I've made ALL the mistakes!

[Homedog98]

Ok...and THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! You have been very helpful! And I think my fish are happier, too. I know I am!

Lol, any time! Just test daily, or as much as you can, and keep up with the salt for a few days. Post your parameters here, as it sounds like you've got a cycle going on. Just remember... Your fish won't be happy if you let that ammonia get too high. As allaboutfish said, levels above .25 are toxic, so do your best to keep those levels down. Remember... No chemicals should go into that tank unless you get them approved here first. you're on the right track.

 

[Territoons]

Well, Krusty died last night, and that is sad. Maybe aquariums in heaven have no ammonia.

But the rest of my tank is so happy, that all of my fish seem to be grinning from gill to gill. Off to do yet another water change!

What about my PH. Apparently it's high?

Haha! How do you like my new avatar?

 

[Homedog98]

Great avatar! Lol. I'm sorry about krusty, sounds like his wound got infected. it's ok though... Fishy heaven always has perfect water parameters! Lol. For your Ph. I agree, 8 is a bit high, but nothing a good acclimation (when you add new fish) can't fix! If you're worried, I think peat moss helps lower/buffer ph. So do some research (or start a new thread) and ask for some opinions. 8 really isn't too bad though. Also, for grins, when you get the chance, it might be a good idea to test your tap water. Sometimes it can cause Ph troubles.

 

[Territoons]

hmmmm...I have access to RO (Reverse Osmosis) water, but I've been using tap water. I wonder if I should add some RO water? It's REALLY cold, so I could fill my bucket up partway with RO water, and then part with warm tap water...hmmmm does that sound good? I think I'l test the RO water AND the Tapwater, just for grins. It'll be an interesting test, anyhow...

 

[Homedog98]

hmmmm...I have access to RO (Reverse Osmosis) water, but I've been using tap water. I wonder if I should add some RO water? It's REALLY cold, so I could fill my bucket up partway with RO water, and then part with warm tap water...hmmmm does that sound good? I think I'l test the RO water AND the Tapwater, just for grins. It'll be an interesting test, anyhow...

Definitely test. All RO water would be bad for the fish, but check it out and see. The half and half combo would probably work, but it'd be interesting to see the results of them together as well.

 

[Territoons]

interesting readings, i think:

My RO water looks like this:
PH 6.4
Am 0
NO2 0
NO3 0


my TAP water
PH 8
Am .5 (!!!!!)
NO2 0
NO3 0


and the mixture of 50% tap and 50%RO reads like this:

PH 7.2 or 4
AM .5 !!!!! now what do I do??????
NO2 0
NO3 0

taking all RO water, if thats what we decide I should do, is going to be problematic because:

a) my RO spigot is slowwwww...and milking 12 gallons of water out of it will take all day!
b) I have two RO spigots...one of them is really cold and the other one is even colder

 

[Territoons]

well, duh. i added Aqua safe and the ammonia came down. I'm not to bright sometimes

 

[Homedog98]

Do half and half. Thats about perfect Ph. also, when you get the time, prime is a much better water conditioner for cycles. It neutralizes ammonia and nitrite without making it unusable for the nitrates to process. It's not a must though. just when you run out.

 

[Homedog98]

well, duh. i added Aqua safe and the ammonia came down. I'm not to bright sometimes

Lol, it's ok.

 

[Territoons]

thanx again. now...off to do my water change....

 

[Territoons]

I'm back! With bad news/good news. Bad news, my beautiful and finally stabilized 29 gallon tank sprung a leak. Good news, all my little fishies survived the emergency transfer to the 10 gallon tank. More good news...I'm going out this weekend to buy a new tank...at least a 60 gallon...maybe more if I can fit it in my classroom (need to check dimensions).

I want to set THIS one up correctly. Altho crowded, I think my fish can survive in their 10 gallon sized vacation home while I "cycle" the new, big tank. I'm thinking about taking the filter pad out of the current filter (I moved it from the 29 to the 10 gallon with the fish) and putting it whatever current filter I end up with. Right?

I'm also curious about a million other things. I looked through the forum because I thought someone said there were some plans in the DIY section build your own aquarium stand. My husband and I are VERY DIY, so I'd be curious to have links to that site?

I would like to be able to grow plants in my new tank. Nothing fancy, just LIVE plants. What are my options with lights?

I like the filter that I have, it's a Fluval U2. Can I just get a bigger one of those if I get a bigger tank?

I won't put my fish in the tank until its all cycled and the water tests out nice and YOU guys say it's okay. I screwed everything up last time. I want to do it right this time. Does anybody have any advice for me before I go out and start spending money? I really blew my budget last time, because I was being stupid. So now I have very little budget to work with. I found a great deal on new fish tanks at my LFS for $1 a gallon! I'm excited!

 

[huma-huma]

The dollar per gallon sale is up to 55g at most petco's, hopefully yours has bigger any advice? Of course don't be afraid to ask questions...this site will save you a lot of time/headache/ and money when it comes to this hobby. If you have any rock in your tank, you'd prob want to keep as much as possible submerged in water it'll help with cycling a new tank. And don't forget to wash out new tank with a bit of vinegar and lots of water

 

[huma-huma]

And light-wise, you're gonna want to check out t5 or t5ho light fixtures, being as you said you don't really have much of a budget, t5 will be your best bet in terms of growing plants

 

[Territoons]

this $1 gallon fish tank price isn't at Petco, and it isn't a sale...it's their always price! this is at a small privately owned pet shop in Kearny Mesa, CA called Octopuss Garden.

 

[Territoons]

and I know they have 40 gallons and 60, and I believe larger ones, too. I'm going to get the biggest size that my preschool classroom size will allow. Do you know a good DIY website for building fish tank stands? any ideas on that?

 

[Homedog98]

and I know they have 40 gallons and 60, and I believe larger ones, too. I'm going to get the biggest size that my preschool classroom size will allow. Do you know a good DIY website for building fish tank stands? any ideas on that?

The DIY section on the forum that's where most people look.

 

[Territoons]

i've looked all through that and found some cool projects, but none of them involve building a fish tank stand. Maybe I didnt look far enough. Any direct links?

 

[Homedog98]

i've looked all through that and found some cool projects, but none of them involve building a fish tank stand. Maybe I didnt look far enough. Any direct links?

Not that I know of... Start a thread in the DIY section... They can give you better leads then I can lol.

 

[huma-huma]

Oh that's def awesome! Wish I had a store around here that consistantly had tanks for $1/gallon....and unfortunately I don't have any direct links in mind, but let me go look.

 

[Territoons]

hi home dog! good to see you again! you were so helpful during my last crisis!