
6 corry cats

My thought process was to go with hardy fish that will withstand the mistakes I am sure to make. If my family enjoys this as much as I think they will(and I begin to feel like I know what I'm doing), then I will think about adding another tank with something different.

The instructions in my book were to start the cycling process with the platies and gradually add fish. If I understand you correctly, I should add everything at once with the Bio-Spira?

 

[TankGirl]

You've got it - get all of your fish and add them all at once with the packet of bacteria.

Your fish list sounds good to me, and I do think you could go with the giant danios.

Bear in mind that you will be forking over a pretty penny to get all of your fish and the Bio-Spira at the same time, but in the long run I think you will save since you will not have to spend money on medication or replacement fish, *knock tank*

 

[Phaedrus]

Thanks for your help. I'm going to try and get my fish this week-end. My wife and daughter are thrilled as I was preparing them for a long wait on fish. . .

 

[Phaedrus]

Well, I got my fish and all is well so far. I have one question though, once I got all my new fish settled we realized that we have 1 random fish that is not the same as the others. We "think" it is a long finned gold zebra danio. When the guy at the lfs was getting the fish ready he commented that he thought he had grabbed an extra danio. My only question is do I need to get some more to keep him "happy" or will he school with the regular zebra danios I have? I don't mind keeping him if he'll get along with everybody and be happy. So far it seems to stay by itself.

 

[TankGirl]

No, the long-finned variety should shoal just fine with the other danios after a while. If you have room for more and you like them, then definitely get yourself 3-4 more, but not if you are fully stocked.