So I just bought a 36 gallon bow front tank setup and I absolutely love it. Today I filled I set everything up in the tank and filled it with water, started up the filter and set the heater. Two huge problems. The tank is not level...the back of the tank does not touch the stand all the way across. Meaning just the black frame. It touches at the corners but then as it closes in to the middle it does not touch. I can fit a credit card underneath and slide it back and forth. All other areas of the tank touch all around. I do not want to have to take all the water out and take the tank back...it is so much work and time and I have already been through hell getting everything (another long story) Anyway I wanted to ask what your opinion is on this situation. I am worried about it causing pressure points and cracking, but maybe it will be ok. What do you guys suggest I do?
Also the aquarium stand I bought is not level either. And it is wobbly. I know I could place something underneath it to make it level, but I think the actual wood (actually particle wood not too happy about) is what is not level. Ahh so stressful and don't know what to do. Help would be greatly appreciated!
To fix the stand to tank you could just remove the water and place a piece of foam insulation between the tank and stand. If you just bought this new you would probably be better off to take everything back. Hopefully the store will be nice about it and not try to tell you it's your floor. It's really up to you with it being a new set up I don't figure it's gonna crash into the floor anytime soon but I guess there is away that chance. I'm not very much help and I'm sure not what you want to hear. lol
Welcome to TFK :wave: As much of a pain as it is to start over, that's what I'd do in your case.
Better to take care of the issue now than have a major headache down the road with a room full of water and dead fish. On the other hand, it may never happen but I'd always be worried about it.
Ugh so I decided to return it. Is there anyway I can store all the water besides putting it in a ton of buckets? Would putting it in my bathtub covered in saran wrap or something work? I wanted to keep the water and reuse it so I didn't have to put conditioning and fix the ph again and wait a lot longer to get fish
Would saran wrap be toxic to the fish if I used that to cover the tub? The tub is clean but has had soap and shampoo in it obviously. And what I meant by fix the ph is that they would not let me buy any fish until my pH was around 6 and right now the test kit shows it to be really blue which means its at least 7.6 I put pH minus in it last night but that did not seem to do anything.
And what I meant by fix the ph is that they would not let me buy any fish until my pH was around 6 and right now the test kit shows it to be really blue which means its at least 7.6 I put pH minus in it last night but that did not seem to do anything.
that does not make any sense at all. Different fish need different pH ranges, and using chemicals to adjust it is a bad idea (messes up buffering ability and can cause seemingly random jumps that can be very bad for any fish). if they won't let you buy fish with a higher pH, you may want to find a different store.
What kind of fish are you trying to buy? What is your ph out of the tap? This sounds very strange to me.
Saran wrap will not hurt the fish but I do not know that I would use the bath tub, I would either use buckets or a trash can. If you get any soap in the water you may kill all of your fish.
I don't think that putting the water in your bathtub would be practical, nor safe for future fish. Any detergent/soap will harm your fish, as well as what are you going to do for bathing purposes? The idea of a garbage can or, maybe better yet is a plastic storage container (I'm assuming that the garbage can was metal) might work.
As to the concern with the water's pH, it is often eatsier and you would have more success in choosing fish that can live with the pH of your water. Check out the "Tropical Fish Profiles" tab at the top of the screen. There's a lot of helpful info. Sounds like you've had a bit of a rough start, try to take a deep breath and do some reading on this site to get some better information and don't be afraid to ask any question
The pH out of my tap water is 6.4 so I have no clue why its so much higher in my aquarium. Unless the conditioning I added was not the right amount? This is all new to me so I don't really know how it works. And I was confused why they told me that as well because I am looking at dalmation mollies which need a higher pH than 6. They told me to use the chemicals to change the pH to what I need and made everything really complicated. I really wanted to get fish today but since I have to return the tank and put new water in it (unless I save the old water) it doesnt look like I will be able to until later.
don't use chemicals. get fish suited to your water's natural pH. it just works better.
there are natural ways of adjusting pH, but only by small amounts.
and as for the difference between tap and tank water, did you let the tap water sit out for a while before testing it? fresh from the tap it can have gases trapped in it that affect the pH and then dissipate over time (i don't remember if it raises or lower the pH). try letting some site for 24 hours (i think that is what people recommend then try again.
I would not add any chemicals to change your ph. If it were me I would dump the water and start over. The only thing really recommended to add is conditioner which you need so you don't kill your fish with toxic metals. What can of substrate do you have? gravel/sand etc? Any decorations? What did you add to your water?
Also you need to add fish slowly, have you read about cycling a tank?
If you try adjusting your ph, every time you do a water change at least once a week you will have to make sure your water matches or you will risk killing your fish, it's a lot of trouble and in most peoples opinion not worth it.
Not to overwhelm you with too many questions, but what did you check your pH with? If it was with a pH strip, the strip can be very inaccurate as well as outdated. Most of the people here use the API test kit that mixes with samples of your aquarium water.
Also you'll want to cycle your aquarium which can take 4-6 weeks minimum so that everything is ready for your fish. Don't know why fish store is telling you what and when you can buy fish. The best choice as many have stated here is get the fish that survive with your water type.
I have read about cycling and they said to start with a few hardy fish in the tank to help with the cycling. I have gravel and fake plants in the tank which I washed out thoroughly. I am not sure if I added the right about of conditioning. It said to add 5ml for every 50 gallons. So I added a little under 5ml since I have 36. I didnt really get it. But then another water conditioning I have said 5ml for every 10 gallons. Not sure which would be better. Alot more with one or less with the other.
And I did use the API test kit, which turns dark blue.
I am not sure if I added the right about of conditioning. It said to add 5ml for every 50 gallons. So I added a little under 5ml since I have 36. I didnt really get it. But then another water conditioning I have said 5ml for every 10 gallons. Not sure which would be better. Alot more with one or less with the other.
And I did use the API test kit, which turns dark blue.
Different water conditioners have different measurements. That's all. So the one that says 5 mL per 50 gal would be 1 mL for 10 gal or 3.6 mL for your 36 gal. Again people have their preferences for what water conditioners they use.
there are lots of different opinions on cycling, there are ways to do it without any fish, and since fish are rather likely to die during cycling, a lot of people prefer this method.
You did fine with the conditioner different brands require different amounts. Sounds like you are on the right track you may just have a higher ph. I'd be happy to have 7.6. You will kill yourself trying to get that to 6, maybe go to the store and talk with someone else or buy fish somewhere else that is ridiculous.
Yeah I'll probably leave the pH as it is. The only thing im worried about it if its much higher than 7.6 since the API kit only reads up to that. I may go buy a different one, but hopefully the fish I want to buy will be ok.
Glad to see you are asking a lot of questions. I am new to all of this myself and I can tell you from experience, research is the best thing in this hobby. If you are unsure about something, take a moment to think about it and look it up. Patience is also very important because rushing to put fish in your tank almost always leads to bad things.
You said that you have the API mastet test kit? If you do then it should have come with a pH test and a high pH test. The ph test does only go up to 7.6 but the high pH test goes all the way up to 8.8. As for the water conditioner, like others have said, different kinds require different amounts. I am using Aqueon water conditioner for my tank. It says to use 5ml for 10 gallons of water.
Like the others have told you, it is a lot easier and less stressful to get fish that require the water parameters from you tap. Trying to adjust these with chemicals is a very bad idea. In most cases it leads to pH swings which are deadly to fish. As KendraMc said, there are natural ways of lowering it, but its a lot of work. I suggest just leaving it alone as it will be easier in the long run.
There are a couple ways to cycle an aquarium, one of which being the fish in method that you said you were going to do. Most members on here would not advise using this method because it places a lot of stress on the fish and usually kills them. If they do not die then you are stuck with fish that I'm sure you did not want in your tank. I suggest using the fishless cycle or the silent cycle (for planted tanks). You can search these on this forum or google.
You are off to a great start by asking questions. I am glad that you returned the tank because it would most likely cause you problems down the road. Remember to take your time and enjoy the hobby. Afterall, thats what its all about right?
I once had some colored gravel that was causing my pH to shoot up about 2 points higher than the plain tap water. If you want to test it out, set out 2 seperate cups of untreated tap water, one with and one without gravel, and test the pH of each after 24 hours to see if that could explain the pH increase.
Good advice has been given by other members. If you have an API master test kit than you should have the regular ph test and also a high ph test that should have come with your kit. It is not unusal for the ph right out the tap to be higher if you test right away. If you let the tap water sit over night and test the next day you will be able to get a more accurate reading of what the ph of the water from the tap is.
As for your substrate is it regular aquarium gravel? If it is something like crushed coral, this will raise the ph in the tank.
As for mollys they do better in harder more basic water, as any other livebearers do. I would question the reason why the store is wanting this type of fish to be kept in such a low ph.
For adjusting the hardness or ph in the water there are some natural ways to be able to go about doing so. Knowing what the GH and KH of your water is would be good. This information can be found out from your local water people. Many have this information available online, if you are unable to find out the information online than you can try giving them a call to find out the general hardness and the carbon hardness of your water.
if you buy the API master kit, it comes with a regular pH test and a high range pH test. also, a natural way to bring your pH down a little bit is to put some driftwood in or something like that. if you get driftwood, though, make sure to soak it in a bucket or something first, or the tannins can turn your water brown. not dangerous to the fish, just not as nice to look at.
Everyone is giving you great advice. How are things going? I forgot, but my water started out around 7.6 and I have had my tank (20 gal) going since last October. I have 7 lemon tetra in it which were the first fish I put in it. I then found a nice piece of driftwood for my tank (can't remember when that went in) and my pH is now around 7.2. That is because the driftwood has changed the pH as well as mine is planted and is aged now. My tetra are happy and healthy. I added corydoras a few months later as they do much better in an aged tank.
As others said, take your time, a hobby is not fun if it is causing too much stress. You'll be happier if you have the fish you want instead of using fish to cycle a tank and then those fish are not what you want. I agree with bigfish93. Patience is the most difficult thing to have, but many good things come from it.:grin:
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Tropical Fish Keeping
597.8K posts
83.7K members
Since 2006
forum community dedicated to tropical fish owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about species,breeding, health, behavior, aquariums, adopting, care, classifieds, and more! Open to fish, plants and reptiles living in freshwater or saltwater environments.