I never looked but I'm going to go do that! What should i be looking for?
Sorry didnt mean to hijack!!
i cant take the wait any longer
- Thread starter katuuuz
- Start date
Sorry didnt mean to hijack!!
Having nitrate in your tap water is very common. Mine are about 5ppm usually. People on well water or in agricultural areas can have 20-30ppm..
You should call your water supplier and ask for a water quality report. It'll list everything under the sun, some is even useful..
You should call your water supplier and ask for a water quality report. It'll list everything under the sun, some is even useful..
ok, weird turn of events on tonight's test.
everything is the same as last night. i tested my tap (funny you guys are talking about this now) and i do, in fact, have between 0 - 5.0 nitrates showing out of my faucet. (exact color of my tanks' results). i'm not sure if this is a let down or not.
the 4 new black tetra have been in the tank a full 48 hours now, and still no ammonia or nitrites (fed once a day). i also have developed a smudgy appearance on the inner side of my glass. it looks just like water streaks... i actually thought they were on the outside because yesterday i wiped the tank down with a damp t-shirt, but i put my hand inside, and it is indeed indoors. possible first signs of algae? what can i do to get rid of it? should i just let it chill there?
everything is the same as last night. i tested my tap (funny you guys are talking about this now) and i do, in fact, have between 0 - 5.0 nitrates showing out of my faucet. (exact color of my tanks' results). i'm not sure if this is a let down or not.
the 4 new black tetra have been in the tank a full 48 hours now, and still no ammonia or nitrites (fed once a day). i also have developed a smudgy appearance on the inner side of my glass. it looks just like water streaks... i actually thought they were on the outside because yesterday i wiped the tank down with a damp t-shirt, but i put my hand inside, and it is indeed indoors. possible first signs of algae? what can i do to get rid of it? should i just let it chill there?
fill a test tube with straight tap water. test for nitrates like you have been on your tanks, and it will tell you if you're getting nitrates from the tap or not. (unfortunately i just did the same and it seems they've been there all along)
I wouldn't worry too much about the nitrates unless they get over 20ppm. As has been stated before, your plants use nitrates and that may be why your nitrates remain low...not to mention your stocking levels are still low. Just make sure the ammonia and nitrites stay at zero for the next week or so and you will be ready to add yet another round of fish to your tank.
Algae is normal in a healthy tank. So are diatoms which is what I suspect you are seeing (very common in a new tank).
best accessory ever invented, IMHO.. Well, that and the Python..
Kat, not to stir things up again, but... When I said your fish addition was dumb, I wasn't calling you dumb. Everyone does dumb things, but that doesn't make them dumb. My subsequent post about calling idiots, idiots, was a gripe about how the place feels like walking on eggshells.. I'm a very blunt person, and I will tell someone when they do something I consider dumb. But honestly, I meant no insult to you. If I didn't want to help you and see you do well, I would have quit reading when you put those new fish in.
btw, those diatoms will turn brown in a couple days. In an established tank, a little school of ottos will take care of that. But, in an established tank, you won't see diatoms anyway. Myself, I prefer snails for my glass cleaning. I have a herd of mystery snails and several generations of their young, along with millions of MTS.. No ramshorn though, surprisingly..
thanks for the help corax. when i turned 16 and got into a car, the first thing i was told was not to drive fast and wear a seatbelt. let's just say i needed new tires sooner than i should have and the state of CT has a nice chunk of my change through violations. what i'm trying to say is the day i bought the tank, back in the summer, i couldn't wait to have fish. that wait to get into my apt, on top of the tease of fresh water marinating in my 46 since last month got the best of me. thank you though for clearing it up, i hope you can see where i thought you were coming from.
that aside i'm glad we finally sorted through this. back to business... maybe the otto would be a good next addition granted my levels remain safe?
I would avoid the otto so soon. Ottos are delicate little things, and without enough food (mainly algae) you'll have to feed them algae wafers.. Give the tank some time to grow up a bit before trying ottos. You could, however, add some sort of small (clown, bristlenose) pleco.. You still have the problem of not having enough algae built up for them, but watching them pounce on a wafer is always entertaining.. I know you said you want an angel, but what else do you have in mind for the final tank stocking?
