Help for a frustrated college kid?

cab395 · Aug 28, 2011

Hey everyone. I have a lot to explain and ask.

Anyways, here we go. Ok, so I have a beautiful 29g setup that I was really in love with. I wound up beginning to lose fish for unknown reasons, and it kind of discouraged me. After I had basically given up on it, the tank ran for about a year and all it had was a Harlequin rasbora. I know that's a no-no, believe me. It was my first year of college and it was both stressful, depressing, overwhelming, and every other feeling you could think of. Long story short, the tank was neglected.

A week ago, I cleaned everything out and bought three more Harlequin rasbora and two GBR, a species that most aren't successful with, but for some reason I have been pretty successful with in the past (had 2 live around 3 years).

I guess to make this post easier to follow, I'll split my questions into parts.

1.) First and foremost, I want this 29g to be stocked with the following. Please let me know if this is ok.

2 x GBR
8 x Harlequin Rasbora
6 x Neon Tetra
6 x Cory Cat
1 x Dwarf Gourami

According to " http://aqadvisor.com/AqAdvisor.php ", which is an aquarium calculator, it says that I should be fine with that stock. What do you think? Sometimes that site has errors.

2.) Second, being a college kid, as I'm sure most of you know or have known, I'm not too keen of spending money on water every week to do water changes. Because of this I'm trying to use my well water in my aquarium. Is it true that water tested right out of the faucet will have a low pH because of CO2 in the water that diffuses over time? I actually have WELL water, which I thought was harder, and thought hardness and higher pH went hand in hand, but the pH is low as it can go (no idea if it's lower than the scale actually goes). I have some water in a bucket that I'll test tomorrow from my faucet that I hope the pH is higher. I'm shooting for 6.4-6.6, is that ok?

If the well water is in fact too low a pH, how can I raise it? Again, I want a 6.4-6.6, and I want to keep the water still relatively soft (GBR like lower pH and softer water, right?).

The water in the aquarium was 6.4 a couple days ago, and now is off the scale low after a few water changes. Because the tank sat neglected for so long, the nitrates are naturally high.

I have been trying to correct this by doing 33% water changes three times every two days. I was able to bring it down to 20-30 ppm, thankfully.

I want to give these fish a good life. Please help me in helping them have one. Thank you so much for bearing with this much text! So please, help! Anything at all is greatly appreciated.

PS- I'm buying a hardness test kit today to see how the hardness of our well water fares. My dad said he always has had problem with our well water when using it in aquariums (he used to have a marine reef tank when I was younger), and I'm trying to figure out why exactly that is. At the moment I think it is because the pH is so low. Thanks again for any help!!! :read:

BTW, if it matters at all, on the national water hardness map my area says the water is very soft. Thanks again!

Fishfriend1 · Aug 28, 2011

1) You will want to remove one of the two schools of fish, either the Neons or the Rasboras. Is your tank tall or long?

2)PH.... From what I know all it needs to be is stable. Now, how much does 15 gallons of water a week cost? Then add about $5 for the water conditioner and you've got the aprox price of each WC. Not that much, IMO. Don't slack off the water changes either, that won't end well at all.

Now, since you already have the GBR's and the Rasboras, I would just not get the Neons. I would have recomended not getting the GBR's for a little while, but it sounds like your tank is mostly cycled. I would also wait for a few weeks before adding anything else, and then add the Corys first, then the Gourami. You *may* have issues between the GBRs and the Corys, but I've never seen that (have 1 GBR and 1 Bolivian Ram with 9 corys).

Good Luck!

authmal · Aug 28, 2011

No expert, but I spend a lot of time reading here. I would imagine your stocking plans are pretty okay; I would warn against shrimp because I've been advised GBRs and dwarf gourami think they're tasty treats, unless you're going to feed them ghost shrimp as treats.

As far as inaccurate tests right out of the tap, I'm not sure where the variance is, but do not test straight out of the tap. Let it off gas over night before testing for more accurate results. If your pH is low, you could go with a chemical to increase your pH, but that's the "easy" and probably less healthy method. You (and your fish) will probably better off if you use a substrate, like some that are aimed at cichlids, or put some crushed coral into a media bag in your filter, if you filter can handle it. Aquaclear's filters (AC 50 would probably work nicely in your tank) are HOB filters with plenty of media options. I have an AC70 with the sponge, bio max, and Purigen (you'll need a special 180 micron media bag for this superior to carbon chemical filter, so either buy The Bag and fill yourself, or buy the 100ml prefilled bags on Amazon), and I could put another media bag between intake and the space for the media tray.

I don't think the hardness of your water is going to impact your fish much directly, or at least, I can't remember reading much anything about it. The pH will be of more concern. And although fish may like a certain pH range, a lot of people will tell you that it's not so much being at a specific pH that is important, but keeping the pH consistent.

Good luck.

authmal · Aug 28, 2011

Fishfriend1 said:
Now, how much does 15 gallons of water a week cost? Then add about $5 for the water conditioner and you've got the aprox price of each WC. Not that much, IMO.

15 gallons of drinking water would likely be about $4. RO/DI, out here, about $6. If you're spending $5/week on water conditioner, you're doing it wrong, or I'm doing it wrong. I spent $10 on a small bottle of Prime, and still have most of it, 2 months later. That said, it's not your place or mine to tell cab what is a reasonable expenditure for him/her. Right now, giving the best advice we can in reference to the questions asked is probably what cab would appreciate most. For some people, students or not, $5/week is a *big* deal, especially if they're living away from home. I've seen it, and lived it.

Taari · Aug 28, 2011

You can use crushed coral or use rocks with calcium in them to buffer the water, which will raise the hardness and help raise the pH too. Often water pumped through city water pipes is under pressure and does have air pressure-dissolved into it. That is why when you do a water change, the tank fills with bubbles for a few hours, because all that air that was forced to dissolve into the water due to the pressure it was under is released and forms bubbles. Let the water sit in a bucket with an air stone overnight, that will help release all that trapped air, then do a pH and gH test to find the acidity and the hardness. It's more important that the pH is stable, rather than being at the perfect level, within reason. Obviously water that is too far past neutral either way is harmful to any lifeform.

If the pH in your tank is really low, but the pH from your well is about normal, then likely your tank crashed. That means that the beneficial bacteria used up all the buffering capacity of your water and the water can no longer use those buffers to keep the pH stable, causing the pH to crash, which can cause the bacteria to die and makes the water toxic to the fish. High Nitrates make this whole process worse.

Get a full battery of tests on your well water after it's sat in a bucket overnight with an air stone. If you don't have all the tests, take a sample to a pet store and ask them to test it for you. Once we know those numbers, we can help you figure out what to do.

Oh, also, RO/DI water has had ALL the buffers removed. It is not good to use for water changes alone. It has to have some of those buffers replaced before it can be used for water changes. It is however good to use for topoffs from evaporation because it won't add any additional TDS to the water.

WharfRat · Aug 28, 2011

If you did 5 gallons a week of water thats been aged it would cost you nothing. Constant Ph is what you are after. I'd forget about the neons and the gourami. Focus on your water changes and feedings. Even 10 gallons every two weeks would be fine. I do not advocate adding anything to your water.

cab395 · Aug 28, 2011

Hmm, so what you're saying is I can get a five gallon bucket and just leave it with my well water and no matter the pH (i'll test it tomorrow morning), I can use it? (as long as it's within reason) So most fish can adjust to a constant pH? If I do not have an extra airstone at the moment is that ok to just let it sit without one? Thanks so much for all your help.

Also, where would I find 15 gallons of drinking water for $4? I can probably do that.

Fishfriend1 · Aug 28, 2011

cab395 said:
Hmm, so what you're saying is I can get a five gallon bucket and just leave it with my well water and no matter the pH (i'll test it tomorrow morning), I can use it? (as long as it's within reason) So most fish can adjust to a constant pH? If I do not have an extra airstone at the moment is that ok to just let it sit without one? Thanks so much for all your help.

Also, where would I find 15 gallons of drinking water for $4? I can probably do that.

Yes, most fish can adapt to a constant PH. Extremes are to be avoided, yes, but it's better to keep it constant. The only trick it in acclimating fish. You have to be a little careful there.

sailedNJ · Aug 28, 2011

If you guys carefully read what cab395 wrote you'll see that he doesn't intend to skip on water changes to save $$. He just wants to use his well water en lieu of tap water due to the cost of tap water. As a result this is where his concern over the softness of his well water comes into play.

As others already suggested you should get the corresponding tests for pH, KH, & GH and test your water to get the most accurate reading. Letting the water age a bit first & then testing it was a good suggestion. If the results conclude that your water is indeed softer than you'd like it to be then you can add things to it like crushed coral (like Taari already suggested) to raise your water's hardness. Also keep in mind that if you are using substrate in your tank (i.e. gravel, sand, stone decor) that it will raise your water's hardness somewhat.

As for your stocking list, I personally like to keep my tanks under stocked. Nothing on your stocking list has a particularly high bio-load & their compatiblity for a community tank is not an issue however you seem like a busy person with school & all. As such I'd err on the side of caution and under stock that tank a bit just in case you can't get to do a water change one week (mid-terms, finals, whatever....) & you can't get someone else to perform a WC in your absence.

The GBRs, a school of either harleys or neons (not both), & cories would be ideal. I'd nix either the neons or rasboras & the dwarf gourami. It gives you a bit more breathing room just in case your schedule gets the best of you.

cab395 · Aug 28, 2011

Ok, thanks so much for all the great help! So basically what you're saying is once I can test the water's pH, KH, and GH (all which I have the kits coming, mine were old and so I feel as if they're inaccurate), I should put the results up here and we'll go from there?


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Help for a frustrated college kid?

cab395

AC Members

Fishfriend1

Fishlover Extraordinaire

authmal

Pseudonovice

authmal

Pseudonovice

Taari

AC Members

WharfRat

Don't Panic / Always Carry A Towel

cab395

AC Members

Fishfriend1

Fishlover Extraordinaire

sailedNJ

marine biologist & architect

cab395

AC Members