Need Product Recommendation

[tetramoon13]

My new tank is two weeks into its cycle. I did not cycle first, (if I only knew then....) anyway, I have stopped using aquarium salt, following the helpful advice of RoanArt (I hope I got your name right!)(re: question in aquatic plant forum), and the most current readings are: Nitrate-about 5 I'd say, Nitrite-.1, gh-75, kh-40ish, and pH is around 7, ammonia is less than .25. These levels were measured about 1/2 hour after a 30% water change. I think the gh, kh, and pH levels are low, right?

Tank: 10 gal.
Lighting: 10w fluorescent x 2
Filtration: whisper 10 power filter
Elite 801 pump with small aeration cylinder

Inhabitants: 2 male yellow guppies, 2 orange dwarf platies, 4 neon tetras, and 2 African dwarf frogs.

If someone would please recommend the proper product(s) to adjust these levels, that would be most appreciated, I have seen several, and do not want to rely solely on LFS advice, and screw everything up, I am doing good so far, haven't lost any of my new buddies yet (knocking on HW floor)........

Oh, and another question.....about the filter, it's best not to change it every 30 days, like I've heard, but rinse it in some tank water (which is what I did, it was looking dark and grimy), right? When, if ever, should the filter be replaced?

thanks in advance,
chris

[Star_Rider]

pH7 is neutral , and for many fish you are good to go..pay attention to the species requirements regarding pH.

ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are best controlled thru water changes..I don't recommend chemicals to alter these reading..some chemicals will lock up ammonia and nitrites and not make them available for the beneficial bacteria.

if there is one product to use get bio spira...

If you have established bacteria but they need a kick start or boost..I used 'stability' and it helped my 75 get established a bit quicker.

[tetramoon13]

ok, I was rather worried about that. I used up the dechlorinator sample that came with my setup, and purchased Prime by Seachem, which locks up ammonia, so should I use a different dechlorinator, so the bacteria will have a little ammonia to consume? hmmmmmmm.......

[tetramoon13]

I just answered my own question! I re-read the cycling article by daveedka, and this is what was said about Prime...

"Another great product is Prime (dechlorinator made by Seachem). It binds ammonia into ammonium which is not harmful to fish. Ammonium is still available as a food source for your bacteria, so using Prime will not hurt the cycle but will help reduce the damage to the fish."

So I will continue to use it, as I have heard good things about this product.

I think that maybe I should not worry about adding anything for adjusting gh or kh until tank is completely cycled, what do you think? (I will be adding plants, too, when the cycle is complete). Water changes are definitely keeping ammonia and nitrites in check, and my froggies aren't gasping for air, all seem happy, except for the female ADF, which is STILL not eating, I suppose she could be eating waste material from the bottom, most of it sinks into the gravel, which is kind of large ranging in size from 5 to 15mm.

thanks,
Chris

[Roan Art]

Chris,

Consider adding some crushed coral to your filter to bring the pH and KH up. That will make the tank more stable. You'll have to buy special attention to doing good weekly water changes to keep your KH at a decent level. 4 is good, 5 a little better.

Quit worrying about the pH. Fish don't really care except for specifc species and special circumstances. They care more about how hard the water is. Adding the coral will increase the hardness, but not a lot. Your water is pretty soft.

Please don't add any commerical products. They usually only make things worse. Once you get into plants you'll start using fertilisers, some which will harden the water even more, don't worry about it.

Roan

[tetramoon13]

thank you! I'll pick up some crushed coral on my next visit to the LFS. How much to add, and how? Do I open up the filter and put inside, or maybe wrap some up in a little nylon bag? I like that idea, as I would rather adjust the water parameters by natural methods if at all possible. Yeah, you are right about the water changes, I have been changing at least once per day, sometimes twice, and that is keeping things in check, it's really not a pain at all, it only takes a few minutes, being a small tank.

chris

[Roan Art]

thank you! I'll pick up some crushed coral on my next visit to the LFS. How much to add, and how? Do I open up the filter and put inside, or maybe wrap some up in a little nylon bag? I like that idea, as I would rather adjust the water parameters by natural methods if at all possible. Yeah, you are right about the water changes, I have been changing at least once per day, sometimes twice, and that is keeping things in check, it's really not a pain at all, it only takes a few minutes, being a small tank.

chris
Ask them for a handful. If they have any brackish or marine fish, they'll have an open bag somewhere.

Put about an eighth of a cup in a sock or nylon stocking (I use pantyhose), tie it and put it in your filter.

It may take a week or so for the KH to start to rise from the coral, so next water change add about ½ tsp of baking soda to the water to bring the KH up to at least 3. After a few days when you do your next water change, test the KH after the change. If it's at 3 or higher, don't put any baking soda in; the coral has dissolved enough to bring it up by itself.

Roan