Help me with my first ever aquarium...please!!!!

S

shnizzles

AC Members
Jun 14, 2005
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Hi all, I have just bought my first ever tank and set it up on Sunday. Spent all afternoon washing the gravel and filling the tank. It's now up to temp and the filters been on 48 hrs.

I took a sample to my local store as I intended to put in my plants and a few fish today. When the guy checked the sample though he said that theres a problem and I need to do 20% water changes for a few days and then come back. I'm glad I've found a reliable guy who looks out for the fish first but I am a bit confused why the water isn't ok. I think he said the nitrate level was too high but I don't understand why as it's all new equipment/gravel and water. I'm the first to admit although i've read loads I am a real newbie at this and i need help!!!!!!
 
Do yourself a huge favor if you're going to keep fish, and aquire an aquarium water test kit. Key tests to have on hand in general would be ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, and general/carbonate hardness. At the very least with a new tank you need to moniter the levels of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate on a regular basis.

I'd also suggest "fishless cycling" for any new tank. There are oodles of info on the subject on this forum.

Much luck to you; I hope you find this to be an enjoyable hobby/obsession.
 
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You can try buying a half dozen or so ghost shrimp (6 shrimp in a ten gallon, 12 shrimp in a 20g etc.) and feed them flakes to start off your new tank. It gives you something to watch until the tan is cycled. (you can ask your LFS for a cup of gravel from one of their tanks if you trust the cleanliness of the store to sart off you tank as well)

You'll need at least amonia and nitrite test kits for now, the others as mentioned above are good to have on hand once you begin to add fish.

Read the sticky article on cycling in the meantime. :)
 
Thankyou that's all great advice!! hopefully now I can start things going!!!! Thanks again
:dance:
 
If the LFS said you have a nitrate problem, and it is anew tank with no livestock, I'd have them check your local tap water. IT is possible to have high nitrates coming straight from the tap. I've got about 10ppm in my tap, so I can barely get less than 20ppm on changes... If that is the case, then it will not really make a difference if you do a water change now (since there is nothing in the tank adding nitrates, but the tap water just has them.) HOwever, the live plants will help with this...

Emily
 
fake plants or live?

If this is real live plants you intend to use, then the answers are all different, the nitrate levels you need, the lighting you need, and how you cycle the tank may be different.

Live or fake?
 
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