Newbiedoobydo
Member
- Joined
- 26 Aug 2015
- Messages
- 39
Help! My head is spinning with all the different information I've read and I don't know the best way to proceed. I'm hoping someone here can please give me advice in words of one syllable for the terminally thick... Sorry for the looooong post, especialy as it's my first one here (I've copied it over from another forum I'm on as I've had no replies there, but you lot are the experts so I'm hoping for advice)!
I have two comet goldfish from a neighbour who no longer wanted them. They came in a small kiddy tank. I have bought a second hand 160l tank to set up for them, but at the moment they are in a storage tub swimming in about 50l of water, with a filter, some elodea and a tiny amazon sword plant. I am doing an approx 50% dechlorinated water change every day and should have an API Master Test Kit arriving tomorrow. Fish seem lively and happy. I change the water just before I go to bed so that there is max oxygen overnight whilst plants are giving out C02.
I live in Manchester so have very soft water. I understand pH (logarithmic scale, measure of H+ ions in the water, the more H the more acidic). I also understand that hard water is usually alkaline and soft water usually acidic. I have test strips which are pretty useless but seem to indicate pH around 7 and low KH and GH.
I will have a bunch of plants arriving tomorrow (from Aquatic Gardens). I have also bought some moler clay bonsai soil to use as a substrate because I think gravel will weigh too much for the tank support I have. I have just put some of the clay and dechorinated water into the kiddy fishtank to act as a holding tank for the plants. It's cloudy but that will settle. My problem is that I tested it and the KH has reduced to nothing. I don't really understand KH but I know it is important to buffer and keep the pH stable. I read on here somewhere that the way to get the KH back up again is to do large water changes every day for three-four weeks!! Herein lies a problem - I'm only 4ft 8 and not very strong, and it is going to take me all my time to do normal weekly 10-20% water changes in the big tank. (I'm looking for an aqua roller and small pump but my finances have been killed and that will have to wait).
I just don't know how to proceed. Should I put the clay and plants and 150l of dechlorinated water plus liquid aquarium fertiliser in the tank, let it settle, then start adding ammonia and let the tank cycle? What will happen with the KH? Can I correct the KH by adding something to the water? My understanding is that the clay adds nothing and that minerals get into the tank via the tap water if ornaments etc are inert. I have a plastic aquarium rock cave and two very small pieces of bogwood (currently soaking in old tank water) to put in there too.
Please can someone more experienced give me some advice on this? I am so frustrated by reading all the terminology and not being able to apply it! It seems so complicated compared to all the other pets (rats, hamsters, rabbit, chickens, cats, dogs) I've had! Thank you.
I have two comet goldfish from a neighbour who no longer wanted them. They came in a small kiddy tank. I have bought a second hand 160l tank to set up for them, but at the moment they are in a storage tub swimming in about 50l of water, with a filter, some elodea and a tiny amazon sword plant. I am doing an approx 50% dechlorinated water change every day and should have an API Master Test Kit arriving tomorrow. Fish seem lively and happy. I change the water just before I go to bed so that there is max oxygen overnight whilst plants are giving out C02.
I live in Manchester so have very soft water. I understand pH (logarithmic scale, measure of H+ ions in the water, the more H the more acidic). I also understand that hard water is usually alkaline and soft water usually acidic. I have test strips which are pretty useless but seem to indicate pH around 7 and low KH and GH.
I will have a bunch of plants arriving tomorrow (from Aquatic Gardens). I have also bought some moler clay bonsai soil to use as a substrate because I think gravel will weigh too much for the tank support I have. I have just put some of the clay and dechorinated water into the kiddy fishtank to act as a holding tank for the plants. It's cloudy but that will settle. My problem is that I tested it and the KH has reduced to nothing. I don't really understand KH but I know it is important to buffer and keep the pH stable. I read on here somewhere that the way to get the KH back up again is to do large water changes every day for three-four weeks!! Herein lies a problem - I'm only 4ft 8 and not very strong, and it is going to take me all my time to do normal weekly 10-20% water changes in the big tank. (I'm looking for an aqua roller and small pump but my finances have been killed and that will have to wait).
I just don't know how to proceed. Should I put the clay and plants and 150l of dechlorinated water plus liquid aquarium fertiliser in the tank, let it settle, then start adding ammonia and let the tank cycle? What will happen with the KH? Can I correct the KH by adding something to the water? My understanding is that the clay adds nothing and that minerals get into the tank via the tap water if ornaments etc are inert. I have a plastic aquarium rock cave and two very small pieces of bogwood (currently soaking in old tank water) to put in there too.
Please can someone more experienced give me some advice on this? I am so frustrated by reading all the terminology and not being able to apply it! It seems so complicated compared to all the other pets (rats, hamsters, rabbit, chickens, cats, dogs) I've had! Thank you.