Your typical "just started what do I do next" thre

[cgray]

I just finally got all my equipment and I filled up my tank, this is what's in it.

135Gal 6' length
2 Emperor 400's
3 Hagen 402's hooked up to an UGF (I KNOW)
3 200W heaters
and a bunch of silk plants and ships

Now my question is that my pH is about 8.4 out of the tap, but when I tested my Brita pitcher water it was around 7.....so I filled my entire tank up using the pitcher. 135 gallons with a brita, beat that Well I need to know does this Brita strip the water completely of Chlorine and that other stuff ie. Copper, Zinc, Mercury.....? I have a AP testtube test kit for pH, Ammo, Nitrite, Nitrate but no Chlorine or metals. I will get this test but I have a feeling that my tank is cycling already.

Short version
135G
All the bells and whistles
UGF (I KNOW)
Filled w/Brita pitcher water....Chlorine and other metals still there????
What do you use to treat your water?
Should my filters have their carbon packs in them?
What's a good temp for cycling? 76 now

P.S. Borrowed someone elses spinning thing from there Emperor of there tank and that's why I think I'm cycling. Plus the water is cloudy...good hint.

 

[wishbone]

regardless of if it strips it or not you should always use a dechlorinator anyway. I believe brita does strip most of the VOCs but a good water prep chemical will ensure that the water is completely clear of that stuff. The only time you might not use it is if you were using R/O water.

I use carbon, many do not. It will help to keep the ammonia levels down if you are using fish during your cycle peroid. So I would leave it in, but I'm sure you'll get various opinions on this.

I generally keep my temperature between 77-80 degrees all the time. I'm not sure what the ideal temperature for bacteria growth is? At least for the bacteria you'll want there for the cycle. From what I've read keeping it under 80 is a good idea for cycling, so 76 is probably good.

Man that must have taken FOREVER to fill. Keep in mind that most people recommend a stable PH over trying to achieve a "perfect" PH. So if you do that once, make sure you do that for EVERY water change.

You are cycling when you have zero ammonia/nitrite and a trace of nitrate

 

[cgray]

This is going to be a fishless cycle, as long as I can hold of the kids especially the 27 year old one that I call "my wife".

What is a good water prep?

And yes I'll just fill up a 5Gal bucket with the Brita, condition it and throw it in every week, or I could just wait and try to do 30Gal every month at one time....screw that!!!

Should I even get a Chlorine test kit?

What's VOCs? Sorry, probably a dumb question.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

You don't need to use the Brita Pitcher. Here's a simple solution: Purchase a Python (or something of the similar sorts), use that to take water out of the tank for the pwc (no more buckets). When refilling, pour in dechlorinator as you are adding water. Adjust the temp on the faucet to the perfect temp and just let it fill. It is SO much easier this way. Many people do it this way on this site and haven't had any problems. As a matter of fact, one time I just added all the dechlor to the tank after I had filled it up and saw no ill effects. It will be a lot easier on you.

Trying to alter your pH will depend on what type of fish you want to keep. What do you plan on having? Some fish like high pH's.

 

[wishbone]

You don't need to use the Brita Pitcher. Here's a simple solution: Purchase a Python (or something of the similar sorts), use that to take water out of the tank for the pwc (no more buckets). When refilling, pour in dechlorinator as you are adding water. Adjust the temp on the faucet to the perfect temp and just let it fill. It is SO much easier this way. Many people do it this way on this site and haven't had any problems. As a matter of fact, one time I just added all the dechlor to the tank after I had filled it up and saw no ill effects. It will be a lot easier on you.

Trying to alter your pH will depend on what type of fish you want to keep. What do you plan on having? Some fish like high pH's.

yeah I agree with fishyfanatic. Like I said a stable PH is better than trying to adjust your PH, but it really depends on your fish. Some fish really don't care too much and those that do are not good for beginners. I have no idea what your knowledge is, so I do not mean to insult.

The admins should add this acronym VOC = volatile organic compounds, like dichloromethane. You can read more here:
http://www.triangularwave.com/a5.htm
No question is a dumb question. It's for the sake of the fish! =)

You don't really need a chlorine test. Just get a good dechlorinator from your LFS. I use complete care by topical science and have tested my water afterwords and it does work well. Typically the only thing you may want to test for is ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. The rest your LFS should be able to help you with. They can generally let you know what the water quality is like in your area. Unless you like to see what the chemstry is like for fun, then go ahead. =)

hope that helps.

 

[Guest]

I would recommend a product like Sea Chem Stability to start your cycle. I suggest it to everyone, because I can't stress enough how much time and dead fish it saved me in setting up my tank. My brand new tank was ready for fish in a week!

 

[BrianNY]

Hi cgray. A couple of things here.

1. Before you treat your aquarium you need to decide what fish you'll be keeping. I'm assuming that the Brita strips the water of minerals that are also essential to fish health.

2. To insure a stable pH your KH should be at least 3. Without this buffering capacity the pH will eventually crash.

3. A stable pH is just as important for the nitrogen cycle as it is for the fish. IMO the nitrifying bacteria is less resistant to a quickly changing environment than fish are.

4. Any chlorine/chloramine remover on the market works immediately in your tank. You needn't be concerned about using straight tap water if your only concern is that.

 

[patagonia]

so if your trying a fishless cycle...what are you feeding the bacteria with? raw shrimp...pure ammonia? i read you borrowed someone elses biowheel...but if you dont have a source of food for the bacteria they will eventually die...may be you skipped to mention that? may be i didnt read properly? im just curious because i started a fishless cycle myself so id like to compare with the people in the same situation...

 

[dr_girlfriend]

Good lord, you filled a 135 gallon tank with a brita pitcher????? You have more patience than I! I would definitley go with a python for that large of a tank, I coulnd't imagine filling removing and replacing 13-26 gallons of water with buckets and a brita!

My tap is 8.2 ph out of the tap and I have kept many fish with no problems. Stability is the key, not some ideal number that is hard if not impossible to attain and keep. The only "tweaking" I do to my tank, is in my planted tank with co2 I add a small amount of baking soda to raise the KH. That is it. Every other fish tank I have gets straight out of the tap water (dechlorinated, of course).

You dont need a test kit for chlorine, just use a good dechlorinator and it will be gone if any is present. I use Amquel Plus, personally. It doesn't really matter the brand, as long as it detoxifies chlorine and chloramine. Just buy a gallon size bottle of whichever you like, its way cheaper. Especially with a large tank.