yeah I was using tests from my buddy...expire in 2010 so idk. it is a 50 gallon and the filtration is...just a regular tetra 30-60 gallon filter.
PH in my 55 gal.
- Thread starter ryanmills
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Okay, I'd just buy some of my own tests (the liquid ones) and then that way you know they're good ones. The tank will be okay for a while, but you might find you need a stronger filter with the Oscar. Either way, you'll need to do lots of water changes because Oscars are so messy! Just keep an eye on that ammonia. It may be so low right now because you did such a large water change recently, which means that it will just build back up between water changes -- so you'll need to watch it and make sure your fish aren't sitting in toxic conditions.
oh btw, I do have a Aquaclear 40-70 power filter kit lol might end up just swapping that in tonight...heading to petsmart now!
http://www.petmountain.com/show_pro...e=froogle&utm_medium=datafeed&utm_term=512918
http://www.petmountain.com/show_pro...e=froogle&utm_medium=datafeed&utm_term=512918
If you don't have another tank that you need to run a filter on, I'd just throw the other filter on this tank, too. That way, you've got extra media in case you want to cycle another filter, make a QT or hospital tank, etc. There's a lot of use for those HOB filters.
Well, depending on what kind of cichlid you're referring to (the Oscar is a cichlid, also, BTW) your tank could become overstocked fairly quickly. So extra filtration isn't going to hurt at all. I'd run both of them... I run multiple canisters on almost all of my tanks because if one dies, I don't want to be without a filter altogether. So it helps in those situation, as well.
alright running both, just checked the tank with teh new test strips and also went big and got the vials with the liquid test kit.
Ammonia is barely at 0-.25 ppm with liquid test kit
ph is around 7.0 with the liquid test kit
with the strip test kit
the PH is around 6.5-7.0
General hardness is around 30 ppm
kh is around 40 ppm
nitrite and nitrate seems to be around 0 as well...
so what should I expect? I plan on only keeping the red tiger and albino cichlid in the tank anyways? Looks like the tiger ate another red rosey lol. Things might be looking up, and btw, i did a 10% water change. Not sure if it was the water change or the added filter that is showing the results?
Ammonia is barely at 0-.25 ppm with liquid test kit
ph is around 7.0 with the liquid test kit
with the strip test kit
the PH is around 6.5-7.0
General hardness is around 30 ppm
kh is around 40 ppm
nitrite and nitrate seems to be around 0 as well...
so what should I expect? I plan on only keeping the red tiger and albino cichlid in the tank anyways? Looks like the tiger ate another red rosey lol. Things might be looking up, and btw, i did a 10% water change. Not sure if it was the water change or the added filter that is showing the results?
Unless the filter you added was cycled -- from another established tank -- it's the water change that's causing water quality to get better. I'm glad you got some reliable tests -- otherwise, you don't really know what's going on, and so you don't know if there's anything you should be doing, you know? I'd keep doing the water changes. Until you have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and some number of nitrate, you're not in the clear. Even then, I test my established tanks bi-weekly (the weeks between water changes) just to make sure everything's okay. With two filters on the tank, you can clean one one month, and the other the next month. When you clean, in case you don't know, only use the tank water (whatever you've pulled out during your water change) so that you preserve as much biological bacteria as possible.
Your tank still has to cycle, and then both of those filters will be good and established. I'd say give it about a month. Then you can start your filter maintenance -- until then, I'd just worry about doing the water changes and keeping ammonia (and later, nitrite) as low as possible.
Your tank still has to cycle, and then both of those filters will be good and established. I'd say give it about a month. Then you can start your filter maintenance -- until then, I'd just worry about doing the water changes and keeping ammonia (and later, nitrite) as low as possible.
any good reading material in the meantime? Nitrite turns into nitrate correct which are ammonias and they are bad correct? Didnt know keeping fish was this complicated! haha Once it is all said and done I am sure I will have a better grasp and understanding for it.
Ammonia and nitrite are toxic to fish, and so is nitrate, but it's much less toxic than the other 2. So, you want to keep nitrate at low concentrations, but the other two should be zero. The only way to remove nitrate is through water changes when it comes to FW tanks. Well, there are some fancy things out there, but I have no experience with them...
As for resources, try these:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwestcycling.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwfiltration.htm
Just browsing on that site linked above will lead you to plenty of information!
Also, you can use the search tool here on MFK if you need any other info, and you can always post a thread the way you did with this one and ask if you need clarification on anything.
As for resources, try these:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwestcycling.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwfiltration.htm
Just browsing on that site linked above will lead you to plenty of information!
Also, you can use the search tool here on MFK if you need any other info, and you can always post a thread the way you did with this one and ask if you need clarification on anything.
