Satyricon553
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2012
- Messages
- 29
I bought a 38 gallon tank a few weeks ago. One week ago, I bought 5 zebra danios and 2 spotted corys. I have been testing with strips (liquid test kit has been ordered, but not here yet). Ammonia got up to 4ppm a few days ago, dropped to 3 today so something was working. No nitrite readings, but nitrate has been at 20 (the same as tap water).
It was been dosed with Tetra Safe Start 4 days ago. That didn't really change anything. I wasn't too surprised by this.
I added 3 more spotted corys because I thought the bio load might not be enough for the tank. I was going to make them my first purchase after cycling, but I thought the 2 in the tank might want the company now. All fish are doing fine.
I bought an active filter from Angels Plus. Today I got a new AquaClear 70 filter. I used half the sponge from AP instead of the sponge that came with the filter. I put the original sponge and the unused half in the corner of the aquarium next to the filter intake.
The water looks pretty dirty right now, but I'm assuming that is the bacteria and water from the AP filter. See picture.
My questions are:
Is my filter setup appropriate?
Is it OK to just have those two sponges hanging out in the corner?
How long should I wait to put the original sponge in the filter?
When can I take out the AP sponges?
I shouldn't be worried about the dirty looking water right?
I'll continue to test water with strips and liquid when it arrives.
Do I need to do a water change once the water clears up a bit or should I just leave it alone until it is cycled?
Any other advice on something I'm missing? I'm new to this, but have been reading as much information as I can.
It was been dosed with Tetra Safe Start 4 days ago. That didn't really change anything. I wasn't too surprised by this.
I added 3 more spotted corys because I thought the bio load might not be enough for the tank. I was going to make them my first purchase after cycling, but I thought the 2 in the tank might want the company now. All fish are doing fine.
I bought an active filter from Angels Plus. Today I got a new AquaClear 70 filter. I used half the sponge from AP instead of the sponge that came with the filter. I put the original sponge and the unused half in the corner of the aquarium next to the filter intake.
The water looks pretty dirty right now, but I'm assuming that is the bacteria and water from the AP filter. See picture.
My questions are:
Is my filter setup appropriate?
Is it OK to just have those two sponges hanging out in the corner?
How long should I wait to put the original sponge in the filter?
When can I take out the AP sponges?
I shouldn't be worried about the dirty looking water right?
I'll continue to test water with strips and liquid when it arrives.
Do I need to do a water change once the water clears up a bit or should I just leave it alone until it is cycled?
Any other advice on something I'm missing? I'm new to this, but have been reading as much information as I can.