# my new tank...new to all this!!



## predator1984uk (Sep 15, 2006)

yeah its a fresh water setup.no fish as yet as im still waiting to get the bacteria higher in the filter.i was told to wait 1-2 weeks.

is there anything i need to know.

its a 54 litre tank with pump,thermastat and filter.

i would like to know the correct ph?

what temperature the tank should be?


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## dprUsh83 (Sep 11, 2006)

The correct ph, temperature, and most other chemical elements will be dependent upon what type of fish you wish to put in your tank. What are you planning to put in there?


Also, Welcome!


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## Amphitrite (Sep 8, 2006)

Also, what are you using to cycle the tank (i.e to build up the beneficial bacteria in the filter)?

Just leaving the tank standing for a couple of weeks will not achieve this. You will have to start the cycle using a souce of ammonia. 

You are also going to need a testing kit which will test for ammonia, nitrate, nitrite and pH. The liquid test kits are more reliable than other types, and what you're really looking for is a master test kit. Popular brands include Hagen and API.

As dprUsh83 stated, the ideal pH will depend on the type of fish you wish to keep, and the pH is likely to vary while the tank is cycling. 

I would advise you to read up on cycling a tank (the nitrogen cycle). 

It may seem a lot to take in at first, but it will all become clearer as you go along. 

Any questions whatsoever, please just ask - we're all here to help.

Katherine


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## predator1984uk (Sep 15, 2006)

> You will have to start the cycle using a souce of ammonia.


how do i do this???

i will pick up some testing kits tomorrow


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## Amphitrite (Sep 8, 2006)

You will have to add a certain amount of ammonia to the tank on a daily basis to cycle it. You can used Jeyes household ammonia (are you from the UK)? It's usually found in hardware stores or chemists.

I will dig out an article on exactly how to do it, and post it here tomorrow for you.


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## predator1984uk (Sep 15, 2006)

thanks very much,i mean that too.I dont wanna go putting aminals in the wrong enviroment as im a bit of a hippy lol

so once ive addded this amonia i have to check it to make sure its the right level for 2 weeks


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## Amphitrite (Sep 8, 2006)

predator1984uk said:


> thanks very much,i mean that too.I dont wanna go putting aminals in the wrong enviroment as im a bit of a hippy lol
> 
> so once ive addded this amonia i have to check it to make sure its the right level for 2 weeks


It's hard to say how long the cycle will take, but I think it can take anything up to a month. 

This is where you have to be really patient, but it will pay off - believe me.

You check the water readings every day, and when the ammonia falls below a certain level you have to top it up again. 

I can't remember enought detail to go into it fully now, but I will find reliable info for you by tomorrow.


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## Tracy (Aug 4, 2006)

The temperature depends on the type of fish you will be keeping. Most tropical community fish will thrive in temperatures between 72F to 82F, but when you decide what kind of fish you want to have, do some research on them so that you know what they do best in. If do you decide to keep goldfish you do not need a heater because they thrive in temperatures between 65F and 75F (about 68F to 72F being ideal).


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## predator1984uk (Sep 15, 2006)

no im defo going with fresh water


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

predator1984uk said:


> no im defo going with fresh water


I don't see any questions requiring that answer. :question: 
If you have more questions, feel free to ask.


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## predator1984uk (Sep 15, 2006)

> I don't see any questions requiring that answer.
> If you have more questions, feel free to ask.


The temperature depends on the type of fish you will be keeping. Most tropical community fish will thrive in temperatures between 72F to 82F, but when you decide what kind of fish you want to have, do some research on them so that you know what they do best in. If do you decide to keep goldfish you do not need a heater because they thrive in temperatures between 65F and 75F (about 68F to 72F being ideal).


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## predator1984uk (Sep 15, 2006)

ok i bought some tests

the results were as follows

ph.9 i know this is high

amonia 0.0mg/l

nirate 10mg/l

nitrite 0.1mg/l

how do i lower the ph level so that it stays at a consistant level


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## crazie.eddie (Sep 1, 2006)

You can add peat or wood, which releases tannins. But this makes your water light brown.

You can also use pH lowering chemicals, but I normally don't like doing it, becuase it may cause your pH to shift, during water changes.

What type of substrate are you using? Does it contain coral or seashells?

Do you have any seashells as decor?

Coral or seashells in an aquarium can increase the pH in the water. Have you tested the pH in your tap?


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## predator1984uk (Sep 15, 2006)

> What type of substrate are you using?


whats that lol



> Do you have any seashells as decor?


no,i have coral 



> Have you tested the pH in your tap?


no i havent but i assume its same as i only put water in yesterday with no chemicals


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## Nick (Aug 2, 2006)

Subtrate means are you using ' gravel ' , ' sand ' or anything else to put on the bottom of the tank.

I would still test your pH in your tap to be safe so than you will know its not something in the tank which is making your pH go high.

Nick


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## crazie.eddie (Sep 1, 2006)

You said you have coral. Real coral will increase the pH in your water. Unless you want high pH, I would remove it. Cichlids and salt water fish are the only fish that require high pH.


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## predator1984uk (Sep 15, 2006)

yeah i have gravel m8,the ph is high bbut i imagine it will settle over the 2 week cycle period


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## Nick (Aug 2, 2006)

So do you have coral in your tank or not? If you do take it out. And test your tap water for the pH.


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## predator1984uk (Sep 15, 2006)

lol im such a div.is this coral???










if my ph is to high how do i lower it with out more chemicals,is there a natural way


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## crazie.eddie (Sep 1, 2006)

Doesn't look like coral, but I'm not sure. But it could contain some kind of calcium carbonate. An easy way to tell is if adjust your pH is to test your water from your faucet tap. If it's lower than your tank, then something in your tank is causing high pH, which could be the rock. So then, basically remove the rock, replace all of the water and check your pH again.


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

predator1984uk said:


> lol im such a div.is this coral???
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Looks more like limestone. Not a problem if you're planning to keep fish which thrive better in hard than soft water.
Have you make a list of fish you're planning to keep?


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## predator1984uk (Sep 15, 2006)

not yet i ill have tomorrow.im looking around at the min.I live in nottingham england so theres loads of shops to look round


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## predator1984uk (Sep 15, 2006)

ok bought a few tetras and a red clawed crab...on friday evening the crab today looks un well so i tetsed the water and to my horrer.

ph 8.5
amonia 0.4 mg/l
nitrite 4mgl :shock: 
nitrate 75mg/l

i need to correct this as best as poss or i think crabs gonna die


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## Amphitrite (Sep 8, 2006)

Hi predator. From what information I can find, it seems that the red clawed crab is not truely a freshwater crab and should be kept in brackish water.

I would suggest that you return the crab to where you got him ASAP, and perform an immediate water change of around 50 percent for now.


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## predator1984uk (Sep 15, 2006)

i was sold it as a freash water???? they said however that it had to be cept in higher ph water


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## Amphitrite (Sep 8, 2006)

If I were you I would still return it. Your tank is not cycled and tetras are not the hardiest of fish either.

Do you have anything else in the tank at the moment, besides the tetras and the crab?


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## predator1984uk (Sep 15, 2006)

no


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## Daz (Sep 20, 2006)

predator1984uk said:


> i was sold it as a freash water???? they said however that it had to be cept in higher ph water


Maybe you were, but I'd return it, your stats are all wrong you ned to start again, or at least get it settled, get something a bit hardy. And give it time.


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## Oceane (Aug 4, 2006)

You can cycle your water a lot quicker if you do a fishless cycle using bacteria from an old tank. You can either ask somebody you know to let you have some of his old filter media, or alternately beg them to put your filter in their tank for a few days before returning it to yours, beneficial bacteria should have built up. A tank cycled in this way takes less than a week to go through its whole cycle. Incidently neons prefer aged water, i wouldn't get them as first fish. Good luck. :wink:


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## predator1984uk (Sep 15, 2006)

blooming plonkers fancy selling me the wrong animal im gutted i think its gonna die to be honest,all movements stopping and it moves a claw every minute or so.shame beautiful little thing


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## predator1984uk (Sep 15, 2006)

UPDATE.....

did a 70% water cahnge and to my horrer the filter was not working properly due to the water level being to high.

i sorted it out and within an hour the crabs moving again


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## Mike (Jul 16, 2006)

Hi predator,

Have you considered using the Track My Tank feature so you can keep an easy log of your aquarium?


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## predator1984uk (Sep 15, 2006)

i wouldnt know what that was lol


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## Mike (Jul 16, 2006)

Do you see "Track My Tank" on the menu bar and on the right of the home page? It is a feature that allows you to detail your tank setup and then make entries logging the levels, the fish, comments, special events, etc.



predator1984uk said:


> i wouldnt know what that was lol


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## predator1984uk (Sep 15, 2006)

will do that tomorrow,thanks m8 :wink:


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## Amphitrite (Sep 8, 2006)

Hi Predator, keep us updated on how it's going and we'll give you as much help as possible. Remember to keep up the water changes and keep monitoring the water perameters on a daily basis.


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## SKAustin (Aug 1, 2006)

Predator, Your concern for the well being of your fish is commendable. It seems as though you have learned one of the golden rules of fishkeeping. Sadly, there are very few LFS's that will provide you with the same concerns about your tank that you do. Most LFS's will encoruage, or at least not discourage, ill fated choices. A key thing to remember is that these stores are out to make money. As a recommendation, I would take a visit to a few different stores, without making any purchases, see what livestock they have available. Look at the quality of the livestock, look for things such as fish available for sale that are suffering from diseases such as whitespot (ich), fin rot, or other fungus'. A more reputible LFS will mark any tanks containing diseased fishes as "not for sale". Listen to information provided by the clerks to other patrons of the store. If you hear things that might sound a bit hinky, bring them up in a forum for discussion. you might also test the honesty of an LFS by finding a spieces of African cichlid and asking the clerk if they can go in with your tank with your community tropicals. If they say yes, then walk out the door. The answer to that question is undoubtedly NO! 

Your water has a high Ph, while this is not necessarily ideal for tropical community fish, it is great for Tanganyikan Cichlids and Malawi Cichlids (African Cichlids). Now would be the time to reconsider what you wish to keep. Research your options thouroughly as down the road, it will be far more difficult to change your mind.

Best of luck, I hope this Info has been a help,
Steve


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## predator1984uk (Sep 15, 2006)

nice post m8 thanks,

right i have white gravel in the tank and i have bedded 5 real plants into this.however there starting to look abit ill.do i need some form of plant food???

id assumed they just needed water lol but there begining to wilt.

my ideas for fish where.

tetras 
guppys
red and brown clawed crab
fighter
dalmatin molly

will these be ok ????


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## SKAustin (Aug 1, 2006)

Different plants have different levels of a set few requirements.

Light.

CO2.

Food Source.

There is a thread in the DIY section outlining how to make a CO2 system with common household items. Upgrading your flourescent bulbs to one appropriate for plants will be enough to keep most low and some medium level light requiring plants. then, all you need to provide is a food source. 

one other consideration that should be made is the plants ability to root itself in the substrate you have provided it. 

As with any other aspect of the hobby, a bit of research on your part will have a great impact on your overall success. There are several different internet sources for information on care and requirements of the different aquatic plants.


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## Oceane (Aug 4, 2006)

You need very hardy plants to root in the substrate you have chosen which is quite coarse. You could consider adding a piece of cured driftwood and choosing plants that will root on wood, there is a kind of fern like plant which does. The driftwood will also help lower your ph.


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## SKAustin (Aug 1, 2006)

excellent point Oceane.

Anubias will also grow well on driftwood.


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## predator1984uk (Sep 15, 2006)

my nitrite and nitrate are still to high.

i need to lower them asap.

nitrates 50mg/l

nitrites 1.5-4.0


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## Amphitrite (Sep 8, 2006)

predator1984uk said:


> my nitrite and nitrate are still to high.
> 
> i need to lower them asap.
> 
> ...


Nitrites are a problem, you will have to so a series of water changes to keep these down.

Can I ask, what are the nitrate readings from your tapwater?


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## predator1984uk (Sep 15, 2006)

hi im still here have been reading but not posting tbh.well things are going well i have a nice little tank going and all seems to have settled in well.

im having a problem with the correct plants and they dont seem to be lasting long.

also i have now got millions of tiny snails which i would like to get rid of any suggestions on wildlife for the job or a chemical ect???


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## Falina (Feb 25, 2007)

Kuhlies and most other loaches eat snails but a lot of loaches, clowns for example, grow quite big. 

56l = 12g, so I wouldn't recommend any loaches.

You can often entice the snails onto a bit of romaine lettuce or kale then you could put the snails in a tub in some water, put that in the freezer and that is a more humane death for them than pouring them down the drain or killing them with chemicals. Personally though, I just leave my snails as I quite like them, and couldn't bring myself to kill them.


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