Retirement and forum shutdown (17 Jan 2022)

Hi,

John Howell who has managed the forum for years is getting on and wishes to retire from the role of managing it.
Over the years, he has managed the forum through good days and bad days and he has always been fair.
He has managed to bring his passion for fish keeping to the forum and keep it going for so long.

I wish to thank John for his hard work in keeping the forum going.

With John wishing to "retire" from the role of managing the forum and the forum receiving very little traffic, I think we must agree that forum has come to a natural conclusion and it's time to put it to rest.

I am proposing that the forum be made read-only from March 2022 onwards and that no new users or content be created. The website is still registered for several more years, so the content will still be accessible but no new topics or replies will be allowed.

If there is interest from the ITFS or other fish keeping clubs, we may redirect traffic to them or to a Facebook group but will not actively manage it.

I'd like to thank everyone over the years who helped with forum, posted a reply, started a new topic, ask a question and helped a newbie in fish keeping. And thank you to the sponsors who helped us along the away. Hopefully it made the hobby stronger.

I'd especially like to thank John Howell and Valerie Rousseau for all of their contributions, without them the forum would have never been has successful.

Thank you
Darragh Sherwin

Ready for fish?

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neil0r (Neil Sisson)
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29 Sep 2009 10:42 #1 by neil0r (Neil Sisson)

Ready for fish? was created by neil0r (Neil Sisson)

Hey, I've read extensively about cycling my (new) 60L tank and have spent the last three weeks doing so through a combination of the usual methods, adding "live bacteria" and also plants.

After three weeks I have the following readings: pH 8.5, Nitrate 0, Nitrite 0, Ammonia 0. I also have a good bit of brown looking algae.

Questions:
1) Is my pH too high for a Plec to get rid of the algae? (My LFS told me they are hardy enough to be 1st into a new tank with the right water)
2) Is my pH too high for adding other fish (I know slowly over a period of weeks and months)
4) If yes, how do I reduce the pH to make it more acidic and get it closer to 7.5?
3) I want to keep Betta's eventually but I want to have a community tank first to get it nice and mature. Suggestions on nice looking hardy fish would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Neil

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29 Sep 2009 11:18 #2 by irishfirepics (Dennis Prior)

Replied by irishfirepics (Dennis Prior) on topic Re:Ready for fish?

have a look at this site

www.aquariumlife.net/profiles/common-plecostomus/100173.asp

it's just about the common pleco.

as for the PH it depends on what fish you want some like high some like low, im sure if you told us what fish you are looking for people here will be able to tell you their preferred water parameters

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29 Sep 2009 13:02 #3 by Jaffacakehead (John McPartland)

Replied by Jaffacakehead (John McPartland) on topic Re:Ready for fish?

How have you resisted the urge to buy fish for three whole weeks?

I've never had that kind of patience.

You are probably better off finding fish to match your water conditions than trying to tinker around with your PH.

Check your water hardness if you can. Alkaline water is usually hard in which case you could have the perfect water there for some African Ciclids. Lake Malawis etc.

You can lower your PH with chemical buffers but its tricky and requires disciplined monitoring. Any failure to add the right amount of chemicals at the right time can cause a sharp jump in your PH which can shock or even kill your fish.

You could opt for a Reverse Osmosis unit which is a filter that goes on your water supply which gives out pure neutral water but its expensive and the water is too pure for fish so you have to add nutrients and salts.

Most fish commonly found in shops are bred for generations in captivity and are quite tolerant of PH as long as its kept stable.

How Local is your LFS as if they are on the same water supply as you and their fish are healthy then you may be fine. Just ask them how they treat their water.

Best of luck with it anyway. You have the patience of a saint.

Jaffacakehead.

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neil0r (Neil Sisson)
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29 Sep 2009 13:47 #4 by neil0r (Neil Sisson)

Replied by neil0r (Neil Sisson) on topic Re:Ready for fish?

Thanks for the comments. I was away on holidays last week and before that I was researching and aquascaping, so I was okay

Starting to get a little impatient now though.

The LFS isn't that local. My water is piped (rather than from a well) and its crap tbh. It had such high levels of lime (hardness) that we had to fit a domestic water softener to our house, which I think is why the water is so alkaline.

I have an outside tap that is run off the mains so its not touched by the water softener, so I'm going to test that tonight. My thinking is that if I take some water that is way too hard and some water that is way too soft, and mix them, I might end up with something approaching normal for fish. Fingers crossed...

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29 Sep 2009 14:00 - 29 Sep 2009 14:00 #5 by mrsFishpatrick (Astrid Fitzpatrick)

Replied by mrsFishpatrick (Astrid Fitzpatrick) on topic Re:Ready for fish?

Hi Neil
if you have nitrate readings of 0 that means your tank hasn't cycled yet:(
your tank needs some form of ammonia to start the cycling proces, either by having a few hardy fish to get things going.
or I have in the past let a frozen prawn decay in the tank to get some form of ammonia
and there are people who put small amounts of fish food in the tank.
Pure ammonia is another option.(don't do this as you could kill your plants at this stage)

Another way to get softer water is to start collecting rainwater, ofcourse depending on what area you live in (don't do it if there is a big chemical plant nearby or you live in a very polluted area of course)
I use this method myself and I know a few other people who do it this way succesfully, just connect a waterbut to a downpipe and start collecting.
Filter it through floss and carbon before u use it

Last edit: 29 Sep 2009 14:00 by mrsFishpatrick (Astrid Fitzpatrick).

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29 Sep 2009 14:21 #6 by Jaffacakehead (John McPartland)

Replied by Jaffacakehead (John McPartland) on topic Re:Ready for fish?

There's a pet shop in Newbridge, Kildare that lend you a couple of goldfish to put in your tank to get your filter going and you bring them back to them when you want to buy some tropicals.

I always thought it was a good idea.

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neil0r (Neil Sisson)
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29 Sep 2009 14:23 #7 by neil0r (Neil Sisson)

Replied by neil0r (Neil Sisson) on topic Re:Ready for fish?

Hmm that's really weird because I did put in some fish food about two weeks ago of there abouts, so I would have thought that that would have broken down by now. Maybe I just didnt do the Nitrate test right.

I'll do it again tonight and I have some frozen prawns in the freezer so I'll chuck a few bits of that in too if the Nitrate test I did yesterday was right.

I was told that Pleco's are really hardy and will look after my algae problem. I know they grow too big for my tank but the LFS will swap them when they get too big for a smaller guy.

I was thinking of getting my pH problem sorted and then introducing one of those.

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neil0r (Neil Sisson)
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29 Sep 2009 14:27 #8 by neil0r (Neil Sisson)

Replied by neil0r (Neil Sisson) on topic Re:Ready for fish?

Jaffacakehead wrote:

There's a pet shop in Newbridge, Kildare that lend you a couple of goldfish to put in your tank to get your filter going and you bring them back to them when you want to buy some tropicals.

I always thought it was a good idea.

Sounds like a good idea actually, except that my tank is now at 26 degrees, which is probably too warm for goldfish? My LFS will swap fish too if I've bought them there which is why I was thinking the Pleco would be a good candidate if they are as hardy as I've led to believe.

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Valerie (Valerie)
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29 Sep 2009 14:59 #9 by Valerie (Valerie)

Replied by Valerie (Valerie) on topic Re:Ready for fish?

Hi Neil0r,

Indeed, it sounds like your tank hasn't cycled yet. Unless your test kit has passed its best before date. What kind of test kit do you use. Some people swear by the tests based on re-agents and reckon that the paper ones don't reflect reality.

When adding food to the tank to make it cycle, you need to feed your tank a little every day. It's a little longer than adding a few hardy fish but some consider the method a little cruel. The other possibility for you is to get some dirt from a settled tank into your filter. It contains the beneficial bacteria into your tank and jump starts the process. You can get it from another aquarist or maybe from your LFS.

As far as plecos are concerned, they have a good reputation for eating algae when they are young but get lazy as they grow. Plus, they grow very quickly and will outgrow your 60 l tank very quickly. The bristlenoses are cuter and much smaller while retaining the same characteristics. Ottos are tiny but very powerful algae eaters. You might want to consider them.

Your pH of 8.5 is quite high for some fish but quite ok for some others. You could add some bog wood which would contribute to lowering it somewhat. You could use Reverse Osmosis or de-ionised water. I wouldn't use water from a domestic softener as they add salt to your water in order to make the water softer.

I hope this helps.
Valerie

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reefpaddy (paddy kelly)
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29 Sep 2009 15:33 #10 by reefpaddy (paddy kelly)

Replied by reefpaddy (paddy kelly) on topic Re:Ready for fish?

i can assist with the ro if you like. i have about 50l at the moment, you could have strait away

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neil0r (Neil Sisson)
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30 Sep 2009 12:43 #11 by neil0r (Neil Sisson)

Replied by neil0r (Neil Sisson) on topic Re:Ready for fish?

Thanks for the advice all. I have an outdoor (untreated) and indoor (treated) taps so I took a sample from each last night and tested them. Turns out my water is pH 7.2 (treated) and 7.5) untreated.

Then I took all the rocks out to try the vinegar test on them to see if they had alcaline properties and hey presto, there was more fizz than a sherbet factory! Turns out using nice stones from your garden is probably a bad idea depending on where you live.

I did a 50% water change and treated the water with some Aqua Balance (I think) from TetraTec.

My algae problem is out of control atm so I have completely covered the tank to try and kill it off. I have a number of live plants in the tank though, so is this going to kill them too?

I added more flake food to the water in the hope that the ammonia will be created, thereby kick starting the cycle.

FYI the testing kit I use allows me to test (with liquids and test tubes) for Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite, pH, High level pH. It uses colour cards to determine levels.

Assuming having my tank covered wont kill off my plants, which are in a bad way either because the algae or the high pH, my plan is to test the water on Sunday to see what the levels are like. Hopefully the algae will be dead by then (?)

Thanks,
Neil

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scubadim (scubadim)
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30 Sep 2009 13:14 #12 by scubadim (scubadim)

Replied by scubadim (scubadim) on topic Re:Ready for fish?

Hi,
when i set up a tank,i just wait for the nitrite level to be zero.it usually takes a week or so,without adding food or anything at all except for dechlorinator if needed
then i add very few hardy healthy fish.i monitor the nitrites for the following week and feed and water change accordingly.
At the beginning,the nitrates are too low to even show on the tests but there would be some since the nitrite peak is over.
Have you tested for nitrite?
obviously make sure your pH is of acceptable level.(6.5-7.5)
let us know how it goes:)
Dimitri

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neil0r (Neil Sisson)
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02 Oct 2009 08:01 #13 by neil0r (Neil Sisson)

Replied by neil0r (Neil Sisson) on topic Re:Ready for fish?

Thanks to everyone for the help and advice...

Did a 50% water change with my brand spankers siphon which was handy (well until the hose came out of the bucket and I didn't realise for a minute or so :-o ).

I tested pH again and I'm still up a little high but much better. I think around 7.8.

I also bought a piece of bog wood to help with pH and for decoration now that I have no rocks!

I tested for ammonia too and it was just ever so slightly above 0. Didn't have time to test for Nitrate or Nitrites unfortunately. I'll do those tonight.

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Retirement and forum shutdown (17 Jan 2022)

Ready for fish?