peek-at Posted February 16, 2017 Report Share Posted February 16, 2017 (edited) Yer I thought I wouldn't want to be doing trips back and forth to see if it's alright Appreciate if you let me know which kit to get. I'm well excited Dont get too hung up on test kits... for Guppies & mollies you dont have to buy a whole chemistry lab. You can get away with a PH test kit. Hopefully your tap water will be neutral PH. For the size of tank you have I would recommend changing 25% of the water weekly and you wont run into too many problems. If you are not going to do frequent water changes you may want to monitor the nitrate. Nitrate will only spike & PH change when the muck is building up but if you are keeping it clean you will find levels will be stable. (remember...not too many fish to start with) Edited February 16, 2017 by peek-at Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyska Posted February 16, 2017 Report Share Posted February 16, 2017 (edited) Dont get too hung up on test kits... for Guppies & mollies you dont have to buy a whole chemistry lab. You can get away with a PH test kit. Hopefully your tap water will be neutral PH. For the size of tank you have I would recommend changing 25% of the water weekly and you wont run into too many problems. If you are not going to do frequent water changes you may want to monitor the nitrate. Nitrate will only spike & PH change when the muck is building up but if you are keeping it clean you will find levels will be stable. (remember...not too many fish to start with) I'm confused, nitrates generally not an issue compared to ammonia and nitrites. There is no point measuring nitrates if you don't know what the levels of nitrites and ammonia is! Edited February 16, 2017 by kyska Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snoozer Posted February 16, 2017 Report Share Posted February 16, 2017 (edited) Brought this one when i first got my Aqurium and still not had to replace a bottle. Almost certain Pets At Home sell the kits. Test sheet from Kit. Edited February 16, 2017 by Snoozer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyska Posted February 16, 2017 Report Share Posted February 16, 2017 Brought this one when i first got my Aqurium and still not had to replace a bottle. Almost certain Pets At Home sell the kits. Test sheet from Kit. They are very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd90 Posted February 16, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2017 Cheers lads, just ordered one of those kits. Guy at pets at home was very knowledgable, recommended about 3 fish max for the size of my tank. Said it was fine to get a Betta (Siamese fighter) and wait a while before adding maybe 2 neon tetras. Have changed about 10-20% of the water so far with a syphon pump we got as well so that's easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadkill Posted February 17, 2017 Report Share Posted February 17, 2017 love my tanks, i have had tropical and now moved onto marines, currently building a nice big tank.. The main thing is all about keeping the water right, it should be known as water keeping not fish keeping Tank i have just broke down roadkill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd90 Posted February 17, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2017 love my tanks, i have had tropical and now moved onto marines, currently building a nice big tank.. The main thing is all about keeping the water right, it should be known as water keeping not fish keeping Tank i have just broke down roadkill Literally just said "wow" out loud. Amazing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toxo Posted February 17, 2017 Report Share Posted February 17, 2017 I'm a bit concerned about some of the advice given here. We're talking about a beginner here. He doesn't need to be spending money on test kits until further down the line and asking for advice from chain stores is a non starter. Try getting diy advice from anyone in B&Q. Your water suppliers web site will give you a breakdown of the stuff that comes from your tap. If it doesn't, a simple email or phone call will get results. It's their job. If you want hassle free fishkeeping as a beginner look for species that fit the water rather than give yourself ulcers trying to do it the other way round, There is more information on what fish like which water than you can shake a stick at. Generally hard water fish come from Africa and some Asia whilst the soft water fish come from The Americas especially South America and some Asia. It's perfectly possible for someone to put the right type of fish in a tank full of aged water and do no more than change some of the water weekly with aged water (Just water that's been allowed to stand for 24hrs to gas off some of the bad stuff). This is what people used to do and kept their fish for years. For some people, fussing over water quality is part of their enjoyment and there's nothing wrong with that but not for a beginner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadkill Posted February 17, 2017 Report Share Posted February 17, 2017 just because they did that years ago doesn't mean its right or fair on the fish, water testing is the first thing i learnt before keeping any fish... Its easy to do and should be done from the beginning of the hobby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toxo Posted February 17, 2017 Report Share Posted February 17, 2017 I agree, water testing is easy to do. As I said, just ask the water company. Then what??? More fish are treated unfairly or killed by trying to tweak the water to try to please all the fish all of the time just because we like the look of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd90 Posted February 17, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2017 Gentlemen... how do I know how strong I should have my filter turned up? At present it's creating a small spiral flow around my tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
figgy Posted February 17, 2017 Report Share Posted February 17, 2017 Turn it down a bit, your fish will be knackered being on that treadmill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
figgy Posted February 17, 2017 Report Share Posted February 17, 2017 Someone once said look at fresh water tanks as aquatic gardening when everything is right and you can keep it that way it's perfect for fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dougy Posted February 17, 2017 Report Share Posted February 17, 2017 Someone once said look at fresh water tanks as aquatic gardening when everything is right and you can keep it that way it's perfect for fish. I've got that much foliage in my tank I can't see any fish lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd90 Posted February 17, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2017 Turn it down a bit, your fish will be knackered being on that treadmill. It's only a light flow, how do you know how much you should have it on? Also I can twist it to direct the flow down or straight up etc, which is best? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
figgy Posted February 18, 2017 Report Share Posted February 18, 2017 It will be better when you have the fish in the tank, I used to have mine going straight to a flat opposite it so the current would wash in more directions rather than a whirlpool. Your pump shouldn't need to be on a high setting. Check what size of tanks it's able to do if yours is smallest try it on lowest setting if biggest tank it can do put it on high. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaxiDriver Posted February 18, 2017 Report Share Posted February 18, 2017 It's only a light flow, how do you know how much you should have it on? Also I can twist it to direct the flow down or straight up etc, which is best? Turn the outlet upwards to break the water surface that way you get a larger surface area for oxygenation and the dispersal of Co Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaxiDriver Posted February 18, 2017 Report Share Posted February 18, 2017 I've got that much foliage in my tank I can't see any fish lol Post a pic please ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dougy Posted February 18, 2017 Report Share Posted February 18, 2017 Post a pic please ? I will save myself any embarrassment TD and give the glass a clean 1st, I have done the unforgettable and failed to keep on top of it. I intend on giving it a complete strip down soon as we need to move the tank for a decorating session pretty soon. It wont show anywhere near the amount that was in there before Christmas, I did a bit of thinning out and threw a load in my pond in the garden. I have a heater cable under the JBL AquaBasis plus, At the start I was lighting 12 hrs a day and feeding twice a week (no fish) to get the plants to establish. Plus CO2 system. Which they did very well, some plants just over took the tank the names of I forgot now but still have the tickets somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peek-at Posted February 18, 2017 Report Share Posted February 18, 2017 (edited) I'm confused, nitrates generally not an issue compared to ammonia and nitrites. There is no point measuring nitrates if you don't know what the levels of nitrites and ammonia is! I was trying to keep it simple as OP is a beginner and may be overwhelmed if given a full tutorial on the Nitrogen cycle. He's been advised to keep fish numbers to a minimum until the Nitrosomonas & Nitrobacters build up and regular water changes keep toxic levels of Ammonia, Nitrite & Nitrate down. Yes you can check levels with an appropriate kit but what is the remedy for high Ammonia?.....A water change/clean .....so if he is doing this anyway the tank should remain stable. A nitrate kit was only advised as a way of monitoring the build up of Nitrate in the event that OP was not going to do frequent water changes. Assuming that the tank was mature & bacteria were doing their job, Ammonia & Nitrites should be broken down efficiently into Nitrate without reaching toxic levels. It appears OP has now bought a range of tests so its now moot. Edited February 18, 2017 by peek-at Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyska Posted February 18, 2017 Report Share Posted February 18, 2017 I was trying to keep it simple as OP is a beginner and may be overwhelmed if given a full tutorial on the Nitrogen cycle. He's been advised to keep fish numbers to a minimum until the Nitrosomonas & Nitrobacters build up and regular water changes keep toxic levels of Ammonia, Nitrite & Nitrate down. Yes you can check levels with an appropriate kit but what is the remedy for high Ammonia?.....A water change/clean .....so if he is doing this anyway the tank should remain stable. A nitrate kit was only advised as a way of monitoring the build up of Nitrate in the event that OP was not going to do frequent water changes. Assuming that the tank was mature & bacteria were doing their job, Ammonia & Nitrites should be broken down efficiently into Nitrate without reaching toxic levels. It appears OP has now bought a range of tests so its now moot. Yea I get what you're saying, the way we teach pond/tank care is to keep the water, namely the pH, as stable as possible, so by testing, you can decide if a water change is needed at all. Testing takes less time that water changes, and it's part of the interest of fish keeping I reckon. Again, I'm still confused by your interpretation, if you have nitrates, you have ammonia, so it would make sense to check for the noxious chemicals rather than the less so? Present nitrate does, as you've said, indicate bacterial activity, but doesn't tell us if the bacteria is being overwhelmed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dougy Posted February 18, 2017 Report Share Posted February 18, 2017 Lloyd90. Get you tank full of water, get the temperature correct chuck a few plants in leave it for a few days to let the water settle. Then get yourself down to the fish shop and get yourself a couple of fish fingers and chuck in. No need to worry about nitrates ammonia ph levels nitrites. Just change the fish fingers when they start to go green. ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockstockandbarrel Posted February 18, 2017 Report Share Posted February 18, 2017 I've got that much foliage in my tank I can't see any fish lol If you want to off load some plants/cuttings please bear me in mind Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dougy Posted February 18, 2017 Report Share Posted February 18, 2017 Will do, the stuff I chucked in the pond is doing well, even over winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockstockandbarrel Posted February 18, 2017 Report Share Posted February 18, 2017 Will do, the stuff I chucked in the pond is doing well, even over winter. Thanks mate that's appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.