hello, i'm new here

[daxton9]

Hello,

I'm kinda diving into this hobby headfirst, having semi-retired from the car audio competition scene. I've always wanted a freshwater tank, and last weekend I picked up a 55-gallon one. Been doing a lot of reading in the beginners section, and it looks like I'm doing a lot wrong, lol.

My well water's alkalinity is super high - the test strip decoder can't even read it - and the pH is way off the chart. Everything else looks good, though. On Monday, I took a water sample to the store, and they said my pH is at 8.3 or 8.5 - can't remember which. Rather than trying to adjust it, I think I'll just stick with a North African tank setup.

I filled four totes with tap water last Friday and picked up a used tank on Sunday. Cleaned it with a vinegar and water mix, using paper towels and an old credit card to get rid of the hard water stains. Added room-temperature, degassed water to the tank, along with stress coat and an additive the local shop recommended to help get the beneficial bacteria going.

Sunday and Monday's water tests showed no changes, according to the test strips. Monday, I picked up three Danios to test the water and tank before adding substrate. Water temp's at 77°F. Added 60 pounds of sand and a few handfuls of medium round substrate - don't recommend adding sand to a nearly full tank, lol.

I also picked up a new cover, a Marineland double LED light (which I'm exchanging for a single tonight since I won't have plants for now), an airstone, and an API Nexx Aquarium Filter setup. Not sure if I'll keep the filter, though - been told it lacks proper circulation and can cause issues with the supply and return tubes.

What's the recommended water exchange rate per hour for a 55-gallon tank? I've been told 4-5 times per hour, but I'm currently only at 2.4.

Few pics of my tank so far:

[insert pics]

I'm planning to clean up the hoses and wires soon.

I'm interested in doing plants, but I've been told Cichlids can be rough on them. Saw a pinned post about plants for North African tanks, though, so I might give it a shot. Also thinking about adding other fish and invertebrates to help filter and balance the tank, like clams, shrimp, or Plecos. Not sure if they'll do well in a North African setup, though.

I've been using basic test strips so far, but I'm planning to get an actual test kit tonight to get more accurate readings.

I like the tank size, but my living room makes it look small - it's 23x18 feet with vaulted ceilings.

I've had my light on since Tuesday - white/blue LEDs during the day and just blue at night. Is this okay for a new tank, or will it just promote algae growth?

Can't resist going to the fish store, lol. Went in tonight, and they did a full test on my water:

pH: 8.3
NO2: 10
NO3: 0
NH3: 0.5
GH: 75
Cl: 0
KH: 300

The guy said my tank must be mid-cycle and it's safe to add more fish, so I picked up a few more:

* Feather fin Catfish
* Peacock Cichlid
* Hap Moorei Cichlid

Also got a chunk of lace rock.

[insert pics of new fish]

Catfish is already hiding, lol.

I'm still figuring things out, so any advice is appreciated!

[daxton9]

Went to another lfs this weekend, about an hour and a half away. They had some nice stuff, but I felt kinda rushed. Picked out some more lace rock and wanted to come back later, but the employee said he could bag up the fish for me and they'd be fine. Took his word for it, told him what I had in my tank and he suggested some basic plants, but didn't give me the names. Also didn't give me the full names of the fish I was buying.

Got two yellow labs, a pleco - no idea what kind, and some plants and lace rock. After we ate, got home and the pleco was super stressed, pale. One of the labs killed the other, so I gave him a small dose of aquarium salt and stress coat, and bubbled some air in the bag. This morning, he was dead.

Don't think I'll be going back to that shop unless I do some research first. The employee didn't give me straight answers when I asked questions. I like my local shop, they write down every fish and plant you buy.

[daxton9]

Just got my fluval 306 in the mail on Friday, still trying to wrap my head around the in and out placement on my filters, got the fluval 306 and API nexx filter running right now.

The fluval 306 says it's 303 gph and the API nexx is 132 gph so with both running I'm at a 7.9 change over per hour, right?

Would love some input on how far apart the two filters should be from each other, any tips would be great.

Also trying to figure out when I'll need to get a co2 setup going for plants, is it something I should be looking into now or can I wait till my tank is more established?

[dynamo7]

Honestly, I think there's been a mix-up with your yellow lab - the one in the photos looks more like a red zebra to me. If the other one's the same, it's no wonder they fought after being stuck in the same bag for a while.

From what I've seen in your other thread, it seems like you're in the middle of a fish-in cycle. For now, I'd say forget about plants, co2, and all that - just focus on getting your tank cycled and keeping your current fish healthy. You've got two options: set up both filters and be prepared for big daily water changes, or take the fish back and cycle your tank with ammonia. Once that's done, you can start thinking about adding plants and whatnot. Just take it slow, don't rush into any more purchases, and definitely don't add more fish yet.

[rivertrek]

Honestly, I think there's been a mix-up with your yellow lab - the one in the photos looks more like a red zebra to me. If the other one's the same, it's no wonder they fought after being stuck in the same bag for a while.

From what I've seen in your other thread, it seems like you're in the middle of a fish-in cycle. For now, I'd say forget about plants, co2, and all that - just focus on getting your tank cycled and keeping your current fish healthy. You've got two options: set up both filters and be prepared for big daily water changes, or take the fish back and cycle your tank with ammonia. Once that's done, you can start thinking about adding plants and whatnot. Just take it slow, don't rush into any more purchases, and definitely don't add more fish yet.

I picked up a used tank off classified, the guy said the filter was already cycled, so I'm hoping for just a mini cycle.

[daxton9]

I gotta say, that LFS was pretty unhelpful. Thanks for the heads up on the yellow ones, I was worried about 'em. The tank they had 'em in was pretty small, like 20 gallons, and it was packed with cichlids. I think there were a dozen or so in there, and 4 of those yellow ones, so I figured the ratio was good enough.

I know the guy said the filter was cycled, but I'm still a little worried about the mini cycle thing. That mid cycle post was from a couple weeks ago, and I'm trying to get everything sorted out. I'm just trying to get everything right, you know?

[dynamo7]

If the tank's cycled, that's awesome. No worries on the assumption, I know I've been all over the place. Good luck with your setup, I'm still figuring mine out, but loving the North African vibe so far.

[daxton9]

Just got a text from the girlfriend, she's missing my tank already. She just dropped off a new addition, a sunnygold cichlid, looks pretty different from the yellow one I got over the weekend.

[angler_22]

Honestly, I think there's been a mix-up with your yellow lab - the one in the photos looks more like a red zebra to me. If the other one's the same, it's no wonder they fought after being stuck in the same bag for a while.

From what I've seen in your other thread, it seems like you're in the middle of a fish-in cycle. For now, I'd say forget about plants, co2, and all that - just focus on getting your tank cycled and keeping your current fish healthy. You've got two options: set up both filters and be prepared for big daily water changes, or take the fish back and cycle your tank with ammonia. Once that's done, you can start thinking about adding plants and whatnot. Just take it slow, don't rush into any more purchases, and definitely don't add more fish yet.

I'm getting a bit worried about the state of my tank. The test results are showing 10 ppm of nitrItes, which is way too high - I've read that anything over 0.1 ppm can be super bad for the fish. And to make matters worse, there are 0 nitrates, which means my bacteria aren't converting the nitrItes into something safer. The ammonia level is 0.5, which I think is toxic to fish - isn't it supposed to be around 0.25 or lower?

I'm starting to think that my tank might not be as cycled as I thought. I've been doing some reading, but I'm not entirely sure what's going on. I'm gonna have to do some more research on the nitrogen cycle to figure this out.

One thing's for sure, though - I'm NOT buying any more fish until we get this sorted out. I don't want to risk harming any more of my fish.

[daxton9]

Alright, let me clarify some things. Got a lot of questions and concerns about my tank, so I'll try to break it down.

Bought the tank off a classified ad, but it came with a brand new filter that was started up on March 25th, 2012. No donor media was used.

March 26th, I added sand substrate and some Nutrafin cycle stuff to get things going. Added more Nutrafin cycle on the 27th and 28th.

On the 29th, I added three Danios to start the cycle process. Ran some water tests that day, and here's what I got:

- PH: 8.3
- no2: 10
- no3: 0
- nh3: 0.5
- gh: 75
- cl: 0
- kh: 300

Did a 15-gallon water change on April 2nd, and another 15-gallon change on the 4th. Ran some more tests on the 3rd using a mini master kit, and here's what I got:

- PH: 8.5
- Ammonia: 0
- Nitrite: 110

Added a Fluval 306 filter to the mix on April 6th, along with the API filter that was already running. Did another 18-gallon water change on the 10th, and here's what the test results looked like:

- PH: 8.5
- Ammonia: 0
- Nitrite: 110

Got two 18-gallon totes on hand, waiting for the first one to get up to temp. Planning to do another water change tomorrow morning if it's ready.

I'm new to all this, and I feel like I'm in way over my head. Thanks for all the warnings and advice - I'm trying to get this under control ASAP.

Should I pick up a test for nitrates? My mini master kit only tests for PH, nitrite, and ammonia.