Is my tank ok?

[Jakezori]

:help:

is my tank ok?


levels-------
nitrate 0
nitrite 0
alkalinity 180-300ppm
ph 8.2
hardness 300ppm

my fish

red platy
african dwarf frog
angelfish
danios (2)
loach
chinese algae eater



my tank

29 gal with a rock, a sponge filter, a whisper filter, and 2 plants

[Temeraire]

Your pH is a little bit high, and I could be wrong but your hardness looks really high. Not sure if you are overstocked but you probably can't fit anything else.

Wait for a second/third opinion though.

[Jakezori]

i know one thig and thats that im not even close to overstocked

[Temeraire]

Are you saying that because of the quantity of fish alone, or including all of the biological and behavioral aspects of your fish? I'm definitely capable of being wrong here, I don't have a whole lot of experience.

[Blueiz]

Your parameters are fine. You tank stocking is a bit, hmm..mixed. Your angel will grow to be very large, and the danios are fast moving fish that can stress your angel out and nip its fin. You need a school of at least 6 danios, they are schooling fish. The chinese algae eater will cause you problems in the long run with sucking of other fish, namely your angle to eat there slime coat, as the cae gets older and bigger. You water is a bit hard for your angel as they like soft water, but it should be OK. Your dwarf frog will be history once your angle gets big enough, or decides it wants to eat it. You didnt say what kind of loach that you have..

[Temeraire]

This is why second opinions are good. :)

[mel_20_20]

I didn't see a reading on ammonia levels. How long has your tank been set up?

[mel_20_20]

Bluiz is right about the problems that will develope due to behavioral issues and growth issues. You can't base your stocking on the old "1 inch per gallon rule". You have to look at the other factors.

It sounds like you're going to be a great fishkeeper, though, and you've come to the right place to get great advice from extremely knowledgeable people who have been doing this for a very very long time.

The folks here are ready to help in any way they can. I have received tons of help, and I am still learning.

[jm1212]

your pH is fine, not "high" at all. i keep my angel in water with a similar pH and have had zero problems.

in fact, there are many cases where aquarists have kept angels, discus, rams, etc. in water with a pH higher than yours and have gotten them to breed.

[Jakezori]

Your parameters are fine. You tank stocking is a bit, hmm..mixed. Your angel will grow to be very large, and the danios are fast moving fish that can stress your angel out and nip its fin. You need a school of at least 6 danios, they are schooling fish. The chinese algae eater will cause you problems in the long run with sucking of other fish, namely your angle to eat there slime coat, as the cae gets older and bigger. You water is a bit hard for your angel as they like soft water, but it should be OK. Your dwarf frog will be history once your angle gets big enough, or decides it wants to eat it. You didnt say what kind of loach that you have..

i greatly appreciate you devotion to answering my question... i intend to eventually put some of my fish into my 10 gallon (empty atm) tank. any suggestions on which fish i should put in it.





thanks Melody Doucet, you made me feel assured that this is the right place to ask my questions

[Jakezori]

im curious though why my test strips have my ph, my alkalinity, and my hardness at the highest notch when you guys say those levels are fine

[Temeraire]

your pH is fine, not "high" at all. i keep my angel in water with a similar pH and have had zero problems.

in fact, there are many cases where aquarists have kept angels, discus, rams, etc. in water with a pH higher than yours and have gotten them to breed.

Ehehe... When you haven't even seen an angel in real life all you have to go by are the accepted guide lines. I didn't say it would be a problem (except possibly during acclimatization).

Jakezori- most people suggest using liquid tests because they are more accurate. If what you are giving is the limit of the test then it's possible that the actual values are even higher than what is displayed.

[Jakezori]

Ehehe... When you haven't even seen an angel in real life all you have to go by are the accepted guide lines. I didn't say it would be a problem (except possibly during acclimatization).

Jakezori- most people suggest using liquid tests because they are more accurate. If what you are giving is the limit of the test then it's possible that the actual values are even higher than what is displayed.

yeah, but they have pretty much the same color as the last thing on the strip so im pretty sure they are ok...

[Blueiz]

You should get a quality liquid test kit, aquarium pharmaceuticals has a master test kit that is around 15 or so dollars. Test srips are notoriously inaccurate and the results can be affected by what the strips have been exposed to in the air. They do not test for ammonia either..

[mostlycichlids]

As I have stated in your other post A good quality liquid test kit and get a test to measure GH and KH seperately.

[Temeraire]

A testing scale ends because the testing substance no longer changes color after it reaches that point (or not much beyond it). Anything above the highest (or below the lowest) mark in the scale will be the color of the extreme end of the scale. A pH of 12.0 on a scale of 6.0-7.6 will read as 7.6. This is just the nature of indicators.

Hurray for grade 12 chemistry. :)

[mel_20_20]

i greatly appreciate you devotion to answering my question... i intend to eventually put some of my fish into my 10 gallon (empty atm) tank. any suggestions on which fish i should put in it.


thanks Melody Doucet, you made me feel assured that this is the right place to ask my questions


Your are most welcome Jakezori!:)

I have had my 10 gallon up and running for 7 months. I didn't discover this forum until about 4 months ago. I went through cycling issues and finally cycled about the time I found the forum, but had lost some fish due to my inexperience.

Even then, I had water quality issues with mini cycles happening: ammonia and nitrite spikes; strange (to me) things happening in the tank; all kinds of issues as a new fishkeeper.:confused:

I, and, more specifically, my tank occupants have been rescued many times by these guys, and my critters have been the ones that have been saved.

There have been times when I was desperate, :nilly: frightened, puzzled, and in need of immediate help: I have been given immediate attention by these guys, who sincerely want to help solve whatever crises it might be, and believe me, there will be crises, no matter how hard you try.:wall:

One very nice lady, mskinkzd, an invert specialist, even sent me from her own personal supplies some veggie and shrimp pellets for my snail that was feeling poorly and not eating right. At her own expense!!:bowing:

These people go the extra mile to try to help, and they have vast knowledge in the field. Oh, of course some of us try to help, and maybe don't know the right answers, (that would mostly be me, lol), but someone with more experience will come along and set things right if need be.

Stay with this forum. You will be a valued member here, and on your way to being a monster fishkeeper, lol.

[krytan]

0 nitrates? A cycled tank should show signs of nitrates.
What type of loach do you have? Loaches are a social fish and should be kept in groups.

I agree with everyone else, you really need to ditch the test strips and get a good liquid test kit instead.