Hi everybody,
I am setting up my first fish tank. I was wondering if I could get some advice on a number of issues.
For reference, today is day four. It is a ten gallon tank. I have five real plants. I added a water conditioner but not any bacteria starter. My readings as of today are as follows:
pH: 7.6
Ammonia: 0.25ppm (may be a hair towards 0.5, hard to tell)
Nitrite: 0.75ppm
Nitrate: 5ppm
1) How do these levels sound for day 4 of a 10-gallon planted tank? Anything I should be worried about?
2) I have a sample of bacteria starter. Should I add it?
Here is a photo:
3) Can anybody ID the middle plant in the back? To the left are ribbon plants, to the right is a java fern. Front right is an Anubias. But I'm not sure what the back center plant is.
4) Can anybody ID the fish. I believe the red one is a guppy but I'm not positive about either of them. Sorry, I know it's a bad photo, I'll try to get a better one later. The guy at the pet shop recommended them because they are hardy, but I totally forgot what he said they were.
5) My water has gotten noticeably cloudier over the last day or two. It is not green or brown, just kind of white. I am using Floramax for my substrate, which I know is naturally cloudier, but I'm not sure why it would clear up and then get cloudy again. Any thoughts?
6) My lighting is two 18-watt CFL bulbs (36 watts total). How many hours/day should I leave them on?
7) I'd like to get some shrimp at some point. What kind and when would be a good time to get them? (I'm in no hurry at all).
And of course, any other advice you have for a beginner would be much appreciated. I have read tons of stuff in the getting started forum, but any tips with particular regard to my setup would be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
I am setting up my first fish tank. I was wondering if I could get some advice on a number of issues.
For reference, today is day four. It is a ten gallon tank. I have five real plants. I added a water conditioner but not any bacteria starter. My readings as of today are as follows:
pH: 7.6
Ammonia: 0.25ppm (may be a hair towards 0.5, hard to tell)
Nitrite: 0.75ppm
Nitrate: 5ppm
1) How do these levels sound for day 4 of a 10-gallon planted tank? Anything I should be worried about?
2) I have a sample of bacteria starter. Should I add it?
Here is a photo:
3) Can anybody ID the middle plant in the back? To the left are ribbon plants, to the right is a java fern. Front right is an Anubias. But I'm not sure what the back center plant is.
4) Can anybody ID the fish. I believe the red one is a guppy but I'm not positive about either of them. Sorry, I know it's a bad photo, I'll try to get a better one later. The guy at the pet shop recommended them because they are hardy, but I totally forgot what he said they were.
5) My water has gotten noticeably cloudier over the last day or two. It is not green or brown, just kind of white. I am using Floramax for my substrate, which I know is naturally cloudier, but I'm not sure why it would clear up and then get cloudy again. Any thoughts?
6) My lighting is two 18-watt CFL bulbs (36 watts total). How many hours/day should I leave them on?
7) I'd like to get some shrimp at some point. What kind and when would be a good time to get them? (I'm in no hurry at all).
And of course, any other advice you have for a beginner would be much appreciated. I have read tons of stuff in the getting started forum, but any tips with particular regard to my setup would be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance.