Thank You All.

[brant]

Thank you all the wonderful information and replies I have gotten here it has got me through the most dificult part and is greatly appreciated.Well as of Friday my cycle was finished amm. 0 PPM. nitrite 0 PPM. nitrate 20 PPM. I did a 50% pwc. Now my only problem is I have been useing RO water because my well water is high in nitrate an traces of nitrite (darn farmers and there chemicals) so now I have to ad buffering cappabillits(KH) to my tank. Know how to go about this I have gotten used to doing a 50% change every week and don't really mind doing it (only 29 gal tank) so I don't think that shells will be right for me as that would create a large differences in my water at changing so I was considering adding the ready to go additives and I was wondering if anybody could recomend a brand and type (powder or liquid) also should I mess with the GH as well and if I should what is a good way to go about that. Thank you for any information.

 

[graymare]

Not wanting to start a war or anything but......as far as I know some nitrates and nitrites occur naturally in our ecosystem and find it insulting to suggest it is all the fault of farmers, you would have to become a hunter/gatherer of superior talents to survive without the benefits of farmers. I think perhaps a large majority of blame could be laid at the feet of big industry, which does include the agricultural faction, but with the multitude of mouths to feed where would we be without some (not all) of the beneficial fertilizers, etc. at least today each and every person who farms has to be certified to handle toxic chemicals by attending a course annually. Which at least enlightens them as to the proper use and disposal of these poisons. I am in complete agreement as to the awareness of an existing problem, but didn't you decide just now on "ready to go additives" tsk, tsk, sounds like nasty chems to me!

anyway, good luck with your fishies, and it does sound like you are headed in the right direction with your aquarium.

Phew, glad I got that out of my system

 

[brant]

Let me clarify on my farmer coment I like farmers and the food they produce but when you are surrounded by nothing but farmers feilds and your water peggs the nitrate scale and you have traces of herbacides and pesticides in your water then the question comes to what to eat if I cannot drink. And I also understand more and better crops mean more $ for the farmer and I don't begruge them making more $ basicaly my statment was given the same as sombody gives about weather they do not enjoy(like many people hate for winter) but I am not an activist just a complainer so therefor if offended anyone I am sorry but just remember this offence the next time you want to complain.

 

[BrianNY]

Whoa..........let's get this back on track. I'm sure you didn't mean offense to farmers. Brant, are you doing pwcs with pure RO? It might be simpler to find the right mix of tap and RO for your pwcs. Just a thought because NO2 and NO3 in small amounts shouldn't be harmful to your fish.

 

[brant]

Yes my pwcs are strait RO. By high nitrates I mean that my aquarium pharm. kit just maxes out when I test my tap water and the nitrite tested a .25 ppm not to mention my water is doctored with soda ash for high acidity and I have an ion exchange sistem to treat for hard water basicaly all bad for fish a 50/50 mix of tap and ro water still leaves the water unsuitable for the aquarium( nitrates above 40 ppm) I am also looking elsware for water my dads spring tested at 10 ppm nitrates and no nitrite but his ph is 6.0 and low kh and high gh next is to test a freinds water he lives in the city wich means I will have to treat for clorine&clorimine (adding osmotic pressure) or could it all be me to much info and not enough common sense have I gone to far. Some one help me head hurts can't stop must have input 8O LOL just kidding not going mad just a little brain ake.

 

[BrianNY]

Well, the way you're going is safe rather than sorry. That's a good thing.

What kind of fish do you want to keep?

 

[brant]

Well I have a 29 gal tank in it I have (I did'nt know about fishless cycleing until after the fact but now I do) 2 gold groamies ,3 spotted corys, 1 clown pleco , 2 rosey barbs,and 3 serpey tetras thats all I will have in there. I just made a budjet for funds to aquire a 120gal to expand my fishy empire by early summer. Plus also I was given a 20 gal hex wich a freind gave up on I will be setting that up soon when that one is cycled I plan to put a male and female clown pleco and 4 or 5 zebra danios. I like clown plecos can you tell?