what things should i keep on hand?

[Chelseachuy]

hi i just started my ten gallon aquarium and i keep going back and fourth to pets smart and pet land everyday!!! so what are some things that i need to avoid this ?

i currently have
ph down
stress zyme
and stress coat
a test kit for ammonia and ph

are there any other products i should have to keep my tank happy and healthy

thank so much for advice!

 

[Mr. Limpet]

hi i just started my ten gallon aquarium and i keep going back and fourth to pets smart and pet land everyday!!! so what are some things that i need to avoid this ?

i currently have
ph down
stress zyme
and stress coat
a test kit for ammonia and ph

are there any other products i should have to keep my tank happy and healthy

thank so much for advice!

Have you cycled your tank yet? If not, please read the"fishless cycle" stickie. If you do have fish read the "cycling with fish" stickie.

You need to also test for nitrItes (no2) and nitrAtes (no3). If the tests you have now are liquid test kits, you can get the others in liquid form too. If you have test strips, you'll be better off if you get a complete liqiuid test kit like the API FW Master test kit.

You'll also need a dechlorinator like Prime for your tap water to be safe for fish.

That should get you started and what kind of fish are you considering?

 

[Chelseachuy]

Have you cycled your tank yet? If not, please read the"fishless cycle" stickie. If you do have fish read the "cycling with fish" stickie.

You need to also test for nitrItes (no2) and nitrAtes (no3). If the tests you have now are liquid test kits, you can get the others in liquid form too. If you have test strips, you'll be better off if you get a complete liqiuid test kit like the API FW Master test kit.

You'll also need a dechlorinator like Prime for your tap water to be safe for fish.

That should get you started and what kind of fish are you considering?

i already have the fish! which seems to be a mistake i want to take them back but not sure if the pet store will take them back. but what do i do if the nitrates are high ?

 

[Mr. Limpet]

i already have the fish! which seems to be a mistake i want to take them back but not sure if the pet store will take them back. but what do i do if the nitrates are high ?

If you can, try to take them back, cycle your tank and then get fish. What kind and how many fish do you have in it right now?

The ammo and no2 are your biggest concerns. Test daily and do 25-50% PWC (partial water changes) if ammo gets above .25ppm or no2 gets above 0ppm. I highly recommend getting Prime to prep your water, as you can double dose to keep the water safer for your fish.

 

[Chelseachuy]

what is prime does petsmart sell it ?

 

[Mr. Limpet]

what is prime does petsmart sell it ?

Yes, Petsmart has it. It's dechlorinator to clear your tap water of chemicals harmful to your fish.

 

[Chelseachuy]

is it the same as stress coat ? because i thought that is what the stress coat does.

 

[Mr. Limpet]

is it the same as stress coat ? because i thought that is what the stress coat does.

More or less the same, but I prefer Prime since if needed, you can dose up to 5x normal to clear water better.

What size is your tank, what kind of and how many fish do you have right now?

 

[Chelseachuy]

10 gallon and its overstocked =/ my mistake. i went to petsmart today and bought ammolock, bacteria supplement( heard some conflicting opinions on this but figured it couldn't hurt, and the prime. im little confused how to use the prime... its a little bottle how much do i put in my ten gallon tank ?

 

[fort384]

My advice: Stop with all the chemical additives. All you need is prime. Get rid of the bacteria supplement, ammo lock, pH down, stress zyme, stress coat. Your aquarium is turning into a chemistry set instead of a fish tank. Treat water with prime, and perform daily 50% water changes until the tank is cycled. The rest isn't going to help, and some are going to hurt (like the pH down stuff... eventually you are going to run out of buffers, and the little amount that you add will cause a huge pH crash).

 

[Mr. Limpet]

10 gallon and its overstocked =/ my mistake. i went to petsmart today and bought ammolock, bacteria supplement( heard some conflicting opinions on this but figured it couldn't hurt, and the prime. im little confused how to use the prime... its a little bottle how much do i put in my ten gallon tank ?

Prime is 2 drops per gallon. Do a 50% PWC, and dose the water you're adding to the full 10 gallons (20 drops) then just add it.

Do you test your water (ammo, nitrIte, etc), if so how do you test it?

Ammolock isn't the best stuff to use and the supplement isn't going to help much. The best thing to do IMO is daily to every other day 50% PWC and test your water daily with a liquid test kit (API FW test kit is what I use) until you're tank is cycled.

 

[Chelseachuy]

i only added the ph down once. can u tell me the best way to use the prime ?

 

[Mr. Limpet]

i only added the ph down once

What is your pH at?

pH down doesn't work if your tap water has strong buffers IME and as long as it's at a reasonable level, it's best not to mess with it.