# advice needed



## adamgargaro (Mar 4, 2009)

hi all. im new to the forum and have just purchased a 60 litre tropical tank.
i have had the tank running for 3 days with pump heater and lights running. my nitrite level is at 0.5 and my nitrate level is 0 and ph is 7.0 but the gh(general hardness) is off the scale at 180 and the kh( carbonate hardness) is off the scale too , which is 240. i have also noticed the tank slightly clouding up. i would be grateful for any advice regarding this .

adam


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## 207lauras (Jan 28, 2009)

Hi Adam! Welcome to FF! If your tank has only been up for 3 days it sounds like you need to let it cycle (which is probably why it is cloudy and also the reason for you readings being out of whack). Here is some good info regarding cycling a new tank with or without fish:
http://www.fishforums.com/forum/beg...posting-if-your-fish-dying-your-new-tank.html


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## Merf (Feb 24, 2009)

adamgargaro said:


> hi all. im new to the forum and have just purchased a 60 litre tropical tank.
> i have had the tank running for 3 days with pump heater and lights running. my nitrite level is at 0.5 and my nitrate level is 0 and ph is 7.0 but the gh(general hardness) is off the scale at 180 and the kh( carbonate hardness) is off the scale too , which is 240. i have also noticed the tank slightly clouding up. i would be grateful for any advice regarding this .
> 
> adam


I agree with 207lauras here, just be patient. Your tank is going through the nitrogen cycle. Ammonia (toxic to fish) is the first product, which is converted into nitrites (also toxic to fish) and then finally nitrates. Have nitrites is a good sign that your tank is definitely starting to cycle. Like I said, be patient and wait a week or two for everything to even out. If you aren't familiar with exactly what is happening in a new tank, do a little research, 207lauras posted an excellent link to get you the info you need.

What kind of water are you using? I know in my town we have extremely hard water so that could be some of the reasons for your gh and kh readings. Test the water you're putting in your tank for all of its parameters so you know exactly what you're putting in!


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## adamgargaro (Mar 4, 2009)

thankyou for your replys, merf i was told in aquarium shop i could use tap water so thats what i did and put a conditioner in and a de chlorinater.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Sounds like you have very hard tap water. There are many fish that thrive in this water. So if you haven't got fish yet, avoid fish that are known to prefer soft water such as neon tetra. Cloudiness often goes away on its own, so don't waste money on water clearing chemicals. What substrate (if any) do you have? Dust from new gravel can also cloud water for a few days.

60 liter = 15 gallons


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

are there fish in the tank????... if not; what are you doing to cycle it?.. throw a couple of small hardy fish in there for a few weeks...it will be fine..


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## Merf (Feb 24, 2009)

adamgargaro said:


> thankyou for your replys, merf i was told in aquarium shop i could use tap water so thats what i did and put a conditioner in and a de chlorinater.


There's nothing wrong with using tap water. I was just saying you should test the parameters of your tap water to see exactly what you're putting in. I use tap water too.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

only crazy obsessed people don't use tapwater.


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## Guest (Mar 5, 2009)

i can't believe you call me crazy !


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## COM (Mar 15, 2008)

My thought is that if your water is bad enough that you won't drink it, even after filtering, Brita, whatever... don't subject your pets to live in it. There are places, even in the US, where the water out of the tap is simply horrible.


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## adamgargaro (Mar 4, 2009)

COM said:


> My thought is that if your water is bad enough that you won't drink it, even after filtering, Brita, whatever... don't subject your pets to live in it. There are places, even in the US, where the water out of the tap is simply horrible.


even though i live in a hard water area, water is still drinkable, is it worth me buying ro water from my local aquatic centre. would that soften it


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Blending with RO is a very effective, but expensive, way to soften water. Only do this if you intend to keep "blackwater" fish such as rams, neons, etc. For most aquariums fish (bettas, gouramis, african cichlids, mollies, swordtails, platies) hard water is just fine. Its easier and safer (for the fish) to pick fish that thrive in your tap water, than to keep adjusting it.


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## adamgargaro (Mar 4, 2009)

i have removed 10% of my water and put ro water in to try and soften the tanks , i just wanted someone to check my readings to see if they are ok or wether the cycle is starting.( i also stuck in 2 hardy fish to cycle tank)

gh 120
kh 180
ph 7.5
nitrites 1 ppm
nitrate 20 ppm
amonia level 0.3 ppm


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## Merf (Feb 24, 2009)

You tank has definitely begun cycling! The ammonia gets converted into nitrite, then that is converted to nitrate. Both ammonia and nitrite are toxic to fish. Ideally your readings should be 0 for both ammonia and nitrite. As long as your nitrates are reading below about 30-40ppm you should be safe. 
What kind of fish are you planning on keeping? That'll give me an idea about whether or not your pH is safe.


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## adamgargaro (Mar 4, 2009)

i really like the look of the african cichlid but i dont know wether the water will be to hard for them or not. if i could have them what other fish could i stick with them and are natural plants ok.


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

Welcome to the insane world of fishkeeping.

African Cichlids are a VERY large family of fish. They're very pretty fish, but they require a tank dedicated to them. Unfortunately, none of them will fit into a 15 gallon tank. I kept a kribensis, a West African cichlid in a 15 for a few months, but it's definitely not big enough to house one longer than that. They're extremely active swimmers, and will "pace" in a small tank.

With a larger tank (a 55 gallon, aka 208L, would be good to start with) you could keep a great colony of Africans, they'd love that hard water.


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## adamgargaro (Mar 4, 2009)

so what fish would people recomend i stock tank with when its cycled , i would preferably like some fish with some colour .


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

There are tons of fish that could work in your tank...Most species of tetra will do great, but keep in mind they need groups of 6+. Smaller cory varieties will work, like pandas or pygmys. Harlequin rasboras also need groups of 6+ and would do great in that size tank.

German blue rams would work well, but they're sensitive fish. Stay away from most cichlids, angels included. Most full-size gouramis are too big. Dwarf gouramis would be great (I'd recommend 1m/2f trios or a solo male) as well as sunset gouramis/honey gouramis/thicklipped gouramis or sparkling gouramis. 

You could also have a really nice female betta sorority tank.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

1 pair of dwarf african jewelfish, Hemichromis christatus. 1 pair of shell dwellers (impossible for the water to be too hard for tanginikans) or 1 pair apistos. http://cichlid-forum.com/articles/cookie_cutter_10g.php


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## adamgargaro (Mar 4, 2009)

just a quick update, i had my water checked by the aquarium shop today .
this is the readings they gave me.

ammonia 1.5
nitrite 3
nitrate 50

i have been changing 10% of the water daily to try and soften it with ro water.
the tank has now been running for 8 days, if there is anything im missing or doing wrong i would be greatful for more advice .

thanks adam


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

Make sure your water is not all RO water, fish require some of the salts/electrolytes that are in tap water


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## adamgargaro (Mar 4, 2009)

thank you everyone for your help on this, my levels are nearly there my ammonia is at 0.25 nitrite is at o.5 and nitrate is at 10 . so hopefully next week ile be ready to stock a few fish


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## Cacatuoides (Feb 2, 2009)

*you really want to get some apistogramma  . A. gibbiceps or A. cacatuoides are wonderful .


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