Which chemicals are good to add for first start up of tank

[Adiz100]

hey guys ,
im setting up another tank . its a 4 foot .
i know the conditioner for the chlorine in tap water is the first to put in , but what other chemicals are good to add when filling up a new tank ?


should i add salt?
and should i wait a week or how long till i can put fish ?

thanks everyone

 

[KAWAMIKIE]

Is your filter cycled?
You don't need to add any chemicals unless your going to do a fishless cycling, then you would add ammonia.
If you have an established filter on the new tank the BB will die if it has no ammonia to process.


I have some salt in all of my freshwater tanks.

 

[boldtogether]

Adding salt will be fiercely debated on this site so I will leave that alone.
A new aquarium should have its bio-media "seasoned" prior to adding fish of consequence, therefore helping speed the cycle process. One way to accomplish this is to buy a pre-colonized filter media or a bacterial additive. These can be purchased at LFS, pet chains and on line. I knew a guy that seasoned his filter media with dry yeast, to great effect I understand, but I was never brave enough to try it on my own.

I have put Melafix in a new tank at half dose and this seems to have helped with stress and any scales that inevitably get knocked off in transit.

 

[Toby_H]

Adding a dechlorinator is essential when using standard tap water...

In a brand new tank you may wish to add Seachem Stability or a comparible quality product. Such products add bacteria to the tank assisting the cycling process.

With or without the Stability (or similar) you will need to ensure the tank is 'cycled'. This means that it has bacterial colonies that can process ammonia into nitrite and nitrite into nitrate...

Although it is not a 'chemical' per se, you may wish to add buffers such as baking soda to alter the PH of your water. In most situations it is best to avoid doing this, but occaisionally it's a good idea.

In general I suggest avoiding chemcials...

For treating new fish or treating sick fish, Jungle Parasite Clear or other quality medications are an option, although I prefer to use other approaches to deal with such concerns...