BostonMack

I am new to this guys and this really brought me down off my cloud. I have a 45H tank with an Emperor 400 filter, 150w submersible heater. The tank was up and running for the first time about 6pm Eastern last night. Nothing added other than conditioned tap water. I have no fish in the tank. I decided to do some water tests this morning at about 10am and these are the readings I got.

Ph - 7.6
Nitrite - 0
Amonia - .50

Are these readings to be expected with a new tank setup prior to cycling? Are those readings normal for a new tank or should I be concerned? The Petco emplyee looked at my readings and simply said my only options for fish would be Cichlids due to my tap water in this area. Is this true? I know there is Ph lowerers but would this be a loosing battle for a new comer to the hobbie?

I plan on cycling my tank with a couple hardy starter fish to help the process along but im not in a super rush. I was also planning on adding Cycle to the water as the employee also said it "might" lower my Ph a little.

I simply just want to know what to expect as a new comer that has never cycled a tank before. My temps are at 78 right now and has been for some time.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

somerton16

i would take mostly all pet stores advice with a grain of salt. if they said that a ph of 7.6 is too high for a community tank than i think a lot of people are is serious trouble. your ph is just fine. IMO from reading other threads on here 7.6 would be a little too low for chiclids. i would look into cycling with out fish it is a safer way for fish. it reduces alot of stress on them and they will be happier. when i first started i cycled with some mollies and lost a lot of them about 1 a day. when i start another tank i will use the fishless method. on the top of any page in the articles section it explains howto cycle the fishless way read up on them and ask questions before you start if you have any doubts. also i would read back on the pages and go threw the old threads to get some more knowledge and advice and the problems that arose from everyone else that way you can try and advoid them in your tank. there are alot of friendly and very knowledgeable people here who will help you out in anyway we can. welcome to FTF and good luck with your new little wet friends

__________________
10gal fw medium gravel plastic plants, rena xp1 filter, 1 balloon black mollies, 1 clementine mollies,3 corry cat,1 pleco, 1 bamboo shrimp

orb4me

Your ph is fine. Mine is 8.2 to 8.4 and all the fish do fine.

The fishless cycling is the way to go, you just need a bottle of Ammonia from the hardware store. You need real ammonia, not the pretty smelling or soapy kind. Oh yea, another thing I discovered, you will need an eye dropper because you only add a few drops at a time. From what I have read, the cycling takes less time with Ammonia.

__________________
If all is not lost, where is it?

BostonMack

Thanks a million for the reply. I decided to do a high range Ph test seeing the other test was the high range of that test and it looks to be closer to 8.0.

Should I be concerned with these readings even though the tank has been running less than 24 hours?

Thanks for all the help.

Also, what's the general concensus on using Cycle in a new tank. If it's recomended when exactly should I add it? I have read tons of threads here and its all great info but it can get very confusing for a newcomer such as myself. You will think you have the general process down and then you will read another thread that contradicts what the other said bringing you to square one.

As a newbie I am just looking for what to expect and a general time table as to when i should be doing what.

I am hoping to keep some tetras and dwarf Gouramis (if they are compatible). Would a Ph this high be Ok for them?

RJRofFL

Hi BostonMack. First off, let me welcome you to the best forum in town!

You will certainly get good advice here, straightforward and honest. One of the things I like best about this place is that all of the folks here genuinely care.

Sounds as if you are on the right track with your equipment. I would urge you to consider the "fishless cycling" method for the following reasons:

1. No fish will be killed or harmed using this method.
2. You can easily correct any mistakes made as it is most forgiving.
3. You can totally control the enviornment without worry.
4. Upon completion it will allow you to introduce fish with a much higher success rate.

There is an excellent step by step procedure outlined in the Articles section.

Trust me, less than six months ago I was very much in your situation and can tell you that these great folks coached me all the way through the process.
And I'm proud to say that I now have a successful, lovely, healthy and happy fish community.

Best of luck to you. By all means ask tons of questions. You will get answers.

Enjoy this wonderful hobby.

Bob

__________________

fernival brainard

2 severums
1 hi fin blue ram
1 golden barb
5 baby silver dollars
3 clown loaches
1 choc. pleco
1 BN pleco
PH 7.8
-------------------------------
several guppies
2 platties
1 silver dollar
1 opiline gourami
3 long face loaches
PH 7.8
-----------------------------
1 oscar
2 scats
1 ghost
1 goldfish
6 feeders oscar won't eat
ph 7.8
-----------------------------------
Don't put too much faith in the pet-co people, they know what the boss tells them and that is usually wrong.

Some people like cycle, others don't - I don't care for it myself. I would stick with a fishless cycle. requires patience but can save alot of trouble in the long run and it gives you time to decide if the fish you wanted yesterday is the same one you still want today...

Good luck!
Fern

__________________

BostonMack

I added the recomended 8 1/2 caps of cycle for my 45H tank. Will this cause any potential problems with a fishless cycle. I am in no rush to add fish by any means but at the same time I don't want to muck my tank up with a ton of stuff to the point of no return.

Thank you so much everyone for the advice thus far. Much appreciated!

~Jason

Fernival,

That is great to see that you successfully keep all those fish with a 7.8 Ph. My jaw dropped when she told me to start thinking about cichlids. I think cichlids are one of the most beautiful fish out there, they almost look salt water in coloration but they are not something I wanted to take on as a first timer to the hobby.

Can you tell me, will the fact that I used cycle have any effect on me doing a fishless cycle?

Thanks,
Jason

RJRofFL

I am quite sure that cycle will have little effect on the fishless cycling.

If I may, allow me to direct you to a thread which can help.

When you first log on, on the right lower side of the screen is a section entitled "Top 10 Threads". The first one on there is called "The Race is On", startede by BJP. (or you can just do a search for thread The Race is On).

This is an interesting and quite informative test BJP took the time to perform and you might be interested in the results, as most of us were.

Hope this will help you.

BTW: Glad you decided to go "fishless cycling".

Bob

__________________

carriej

I also have high pH, out of the tap mine is around 7.8, but shoots up to a much higher 8.5 or so once it's been in the tank for awhile. I did want to lower mine, so I stuck a large piece of driftwood as a centerpiece (looks really neat, I've got stuff growing on there and plants around it, looks so natural) and it brought my pH down to a steady 8.0 . Which makes me, and my fish, happy

cichlidgirl

Petco employee was wrong. Your ph is simply on the high end of middle of the road. High ph is mine (9 out of the tap LOLand yes i can only keep african cichlids in it.) 7.8 you should be able to keep a fairly good variety of fish. The employee comment was likely refering to african cichlids that would do very nice in that ph, but technically there are several groups of cichlids, another being central and south american cichlids that perfer the neutral (7) Ph's , a few of them lower than that. Most fish are tank and pond raised in water with a ph of 7-7.5 so yours is not that bad. Just take your time.

__________________
125 gallon hap and peacock tank
72 gallon bow front mbuna tank
70 gallon tall flowerhorn tank
30 gallon long cichlid tank (no residents)
10 gallon hospital tank (no patients)