thechristophers
New Member
I bought a 29-gallon tank and just added sand to it so far. I don't have any fish yet. There's a really nice aquarium store in town and they were all very helpful and enthusiastic. One guy told me that I need to test the ammonia levels of the water, though, then the nitrites and the nitrates. So I bought a kit that has testers for all those three plus for pH.
1) Is my understanding correct that I don't need to test nitrates just yet since there won't be any in the tank at this point? I just added the water tonight.
2) Is my understanding correct that ammonia and nitrIte levels will naturally decrease to 0? That's what the guy said and that's what the directions said in the kit.
3) The guy told me to put some fish food in the tank now, let it rot or whatever, and this will get ammonia levels up. At that point they will be converted to nitrites? Without me doing anything? And then the nitrites will be converted to nitrates without me doing anything?
4) If #3 above is true, then is the only reason I'm test the ammonia and nitrIte every other day (initially, pre-fish) just so that I know when it's safe to put fish in the tank?
5) If the amm/nitra/ite levels are ever wrong, is the only way to reliably correct them by adding more solution to the water that raises/lowers amm/nitra/ites? The kit mentioned something like that.
6) Since it's going to be 3-4 weeks before my amm/nitra/ite (hereon referred to as ANN) levels are safe for fish to be placed in the tank (correct?), at what point should I start running the filter? Right now the water is a tad cloudy with sand dust, which I assume will settle down or else get filtered up, but should I start running the filter now and keep it running as if there WERE fish in the tank? Because when it comes time to put the fish in, I want the water to be clear. So it makes sense to start running the filter now, right?
7) I am going to use live plants in the tank, too. At what point can I add them? Can I do it now, even though I'm still waiting for ANN levels to correct themselves?
8) When I finally do get fish, I will be doing weekly or bi-weekly changes of a percentage of the water. When I do this, I leave the fish in the tank, right? That's how I'm seeing it done on YouTube.
9) When I DO do those water changes and then fill the tank with 25% new water, won't that add ammonia to the water again? And nitrites, just like at the beginning when I first filled the tank up with water?
10) Driftwood floats, apparently. How are people getting their driftwood (real) to stay down? Is it possible without attaching slate to the bottom?
Lots of questions, I know, but I don't want to kill my fish when I do get them. I'm going to get neon tetras and probably 1 boesemani and 2 turquoise rainbows.
1) Is my understanding correct that I don't need to test nitrates just yet since there won't be any in the tank at this point? I just added the water tonight.
2) Is my understanding correct that ammonia and nitrIte levels will naturally decrease to 0? That's what the guy said and that's what the directions said in the kit.
3) The guy told me to put some fish food in the tank now, let it rot or whatever, and this will get ammonia levels up. At that point they will be converted to nitrites? Without me doing anything? And then the nitrites will be converted to nitrates without me doing anything?
4) If #3 above is true, then is the only reason I'm test the ammonia and nitrIte every other day (initially, pre-fish) just so that I know when it's safe to put fish in the tank?
5) If the amm/nitra/ite levels are ever wrong, is the only way to reliably correct them by adding more solution to the water that raises/lowers amm/nitra/ites? The kit mentioned something like that.
6) Since it's going to be 3-4 weeks before my amm/nitra/ite (hereon referred to as ANN) levels are safe for fish to be placed in the tank (correct?), at what point should I start running the filter? Right now the water is a tad cloudy with sand dust, which I assume will settle down or else get filtered up, but should I start running the filter now and keep it running as if there WERE fish in the tank? Because when it comes time to put the fish in, I want the water to be clear. So it makes sense to start running the filter now, right?
7) I am going to use live plants in the tank, too. At what point can I add them? Can I do it now, even though I'm still waiting for ANN levels to correct themselves?
8) When I finally do get fish, I will be doing weekly or bi-weekly changes of a percentage of the water. When I do this, I leave the fish in the tank, right? That's how I'm seeing it done on YouTube.
9) When I DO do those water changes and then fill the tank with 25% new water, won't that add ammonia to the water again? And nitrites, just like at the beginning when I first filled the tank up with water?
10) Driftwood floats, apparently. How are people getting their driftwood (real) to stay down? Is it possible without attaching slate to the bottom?
Lots of questions, I know, but I don't want to kill my fish when I do get them. I'm going to get neon tetras and probably 1 boesemani and 2 turquoise rainbows.