Greetings Fellow Aquarium Hobbyist!

[MysticSkye]

Test your pH with the low range reagents.

I did & it was a darker blue so I figured that meant my pH was higher than the regular test could show. I've read that a higher pH is actually good for the bacteria and they do well when the pH is higher. Fish...well that depends on the fish, I reckon. I still haven't added any fish to my 75g, yet. I still haven't decided on what I want to get. I'd really like to have some shrimp, but saw they don't do well with higher pH's and my tap water is already on the higher end. IDK? Thoughts?

 

[Andy Sager]

I did & it was a darker blue so I figured that meant my pH was higher than the regular test could show. I've read that a higher pH is actually good for the bacteria and they do well when the pH is higher. Fish...well that depends on the fish, I reckon. I still haven't added any fish to my 75g, yet. I still haven't decided on what I want to get. I'd really like to have some shrimp, but saw they don't do well with higher pH's and my tap water is already on the higher end. IDK? Thoughts?

Okay. The way I saw your picture, it looked like the color was below 7.4. That's the problem with showing test results in pictures. The colors are all going to depend on the screen's color settings. :^s
Yes, Nitrifying microbes do better in alkaline water with 7.6 -7.8 being " optimal" for most types of nitrifiers.

As for the shrimp, there are a few that can live in alkaline water. That said, having shrimp will put a real damper on what fish you can add in with them, especially if you want them to be reproducing. A 75 gallon tank is really a big tank for being constrained to a limited fish selection. ( IMO of course. ) Many people keep shrimp in smaller tanks like 2 to 15 gallon tanks. Also, they need pristine water which makes having fish in with them a lot more work. Your choice of course.

 

[MysticSkye]

Okay. The way I saw your picture, it looked like the color was below 7.4. That's the problem with showing test results in pictures. The colors are all going to depend on the screen's color settings. :^s
Yes, Nitrifying microbes do better in alkaline water with 7.6 -7.8 being " optimal" for most types of nitrifiers.

As for the shrimp, there are a few that can live in alkaline water. That said, having shrimp will put a real damper on what fish you can add in with them, especially if you want them to be reproducing. A 75 gallon tank is really a big tank for being constrained to a limited fish selection. ( IMO of course. ) Many people keep shrimp in smaller tanks like 2 to 15 gallon tanks. Also, they need pristine water which makes having fish in with them a lot more work. Your choice of course.

Huh, it does look like the water was a bit in the 7.4 range now looking at the picture, lol. It could have been the lighting in my house during that time of day that made it look differently.

Oh bother, any way I look at it, it does seem that shrimp just may not be an option....*sigh*. I just think they are adorable! I want something that eats algae or a creature that helps keep the tank clean, corys? I have had snails in the past, but they escaped! I do have a lid on this tank though so it may help keep them inside, for some reason...I'm just not a fan of snails, lol.

 

[Andy Sager]

Huh, it does look like the water was a bit in the 7.4 range now looking at the picture, lol. It could have been the lighting in my house during that time of day that made it look differently.

Oh bother, any way I look at it, it does seem that shrimp just may not be an option....*sigh*. I just think they are adorable! I want something that eats algae or a creature that helps keep the tank clean, corys? I have had snails in the past, but they escaped! I do have a lid on this tank though so it may help keep them inside, for some reason...I'm just not a fan of snails, lol.

The best light to look at those test results is natural sunlight. Taking a test at night can lead to misdiagnosing because of the darker lighting. No worries tho, the bottom line is that the water is alkaline vs acidic.
As for algae eaters, depending on what fish you eventually choose to keep, there are a host of algae eaters to choose from. There is a wide variety of Plecostomus, Otocinclus, Asian algae eaters, hillstream loaches, Farlowella ( twig) catfish and a few others I'm forgetting at the moment. So you will have plenty to choose from once you know your main stock. AS for general maintenance, Cory cats are the most popular but they aren't the only ones. So once again you'll have choices.

 

[MysticSkye]

The best light to look at those test results is natural sunlight. Taking a test at night can lead to misdiagnosing because of the darker lighting. No worries tho, the bottom line is that the water is alkaline vs acidic.
As for algae eaters, depending on what fish you eventually choose to keep, there are a host of algae eaters to choose from. There is a wide variety of Plecostomus, Otocinclus, Asian algae eaters, hillstream loaches, Farlowella ( twig) catfish and a few others I'm forgetting at the moment. So you will have plenty to choose from once you know your main stock. AS for general maintenance, Cory cats are the most popular but they aren't the only ones. So once again you'll have choices.

Thanks for several suggestions! I'll look into those! I tested today and have finally hit 0 ammonia & nitrite! I am currently doing the 24hr testing right now. I upped the ammonia to ~2.0ppm and we shall see tomorrow if I have TRULY cycled =)

 

[MysticSkye]

Readings after the 24hr. test. These are my readings exactly 24hrs. after dosing the tank with ammonia. I think I am FINALLY finished with the tank cycling! Took about a month to have it come to this! Phew!

 

[Andy Sager]

Readings after the 24hr. test. These are my readings exactly 24hrs. after dosing the tank with ammonia. I think I am FINALLY finished with the tank cycling! Took about a month to have it come to this! Phew!

YAY!!!!!

 

[MysticSkye]

YAY!!!!!

Yay is RIGHT! I didn't think it'd ever get there lol. I am actually surprised I have been this patient with it. I have a few live plants in it now, and I plan to slowly remove some of my plastic decor & add real plants. Just purchased a new light as the one I have now isn't strong enough. I'm going to go with simple ferns & anubias plants. I'm gradually adding fish. Today will be my schoolers & this weekend...I said no, but I'm going to try some amano shrimp. I don't think I'll get any bigger fish other than small schooling fish so I'm hoping it'll be okay for the little shrimpys. I just love em too much.

 

[Andy Sager]

Yay is RIGHT! I didn't think it'd ever get there lol. I am actually surprised I have been this patient with it. I have a few live plants in it now, and I plan to slowly remove some of my plastic decor & add real plants. Just purchased a new light as the one I have now isn't strong enough. I'm going to go with simple ferns & anubias plants. I'm gradually adding fish. Today will be my schoolers & this weekend...I said no, but I'm going to try some amano shrimp. I don't think I'll get any bigger fish other than small schooling fish so I'm hoping it'll be okay for the little shrimpys. I just love em too much.

A month is not really all that long when you consider that with no help at all, it can take 2,3,4 even 6 months for a tank to cycle. But the reality is, all tanks with a pH over 5.0 will eventually cycle. Just remember if you don't match that 2 ppm ammonia production, some of that microbe bed will begin to die off. So your testing days are not behind you yet. Keep tabs on the nitrate level before adding more life and the ammonia level after adding more fish/life.