new tanks

pantherspawn

Ammonia; 0 nitrite; 5.0+ nitrates; 40 Ph; 8.2
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zof

What test kit are you using? Nitrites at 5 is pretty high and dangerous start doing water changes to get it down, on the bright side with ammonia at 0 it looks like your cycle is about half over.

pantherspawn

I'm using the API master kit. I've done two 50% water changes in the past 3 hours. Getting ready to test again. After the first water change I re tested. Nitrites still above 5 and nitrates at 20. Crazy how fast the nitrites rise. Did a 50% pwc day before yesterday cause they were at 3 and got them down to .50 less than 2 days and skyrocketed.
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pantherspawn

OK just did another test. Nitrites still showing around 5. So hard to tell. And nitrates at 10. Why arent the nitrites dropping after two 50% water changes in 2 hours? How long can the fish survive at this level of nitrites?
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pantherspawn

Mods, can you bump this thread to appropriate location as equipment doesn't seem to be the right spot. TY
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TwinDad

Test your tap water with the test kit to make sure your tap isn't the source of some of your frustration. It is also good to know what your starting numbers are for reference.

What is your filter setup?

Also keep up the water changes. Which I'm sure you knew.

pantherspawn

I tested my tap right off the bat the day I got the setup. The tap runs with ammonia at. 25-.50 zero nitrates or nitrites and the Ph is 8.0-8.2 I'm using the penguin 250 and have it double stacked with pads. Haven't rinsed or cleaned any of the media. Though I do clean the gravel every few days when doing my pwc. I havz an established gravel bag in a media net and also got some established filter media at around day 3. The tank itself is a 40gal bowed.
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TwinDad

Sounds like other then doing the daily changes you just have to wait it out unless you can find a few more live plants to help you out.

I did read that you got gravel and a filter from Petco.

pantherspawn

Correct, I wasn't too sure how the PETCO material would work out, but it seems to be taking rather quick. As far as the plants go, I'm having a hard time finding anything but the 4 or 5 varieties that PETCO and Petsmart offer. I have one local tropical fish store, but what they have is mostly selling aquariums and cichlids. Very little of anything else and no plants.

TwinDad

I know what you mean. I wanted a planted tank, but all I could find was what was at Petco sells a couple dozen plants at both my local stores. One has a algae problem and aside from an anubais and 1-2 stem plants are only semi-aquatic or house plants sold under aquatic combo. Both of mine did have a loose section in a tank to sell plants and I see some wisteria there. Stems plants are good to get they grow fast and use a large amount of ammonia. MOneywort is good too my petco had that. They were setup in fish tanks for plants.

The petsmart only had the tubes. They had wisteria too and anubas. The rest seems mostly semi aquatic or house plants that would last a year under water before dying.

I remember now that both had amazon sword plants in tubes, you might be able to find those too.