with fish there is a wider range some of the south America fish some can tolerate 5ph some even lower then that. on the other side some of the rift lake fish need higher ph 8 and some times even higher.
Thanks for that info... it is something that is always good to know. I just went over all my books, and the Ph rule that I was taught was for reptiles and amphibians only.
some times people dont always read the whole thread. i been guilty of that think i answered it right but found out thats not what they are asking. some people you just cant win with. one thing i learned is never to get worked up over a forum.
One reason I'm trying to get this aquarium going...I get stressed out easily. Unfortunately, I have a mental disorder that is partially to blame for this. Thank fully, 2 things have been proved to calm my stresses...1 is water (such as aquariums, going to the ocean, etc...) the other is just not for this forum (not illegal or anything).
while a 10 gallon is small there are plenty of options more then people know.
Thanks, friend said same thing last night to me...he started off with 10 gallon but gave it to niece and now only has salt water (250 or something gallon - custom).
nitrates are used as a indicator of your total dissolved solids. while the nitrates wont hurt the fish the build up of tds can lead to old tank syndrom. i say keep them bellow 20ppm but 30ppm is fine. i just do 50% water changes since its so easy plus i have plants so it tends to be lower then that.
thank you, I have now heard from 25 people saying 20 ppm or below so now I know. This will be easier than turtles...had to keep nitrate levels below 10 ppm, nitrite levels equal or lower than 1 ppm and ammonia levels at levels less than 2 ppb (parts per billion).
pm me and ill help. there are plenty of other people that are very helpful here. when i join a fourm the first thing i do is learn who knows what they are talking about and who doesnt. something i was talking about in the other post people who seem like they know whats going on but dont. it happens its a free site. what can you do about it.....
Thanks, I'll keep this in mind. One question that I do have right off the bat (may help other newbies too) during initial no fish cycling, do you put the live plants in during or after? Common Sense tells me after, but I saw somewhere else on the Internet to put in live plants before the initial cycling. It doesn't make any sense to me, but if that's correct then I will adjust my thinking.
In all my days of turtles and cleaning other people's fish aquariums... can someone please show me where drinking hose for pythons is better than garden hoses (San Antonio Zoo keepers for aquariums say the exact opposite...maybe I misunderstood them, but for that I need to see documented info, I have always used garden hoses and always been taught drinking hoses are treated to kill bacteria, wonder if these people who taught me were misinformed).
glad I took bio-chemistry in college...does help a little bit.
Again thanks, I just got stressed from all these other people. Great advice in many different posts and great place to come to for assistance. (keeps my brain active and keeps me on my toes; most likely why people in here love this place).