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I successfully started a new tank for the first time about 3 years ago and am in the process of starting up another tank but forgot all my learning. The new tank has been up and running for a few weeks now and is starting to cycle. I have two small tetra in the tank which I have added to...

I have a 20 gal tank that has been up since January and appears to be problem free. Fish are happy, water is clean, testing levels are good. My son now want to start a 10 gal tank of his own. To help the process along, is it okay to use water from a PWC in my existing tank to start this new...

Hi My Nitrate levels in my tank are very high right now while Amonia and Nitrites are both 0.0. Is there anything needed to keep Nitrates down other then water changes (and vacuming gravel)?

My tank has been in service since January, cycled and stocked several weeks ago (don't recall the exact date now). I'm doing weekly water tests and water changes at which time I rince out my filter cartridge in the water I remove. My tank is starting to look slightly cloudy and I suspect...

I'm trying to follow everyone's advise to add some snails to my new tank to help control algae but have run into a roadblock at my LFS. My LFS does not carry any freshwater snails claiming A) the the popular species is now illegal to own and B) the only other species available kept dying on...

I have a quesiton about the social behaviors of Tetras. I have three tetras that were the first fish in my tank. Apparently, rather than being a schooling fish as I expected they seem to pair off. So I have two of the three which have paired off and stay together all the time. The third is...

Finished cycling my tank a few weeks ago and fish seem very happy now. But I do have a good bit of algae building up the plastic plants. I have one Pleco that seems happy with all the algae available but he's not able to keep up with it all. Any advise on algae management? I don't really...

Does anyone have any good experience and suggestions with automatic feeders to keep your tank fed for 3-4 days at a time? Do they all work well with flake food?

Now that my tank has cycled and I'm ready to stock, what sort of routine do I need to settle into going forward? I'm looking forward to no more daily water changes :D How often do I need to test my water now? How frequently do I need to perform water changes? Anything else?

Thanks to all the advise and assistance from this forum I have successfully completed cycle on my tank. Took measurements this morning to find Amonia = 0.0, Nitrites = 0.0, and Nitrates = 20.0. Finally ready to start stocking....

I'm about 7-8 weeks into my cycle and I think I'm getting close to done. Still have three tetras that have survived the cycle just fine and don't show any signs of stress. My amonia levels dropped to 0.0 a couple of weeks ago but my nitrite seems to be stalled at .25 ppm and my nitrates are at...

Hi Folks My cycle seems to be really kicking in now. My amonias went up between .25 and .50 yesterday and I had to do my first partial water change. I'm watching it closely now and expect to be doing significant daily water changes. Nitrates look like they are starting to develop but the...

I'm patiently waiting through my first cycle and have a question about adding live plants. Currently I have some plastic plants in that I already own but my desire is to migrate to live plants. When is the right time to add live plants? Should they be in as part of the cycling process or do...

I'm not done cycling yet so I haven't even selected the fish that will populate my tank but I've read about different types of food (flakes, pellets, brine, etc.). Can someone give me a quick tutorial about the pros and cons of each type of food and when you should use them?

Another quick and simple question from a newbie. I know the type of fish effect this but in general how many hours a day should I set the light to be on in my acquarium? 20 gallon tank with a single bulb.

I have been reading many posts here to get suggestions for fish for my 20 gal aquarium which, thanks to help from many of you, I am taking through its first cycle. So, I'm not ready to add fish yet but I'm taking advantage of the time to really think through what I want in the tank. Here is...

Oh and I glad I found this forum. You all are great! Okay, I have read everything I can find (here and in books) on cycling. I understand the purpose and all the chemistry of it but I'm still not grasping the tactics of the process. So please help me clarify. I mistakenly listened to my LFS...

I'm taking up the offer from BrianNY in another post to help newbies like be "plan a trouble free first aquarium". Here is my situation: I have a 20 gallon tank with OTB filter (single cartridge) and gravel substrate. The current pH for my water is 6.8. I have been running the tank for 7...