please advice

[danie1]

My story is (very slow typer here)

Went to the local fish shop and brought a
30" tank/stand,Light,filter,heater, plants, rocks setup and it looks awesome !
will post photos tonight

Got a few yellow snails, planted plants and turned everything on then let the tank settle for a week (thats what they told me):wink2:

1 week later
Went back and brought
2 male guppies didn't have any females left
6 neon tetras
3 khuki loaches... these little guy are my favourite (they dont seem to be quick enough to get the food)

Things were great for two days till one by one the tetras started sulking in a corner
then one died I rushed back to LFS guy sold me a Ph test kit said keep Ph 6.8
and keep doing water changes(so brought bucket.. gravel vac as well)
They keep dying ! 3 now
Found this forum did some reading more reading, thought I would try a different LFS They said 1 month to cycle and to only buy a few danios first
also to buy this big ass test kit

I got it Here are the results

AM .50
no2 .25
no3 5.0
PH 7.2

That just took me a whole beer to type hope it's not to much to read ?

Even a few bits of advice from anyone would be appreciated

Ps Tap water is 7.4 do i add Ph down with the water changes eg when fill the bucket and add water conditioner ?

Thanks Dan
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[mitcore]

howdy
definately sounds like new tank syndrome
i suggest you keep doing water changes once a week and watch your testing levels, eg ammonia ,nitries and nitrates, they will decrease as you do more water changes, depending what type of fish want to keep will depend on how hard your water is to be and also what ph level to have,
i would suggest tank changes once a week and only a 1/4 of the tank, i have just finished cycling my 4ft and it took about 4 weeks to cycle
my levels are now near perfect

[cocoa_pleco]

it seems your tank is not cycled, since you have ammonia. do 50% water changes daily to keep the ammonia down

[digital3]

Even though PH levels are very important, for now I would definitely be worried more about your Ammonia and Nitrite levels. Check those Ammonia, Nitrite and PH levels daily (with your kit). Do your water changes to keep the Ammonia down (way down), until enough bacteria builds up to break down the Ammonia and Nitrites naturally (check out the online Ebook for further info on that whole process).

Sometimes, the LFS guys don't quite have their facts straight. This is where a site like this will become extremely helpful. Don't worry, I think you'll find a lot of help here. :c3:

[CAF]

Sometimes, the LFS guys don't quite have their facts straight. This is where a site like this will become extremely helpful. Don't worry, I think you'll find a lot of help here. :c3:

As someone who manages a LFS, it seems to me that most other locations are all about the quick sale versus the slow steady sales. I have turned away customers because their tanks were not ready. Unfortunately it seems yours falls somewhere in between.

[Nick_Pavlovski]

Have a good read and re-read through the free e-book:
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[spudbuds]

Also, don't actually vacuum the gravel with that shiney new gravel vac until your cycle is complete. You can use it to siphon the water out, but don't touch the gravel until the cycle is complete.

[sergo]

one more helpful thing; the ph down will do you no good using tap water. if you want to lower it (you really don't need to) get some driftwood and put in there. it will turn your water brown for a while but that will eventually clear put with water changes and time. a good boiling will expedite the process.

[Bill M.]

I wouldnt worry about the pH. Fish will adapt to it.... Ive got the 29 gal in my sig at 7,8 pH, and they all do fine

[danie1]

I wouldnt worry about the pH. Fish will adapt to it.... Ive got the 29 gal in my sig at 7,8 pH, and they all do fine
Today 01:33 AM


Yeah think I will stop chucking that ph down in the water, less chemicals has got to be better.

I am doing two 20% water changes every day
I thought it would stress them me poking around all the time but the guppies go crazy after, Pretty sure they prefer that than living in water that high in ammonia.

Got a nice big piece of driftwood aswell and no longer cleaning the gravel


Thanks guys