[valachase]

It's great that your friend can help you test your tap water.... however you will still need the testing kits for your water ( liquid kits are better I have tried strips and liquid and find that it is more accurate if you use liquid not strips) I do testing every few days on all five of our tanks and even more often when adding new fish to a tank... knowing your ammonia and no2 & no3 (Nitrite and Nitrate) levels are very important to keeping you fish healthy and alive.... please make sure you get these kits for the sake of the wonderful little creatures you will be adding to this tank.... keeping healthy happy fish is very important.... Good luck with your tank.

[BarbH]

+1 with valachase, having a good test kit on hand is important. API master test kit has everything in it that you will need for testing your water. Being able to test your water parameters will help in keeping track with what is going on in the tank and with your fish

[TheaterGuy]

Originally Posted by valachase

It's great that your friend can help you test your tap water.... however you will still need the testing kits for your water ( liquid kits are better I have tried strips and liquid and find that it is more accurate if you use liquid not strips) I do testing every few days on all five of our tanks and even more often when adding new fish to a tank... knowing your ammonia and no2 & no3 (Nitrite and Nitrate) levels are very important to keeping you fish healthy and alive.... please make sure you get these kits for the sake of the wonderful little creatures you will be adding to this tank.... keeping healthy happy fish is very important.... Good luck with your tank.

I don't think I really said what I meant... I realize I have to keep an eye on my water. I was more referring to finding out what kind of water make up I have to begin with and as some suggested, helping me select fish most suited for my 'environment.'

Still waiting to hear on my 70 gal tank... the husband is on a 5K mi motorcycle ride!!

[TheaterGuy]

TAP WATER TEMP (C)

17.843

Degrees Celsius
TAP WATER PH

7.031

pH

ALKALINITY TAP (CaCO3)

68.125

Part Per Million
ALKALINITY TAP (PHEN)

0.000

Part Per Million
HARDNESS TAP (CaCO3)

149.327

Part Per Million
CONDUCTIVITY TAP

0.423

Micro Siemens
TDS TAP

0.207

Part Per Million
FLOURIDE TAP

1.189

Part Per Million
IRON TAP

0.005

Part Per Million
MANGANESE TAP

0.019

Part Per Million
CALCIUM

105.956

Part Per Million
PHOSPHORUS AS PO4

0.510

Part Per Million
CLO2 PPM TAP

0.130

Part Per Million
Nitrates

1.805

Part Per Million
Nitrites

0.004

Part Per Million



TAP WATER TEMP (C)

17.843

Degrees Celsius
TAP WATER PH

7.031

pH

ALKALINITY TAP (CaCO3)

68.125

Part Per Million
ALKALINITY TAP (PHEN)

0.000

Part Per Million
HARDNESS TAP (CaCO3)

149.327

Part Per Million
CONDUCTIVITY TAP

0.423

Micro Siemens
TDS TAP

0.207

Part Per Million
FLOURIDE TAP

1.189

Part Per Million
IRON TAP

0.005

Part Per Million
MANGANESE TAP

0.019

Part Per Million
CALCIUM

105.956

Part Per Million
PHOSPHORUS AS PO4

0.510

Part Per Million
CLO2 PPM TAP

0.130

Part Per Million
Nitrates

1.805

Part Per Million
Nitrites

0.004

Part Per Million



Here's my water!!! Any plant/fish suggestions appreciated!
Thanks!!

[Byron]

That's quite good. GH is around 9 dGH (149 ppm) and KH (alkalinity) is around 4 dKH (68 ppm). That gives you medium hard water. The KH buffers the pH a bit, but at that low a level the pH will lower naturally (below 7) as the tank matures.

You are good with soft water fish. Characins (tetra, hatchetfish, pencilfish), Cyprinids (rasbora, danio, barbs), most catfish, gourami, dwarf cichlids, etc. Avoid livebearers and rift lake cichlids that need harder water. Live plants will do well.

Byron.

[TheaterGuy]

GREAT NEWS!!!! I'm for sure getting a 70 gallon tank!! Hopefully I'll get to go get it this weekend, but maybe in the next week! So, I'm guessing I'll be able to get fish mid august (by what I've read on here)??
I'm definitely getting excited!!
I know I've got a learn still!!

[TheaterGuy]

Think I'm gonna go to the river today (I'm half a mile from the Ohio) and look for driftwood!! I can't see paying those outrageous prices when I can walk around and find some for free!!
I saw a woman pick up a beautiful piece several months ago (during our big flood) and thought, how creative she must be... never thought about collecting for fish tanks!!

[TheaterGuy]

Got my tank this weekend (found a nice piece of driftwood last weekend!)... Cleaning off calcium right now.
Hoping to make some progress this week... I'm thinking I'm going to build a stand for it, unless I can find one on craigslist or something... I believe the tank is actually a 60 gallon... according to my calculations...

The base of my tank; seems like the bottom piece of glass is actually recessed 1/2 inch or so... Should the tank sit on the vertical glass or the large horizontal piece?? Or both somehow?

[Byron]

Originally Posted by TheaterGuy

Got my tank this weekend (found a nice piece of driftwood last weekend!)... Cleaning off calcium right now.
Hoping to make some progress this week... I'm thinking I'm going to build a stand for it, unless I can find one on craigslist or something... I believe the tank is actually a 60 gallon... according to my calculations...

The base of my tank; seems like the bottom piece of glass is actually recessed 1/2 inch or so... Should the tank sit on the vertical glass or the large horizontal piece?? Or both somehow?

Any fish tank should sit on a solid platform that extends just past the outer edge of the frame all around. A sheet of 3/4 inch plywood works, and this can then be supported somehow, as on a stand or on cement blocks, etc. If you buy a metal stand, it will be even with the tank frame, but a piece of foam should be between the tank frame and a metal stand to allow for any gaps.