how to cycle?

[marktanc]

Tank Size: 180gal
Age of the tank: N/A
pH: N/A
Ammonia: N/A
NitrAtes: N/A
nitrites: N/A
GH/KH: N/A
Temperature: N/A
Fish in your tanks: no
Fish:

Question/Problem:

Ok, so i have put my sand in and some bogged down wood and fake plants. The water is finally clear! =D
What do i need to do to get the PH and all of that other stuff right and how do i test it? The LFS told me to put in NITE-OUT II ( nitrifying bacteria ). So ya what do i need to do? Lol im such a newbie at all of thise please help and btw i want my PH to be at 7 or lower. Thanks ;D.

[bikeguy33]

what i recomend is to get some filter media, gravel, or something porous from a trusted well established tank. this is the quickest way and your LFS are usually more than happy to donate some for you. as to the ph...that is going to depend alot on your water to start with as well as a few other factors. the easiest way is to buy a ph buffer to add to the water. you can also use different substrates and some kinds of wood to change ph depending on which way you need it to go...

[Carl]

I would add to what bikeguy mentioned that a very common mistake many aquarium keepers make is to "chase pH" ignoring the fact that the pH scale is logarithmic and that most fish adapt better than most aquarium keepers realize to different pH levels , BUT they do not do well with unstable pH since a 1 point change in say less than a day represents a ten fold change in pH (due to the logarithmic scale).

Balancing your KH and GH with natural and artificial buffers (both alkaline and acid) is far more important. As well avoid products such as "pH down" or "6.5 pH" like the plague, as these products will result in a dangerous pH roller coaster.

I strongly recommend you read this article (along with the many articles we have here at EA):
Aquarium Chemistry; pH, KH, GH, Calcium, more

Carl

[bikeguy33]

thanx carl....wish i had the knowledge you do to add....but all 100% correct. i have a tough time with explaining stuff sometimes....

[marktanc]

Thank you so much! But how do i test my PH level? Sorry i don't know alot about all of this. ( I haven't read the article you have posted yet either Carl, maybe that will tell me )

[goldenpuon]

You test your PH level with test strips you can buy at the pet store or a liquid test kit. The liquid etst kit is more reliable than the test strips.

I would recommend you read Carl's article. It explains this kind of thing in much more detail than I gave here. Best of luck with your tank!

By the way, many times LFS give information that is not correct. Many of these people try hard to help customers but do not have much experience with fish. I used to listen to my LFS when I first got fish and ended up wasting a lot of time and money on unneccessary medications and other things.

Best of luck!

[parker002]

There's going to be instances where your pH is never "right".

Most freshwater tropicals prefer softer, more acidic water. Where I live, that's just darn near impossible.

I don't do ANYTHING other than add almond leaves (that Carl recommended) to adjust my pH and while I have my fair share of issues, I also have several fish that are healthy and have been for almost 2 years.

[Carl]

Nov 24, 2010 15:07:52 GMT -5 parker002 said:

There's going to be instances where your pH is never "right".

Most freshwater tropicals prefer softer, more acidic water. Where I live, that's just darn near impossible.

This is a good point!

When I was back in LA with my aquarium maintenance business, this was also an issue with most municipal water districts.
I either started with part or all Reverse Osmosis water or maintained a stable but higher pH using tap water.
I along with many breeders of Discus down in the LA area did just fine with raising Discus in waters that had a pH of over 7.), even though these fish are native to waters of lower pH

[parker002]

Nov 24, 2010 16:30:56 GMT -5 Carl said:

Nov 24, 2010 15:07:52 GMT -5 parker002 said:

There's going to be instances where your pH is never "right".

Most freshwater tropicals prefer softer, more acidic water. Where I live, that's just darn near impossible.

This is a good point!

When I was back in LA with my aquarium maintenance business, this was also an issue with most municipal water districts.
I either started with part or all Reverse Osmosis water or maintained a stable but higher pH using tap water.
I along with many breeders of Discus down in the LA area did just fine with raising Discus in waters that had a pH of over 7.), even though these fish are native to waters of lower pH

The problem with RO water from reading your articles and talking to people around here is that it not only lacks general hardness, it lacks EVERYTHING.

So you're not only adding back minerals to buffer the water but your also adding back trace elements that are necessary for living things to thrive.

Using RO water to me seems like cutting off your nose to spite your face.

[bikeguy33]

you are right...RO lacks ALOT....but using 50/50 with tap works well along with adding buffers and trace elements.

[Carl]

Nov 24, 2010 17:23:41 GMT -5 parker002 said:

The problem with RO water from reading your articles and talking to people around here is that it not only lacks general hardness, it lacks EVERYTHING.

So you're not only adding back minerals to buffer the water but your also adding back trace elements that are necessary for living things to thrive.

Using RO water to me seems like cutting off your nose to spite your face.

Not really, While I generally only used blended RO water (as bikeguy suggested), this was in part due to logistics for a service company.
That said I actually had a few "hard core" Discus clients that we set up RO systems in their homes. These clients generally had extremely successful Amazon River Aquariums.

The major benefit is you add back exactly what you need.
As well most Reef tanks I maintained I used primarily RO water to blend with the salt mixes, as these mixes were exact in their chemistry, and adding tap water often made for less than exact chemistry

There are many products now to re-constitute Reverse Osmosis water, such as SeaChem Replenish (which is the best IMO), Calcium and other minerals can be added via other products such as Wonder Shells

Also see this article:
Fish Osmoregulation

This makes me wonder that there are some aspects of my articles that are poorly written; a little constructive criticism as where I may have conveyed the message "Using RO water to me seems like cutting off your nose to spite your face"

Carl

[marktanc]

Thanks for all the helpful information! =D

[marktanc]

Ok so im waiting for my lid to come in ( for the tank ) then i will drain the tank fill it up heat it and test the PH with www.walmart.com/ip/Freshwater-Master-Test-Kit-Fish-Aquatic-Pets/3635493 would that be a accurate ph taker thing lol...

[Carl]

Any test kit is better than none, however this test kit is missing the KH test kit.

As I noted, worrying only about pH and ignoring KH often results in "chasing pH" and a roller coaster of pH numbers, which is more dangerous than maintaining a slightly higher than desired pH.

Please read the Aquarium Chemistry Article I posted earlier

Here is an excerpt from this article:
KH is basically the alkaline buffering capacity of your aquarium (there also is an opposite acid buffering process which when combined with KH is important for planted aquariums or low pH aquariums; see pH/Amazon River Section), a KH above 50 ppm helps prevent sudden drops in pH. KH (carbonate hardness) is an important source of energy for nitrifying bacteria that eliminate ammonia and nitrite.

Carl

[marktanc]

www.marinedepot.com/Aquarium_Pharmaceuticals_Aquarian_Freshwater_GH_KH_Test_Kit_Alkalinity_Test_Kits_for_Freshwater_Aquariums-Aquarium_Pharmaceuticals_API_MARS_Fishcare-AP3219-FWTKAL-vi.html

[Carl]

Yes, or even the 5 in 1 Test Strips:
See 5 in 1 Tests Strips (GH/KH)

Carl

[goldenpuon]

Just something to add to the API test strips, I used them for a few years and was very satisfied.

I use a different brand now (due to it being cheaper to get at the pet store) but I found them, very reliable and easy to use.

By the way, i looked at Carl's price for them and they're at least $4 cheaper than at my LFS (local fish store).

Please not however, that liquid tests are still more reliable although the 5 in 1 test strips are in my experience, a very a good product.

Renee