First attempt at a stock for 35g
- Thread starter Sgtdap
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
tylermakin
Aquarium Advice Activist
Good man doing your research I can tell. I'll post in abit to help. It's just going to take a little as I'm busy this morning 
be patient with me lol.
be patient with me lol.tylermakin
Aquarium Advice Activist
API down for certain works and pretty much instantly. For its purposes it's a great product.
But....
If your chemically changing the ph balance it will always fluctuate.
With the chemicals either wearing off or adding fresh water during your pwc will raise it back up every time you add water.
Fish would rather live at higher ph levels then they are used to then to have fluctuating ph levels.
But...
In time as your tank cycles your ph on your tank should drop a little.
Fish can usually tolerate a large ph range and this isn't usually a problem unless you have discus. A super low ph fish.
Also as tanks get older they can develope old tank syndrome where the tank can over time gradually lower it's ph to an also unhealthy level. -pay no mind to this tidbit.
I would pay it no mind until my tank finished cycling ammonia / nitrate.
Once the tank is cycled add driftwood if still concerned.
Driftwood lowers ph naturally and gives fish a natural fibrous diet and grazing point.
But....
If your chemically changing the ph balance it will always fluctuate.
With the chemicals either wearing off or adding fresh water during your pwc will raise it back up every time you add water.
Fish would rather live at higher ph levels then they are used to then to have fluctuating ph levels.
But...
In time as your tank cycles your ph on your tank should drop a little.
Fish can usually tolerate a large ph range and this isn't usually a problem unless you have discus. A super low ph fish.
Also as tanks get older they can develope old tank syndrome where the tank can over time gradually lower it's ph to an also unhealthy level. -pay no mind to this tidbit.
I would pay it no mind until my tank finished cycling ammonia / nitrate.
Once the tank is cycled add driftwood if still concerned.
Driftwood lowers ph naturally and gives fish a natural fibrous diet and grazing point.
tylermakin
Aquarium Advice Activist
I'll add more insight I can think of in abit need to charge my phone now lol.
tylermakin
Aquarium Advice Activist
Put a glass of tap water on the counter leave it 24 hrs. And compare out of the tap to the tanks water. Post results.
tylermakin
Aquarium Advice Activist
But ph should start to settle around the two week mark of your cycle 10 days +
tylermakin
Aquarium Advice Activist
If driftwood is something you want in your tank eventually anyhow feel free to add it. Sooner the better even because the wood itself releases tannins into your water giving it a rather brown looking water for a week or two also.
Tannins are harmless to fish and driftwood can be added with fish in the tank. Just thinking now... Why wait and have brown water when you have fish in it.
Tannins are harmless to fish and driftwood can be added with fish in the tank. Just thinking now... Why wait and have brown water when you have fish in it.
tylermakin
Aquarium Advice Activist
After 2 weeks or so you will have perfectly clear water again with driftwood in the tank
tylermakin
Aquarium Advice Activist
Odds are your local municipality tap water is fine to use and I'll bet your lfs uses the same.
tylermakin
Aquarium Advice Activist
I am assuming your aiming for 7ph?
The water in the tank currently is tap water. I was testing the tank for leaks for a couple of days. PRIME and the other stuff I ordered off Amazon came last night so I ran the test on the tap water. As soon as Ace gets the sand in for me, I will start the tank cycle then.
PH7 would be ideal for my fish I'm thanking about. 7.5 is the upper "acceptable" range for one of the fish I was thinking about.
PH7 would be ideal for my fish I'm thanking about. 7.5 is the upper "acceptable" range for one of the fish I was thinking about.
venymae
Aquarium Advice Addict
If you're getting a pleco, they NEED driftwood for digestive reasons. So that would be another reason to get some +1 to fluctuating pH being worse than high. Mine was 8.2 at the beginning of cycle, now that my tanks have matured it stays around 7.5 I also have a large chunk of driftwood for my BN pleco, which probably(?) helps.
+1 to fluctuating pH being worse than high. Mine was 8.2 at the beginning of cycle, now that my tanks have matured it stays around 7.5 I also have a large chunk of driftwood for my BN pleco, which probably(?) helps.Sounds like your tap water is very basic and probably "hard" (filled with minerals) like mine. You may want to make up your tank water with a percentage of distilled or reverse osmosis water. If your tap water is like mine you will definitely want to use RO/distilled water if you need to replace evaporated water between water changes. The minerals become more concentrated as water evaporates, and adding more tap water adds more minerals.
Typically the minerals that make tap water basic have what is called "buffering capacity" the ability to absorb acidic inputs without letting the pH go down. What this means is that you can add a lot of pH lowering chemicals with no effect, and suddenly, when the buffering capacity of the water is exhausted, the next amount of chemicals added will lower the pH a lot, killing fish. I am mentioning this because I have made this mistake, and, not understanding buffering, I kept adding bigger doses of pH down and crashed my pH when the buffer ran out. Now I thin my hard/basic water with RO or distilled but I don't try to modify it further with pH changing chemicals.
Typically the minerals that make tap water basic have what is called "buffering capacity" the ability to absorb acidic inputs without letting the pH go down. What this means is that you can add a lot of pH lowering chemicals with no effect, and suddenly, when the buffering capacity of the water is exhausted, the next amount of chemicals added will lower the pH a lot, killing fish. I am mentioning this because I have made this mistake, and, not understanding buffering, I kept adding bigger doses of pH down and crashed my pH when the buffer ran out. Now I thin my hard/basic water with RO or distilled but I don't try to modify it further with pH changing chemicals.
tylermakin
Aquarium Advice Activist
Your ph in time as the tank fully cycles will be around 7.5 ish. Your ph will not be a problem for you
tylermakin
Aquarium Advice Activist
That stock will be fine. You can overstock heavily if you know how to do it. Your stock will be fine the way it is. Don't change a thing if you don't want to
tylermakin
Aquarium Advice Activist
I know people with stocks that would say is at 300%. Just means more water changes more water conditioner, I tend to also over filtration my tank with an abundance of filter media and beneficial bacteria .
Coursair
Aquarium Advice Addict
The issue that no one is addressing, is Panda Cories are a cooler water species. There is a temp range listed, but many people tend to lose them in warmer tanks.
And yes, Cories and Angels like lower PH. Most Angels are tank bred and have a wider tolerance. Most Cories except a few common species are Wild Caught and more sensitive. Pandas seem more delicate in my experience.
BN Plecos and all Plecos are poop machines. Great fish. Just messy.
Under stocking gives you a buffer if anything goes wrong. Power outage, getting sick and missing water changes...etc.
More people crash their new tanks by adding too many fish, too fast without doing their homework. Buying by appearance rather than compatibility and similar needs kills fish.
Swords are cool. I loved mine. But most Livebearers need to be stocked 4 females to 1 male because the males often harass females to death trying to mate constantly. Try to have plenty of plants. Real or fake so the fish have hiding spots.
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And yes, Cories and Angels like lower PH. Most Angels are tank bred and have a wider tolerance. Most Cories except a few common species are Wild Caught and more sensitive. Pandas seem more delicate in my experience.
BN Plecos and all Plecos are poop machines. Great fish. Just messy.
Under stocking gives you a buffer if anything goes wrong. Power outage, getting sick and missing water changes...etc.
More people crash their new tanks by adding too many fish, too fast without doing their homework. Buying by appearance rather than compatibility and similar needs kills fish.
Swords are cool. I loved mine. But most Livebearers need to be stocked 4 females to 1 male because the males often harass females to death trying to mate constantly. Try to have plenty of plants. Real or fake so the fish have hiding spots.
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Coursair
Aquarium Advice Addict
That's terrible advice for a site like AA that is aimed at helping new people.
Water changes don't fix everything.
I may overstock a tank, but I've had fish for 40 years. Newbies should be encouraged to do everything to keep fish happy and healthy. And light stocking gives them a much better chance at success.
More people sell their tank after they've killed their fish due to improper cycling and or stocking.
I want people to enjoy their tank, not have to do constant water changes because of too many fish.
I appreciate that the OP is trying to study up and ask questions before buying fish. ??
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tylermakin
Aquarium Advice Activist
If I was concerned about the amount of maintenance this person would have to do I would advise against it. But currently the stock list is fine. The "op" will not have to do an exceedingly above normal water change schedule whatsoever. Telling somebody there tank is fully stocked when it is not is not helping a beginner.
Aqadvisor is just a very modest baseline.
Aqadvisor is just a very modest baseline.
