Tank finally up

[fishheadNJ]

Some time ago I joined up looking for some advice on a tank not yet set up, due to some work that had to be done to the house in the area destined for a tank.

Work is done, tank (12 gallon Eclipse) is up. We fired it up yesterday afternoon, we still need some essentials (net being primary!) but nothing that can't be picked up when we get our first fish (likely tomorrow or Monday). Teh tank came with conditioner which has been introduced. Nothing else has been done to alter the water.

My PH test kit goes to 7.6, and that's what it reads (so it might be higher).

If I were to consider leaving the ph "natural" - i.e. stable - what choices do I have as far as fish? I understand I'd have to get a different kit to determine what exactly the ph is.

Just keeping my options open. Regulating ph is certainly not a problem. I understand they have, as an example, 'ph 6.8' which supposedly fixes it to a specific ph. Do they work as advertised?

Pending the ph decision, we were thinking of starting off with 3 Neons or Cardinals, or a couple (male) guppies. I'd love breeding guppies, but not in a 12 gallon with nowhere else to put the resultant brood.

Thoughts/suggestions?

[nickmcmechan]

my first thought and suggestion is absolutely do not get fish tomorrow

please please cycle your tank first

[nickmcmechan]

read this very very carefully, then read it again, then ask questions

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84598

[nickmcmechan]

and this too

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=42633

[nickmcmechan]

and do not mess with the pH, the key is to keep it stable, if you use stuff to mess with it then it will become unstable, which may harm your fish

[Ruben Tolon]

definitely don't mess around with that pH, either get very adaptable fish (that have been acclimated to the same pH at the LFS) or those that prefer the water you have.

[Cory Keeper]

I concur, fishless cycle. and unless you have ultra low ph and you want snails, dont mess with the ph.

[wataugachicken]

unless you are buying wild-caught fish, or plan on breeding species that need a specific pH for the eggs to dvelop properly (unlikely as those species are not beginner fish anyway) there is no reason to adjust the pH, especially when it is within the 7's. store-bought commercially or locally bred fish can do just fine in a pH range of low 6's to mid 8's. any higher or lower and i would be more concerned about your own personal health as well as that of the fish.

[erin14]

i have to agree with the fishless cycle. if you don't do this, your tank will go from little or no ammonia (since its only been running for a day) to an ammonia spike and you'll be flushing those fish you bought down the toilet within hours so you'll want to cycle it first!

[Druu]

I suppose the main point here is to do a bit of research before doing anything else. In terms of fish, I suppose you could have a small school of tetras.

[fishheadNJ]

Would the bio-wheel filter convert the ammonia? I ask because the book that came with the tank indicated it would, are they setting people up to fail?

Everything else they've said mirrors what I've read here (avoiding overstocking, feed twice a day only as much as the fish will eat in about five minutes, water changes, filter changes, etc). Fishless cycling isn't mentioned and neither are ammonia spikes. I might have missed it but I didn't see any bio wheel references in the linked threads provided.

Thoughts?

[jtburf]

No filter works right out of the box, it has to build up the bacteria that converts ammonia-to-nitrite-to-nitrate and that can take a while so just, wait on the fish, go down to the hardware store and buy pure ommonia and doe it till your test kit shows 0 ammonia, 0 Nitrite, max 15 nitrate. Then you can slowly add fish like 1 or 3 a week.

And don't go by whatever the box is they are trying to sell crap.

[fishheadNJ]

It frankly stinks they mention nothing about that, at all.
How much ammonia would I add? It's a 12 gallon tank, no live plants.

[wataugachicken]

the bio-wheel is like a high-class bacteria condo. it works really great once established, but you have to wait for the bacteria to move in first. to start, you'll need test kits for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. add the ammonia to the tank a couple drops at a time, swish it around so it is equally diluted, and test the water. you may have to do it a couple times before you get the reading you want, which is 3-5ppm of ammonia. it's enough to build up a good colony that will allow you to put fish in right away, but not so much that it actually becomes toxic to the bacteria you are trying to grow. if you know someone with a fishtank, ask if you can take one of their filter pads. the cycle goes a lot faster is you can get bacteria from another tank rather than waiting for it to just show up.

[fishheadNJ]

Thank you. I believe we do actually have pure ammonia at home already; all I need is the test kits

[wataugachicken]

check the label - the only things you should see should be ammonia, water, and a chelating ingredient (which keeps the ammonia dissolved in the water). no colors, fragrances, surfactants, etc.

[fishheadNJ]

Will do.
Looking back at when I first joined up and re-reading the suggestions, I think eventually it'll be stocked with:
5/6 rasboras
2 male guppies
2 ghost or cherry shrimp
Probably start out with the guppies so we don't have two Rasbora looking for a school. The shrimp sound interesting; never had them before.

[jtburf]

Cherry shrimp like groups, plus 2 will get picked off

I say about 30 would be good, Mgamer2000 breeds them and i am starting to, so I would talk to him if he has any right now.

[fishheadNJ]

Wow, does that apply to Ghost Shrimp too? I understand they have a light bio load, but it is only a 12 gallon tank :)

[nickmcmechan]

30 might be a littke bit on the heavy side for cherrys as they will breed