Beginner Hoping To Be Pointed In The Right Direction

HI guys I'm new on the site have read a lot of other discussions on this site very insightful. I have a 75 gallon tank with a marineland emperor 400 filter. The tank and filter have been previously used. I have 5 zebra danios and 1 pleco. My tank started to cycle and the water cleared everything was good. I checked my PH level and it was at about 8-8.2. So ive herd that getting proper ph powder would help so I not reading up on it just went and got it and poured the proper amount in if anything I poured just a little less and now my tank is somewhat cloudy... the package said that if it didnt dissolve then my water was too hard...? So I brought my water sample to my LFS and was told that everything is normal for were I am at in my cycle fyI ive only had it going about 2 weeks. And too not do any water changes yet and that the water hardness should not matter. Sorry for the novel but I just don't want to kill my fish. Thanks if any replies much appreciated

 

Tagging KinsKicks

What type of pleco do you have?

Danios should be in groups 6+

 

Yes I know I need to get a few more I just don't know how many I should get just to start my tank I don't want to have to many I plan on getting other fish too lol... and my pleco I don't know the actual name of it sorry but its the one ive normally seen blackish lol

 

You don't have to play with your hardness to much; it is on the hard side, but you have hardy fish; it's a lot easier for fish to adapt to a pH that will remain stable than one that keeps fluctuating when you add pH down (the issue with things like pH down is that after a day or so, the buffer no longer works and the pH shoots straight up).

As for cycling, I highly recommending getting the API freshwater test kit so you can test the water yourself and make it a lot easier for you to check your levels (and less of a drive is imagine).

Have you changed the water at all yet?

 

my pleco I don't know the actual name of it sorry but its the one ive normally seen blackish lol

Can you get a pic? Maybe chromedome52 can identify it.

 

Yes I have bought the API freshwater kit and have been checking my levels every few days. My ammonia is between .5-1.0 hasnt been any signs of nitrites or nitrates yet. And no I have not changed the water at all yet ive been debating on it and reading up on what I should do. I do have to add water about every 3 days about a gallonish due to evaporation my house is very dry.

Can you get a pic? Maybe chromedome52 can identify it.

 

A common? I'm not sure but chromedome52 will Definetly know!

 

Every pleco ive seen thru the years has looked the the little guy I got I'm just not sure the exact name lol I'm trying to learn as much as I can I love having a tank and just watching the fish lol

 

Every pleco ive seen thru the years has looked the the little guy I got I'm just not sure the exact name lol I'm trying to learn as much as I can I love having a tank and just watching the fish lol

He will most likely outgrow the tank but a smaller Pleco for a cooler water tank would be a Bristlenose Pleco and for a warmer water tank a clown pleco

 

I will give you one piece of advice. It's best to let the fish adjust to the pH of your tank. Some of the pH buffers are only temporary and your pH will change, causing you to use more. It's a money grab.
What I will suggest to help maintain a neutral pH is Chemi-pure. It's carbon based, but much much better than regular carbon. It does everything carbon does, but maintains an almost perfect pH. It doesn't need to be changed as often as regular carbon. You can change it once every 4-6 months, so you get your money's worth.

 

Kenny777 yes I plan on getting a bigger tank once my fish start getting more established. My plan is to get bala sharks and all the research ive seen say that's this pleco can go with them. I do like the bristenosed plecos too but I don't want to get one if it will cause a problem down the road once I'm ready for the other fish

 

As for cycling, if you don't already dose Prime, you should; it'll keep the ammonia (and eventually nitrites) from being so toxic to the fish for 24 hours. You'll need to do water changes as need be, usually above 1ppm, when the levels become high and redone the prime every 24 hours to continue having it's effects.

 

Hope that research about the bala's include the fact your gonna need a 10' long tank for them. Those guys are *fast* and need space to move, let alone they can get a foot long.

 

Kenny777 yes I plan on getting a bigger tank once my fish start getting more established. My plan is to get bala sharks and all the research ive seen say that's this pleco can go with them. I do like the bristenosed plecos too but I don't want to get one if it will cause a problem down the road once I'm ready for the other fish

How big of a tank are you planning on getting, and when do you think you can get it? Both common plecos and bala sharks need pretty big tanks. Personally I would get fish that fit the tank you have now, and then when you get your larger tank you can get even more fish that fit that one.

 

How big of a tank are you planning on getting, and when do you think you can get it? Both common plecos and bala sharks need pretty big tanks. Personally I would get fish that fit the tank you have now, and then when you get your larger tank you can get even more fish that fit that one.

I wouldent even put those guys in th same category other then "big fish". Plecos are*way* easier (relatively speaking) to get a big enough tank for them. they need a big tank but not in the same way a bala does. That being said, it's still gonna be like a 250g tank for the pleco...

 

I wouldent even put those guys in th same category other then "big fish". Plecos are*way* easier (relatively speaking) to get a big enough tank for them. they need a big tank but not in the same way a bala does. That being said, it's still gonna be like a 250g tank for the pleco...

True, although 250 is still big to me lol.

 

180g minimum for both Bala sharks and Common Pleco

 

Ya I have to get a bigger house before I can get a bigger tank lol but that is in the nearish future lol. Besides the fish I want to get should I do a 10-15% water change in my tank now ? I haven't done a water changed just added water when its been needed ...

 

180g minimum for both Bala sharks and Common Pleco

Really? I thought Bala's needed bigger. Didn't know the minimum for plecos off the top of my head

True, although 250 is still big to me lol.

Heh, ok yeah that's humongous to me as well, my 65 is huge to me already.

 

Drop the Bala Shark and get fish appropriate for what you currently have, not what you dream of.

One of the big mistakes people do is they buy the wrong fish for the wrong tank...Bala shark in a 75.

Consider something like cichlids that grow about 6" along with schooling fish.

Avoid sharks altogether.

 

Ya I have to get a bigger house before I can get a bigger tank lol but that is in the nearish future lol. Besides the fish I want to get should I do a 10-15% water change in my tank now ? I haven't done a water changed just added water when its been needed ...

Then I would wait to get the sharks, and would return the common pleco. Buying a house can be a very long process, sometimes taking years to do. You just started cycling right? What are your water's parameters? I would use those results to help determine when to do a water change, if ammonia/nitrite gets high then do a water change. I also would do bigger then 10-15%.