how do i do it? new 10-12 gallon tank..

hey,
first of all, thank you for trying to help me. your words would mean a lot to me

I have got a tank, 12.5 US gallons and 10.3 UK gallons..(24x8x15 inch)..
I want to start it..I can't buy a test kit because its a little expensive and my mom doesn't like to spend on pets..I'll hide the tank on my terrace..

It is in shade but being in INDIA, the temperature might reach upto 45 degree celcius and go down to 18-20 degree in the day time..is it okay to keep the tank there..? there will be no direct sunlight..
I want to keep it planted..what plants to keep..?

so please tell me how do I start it without a test kit..? and what fish to keep? how many and just everything..

please help me

 

I'm not sure what could live in a small tank that hot. Hope someone can answer the question for you.

 

I think the temperature is a little high,
if you want to use led aquarium light to light your tank, but will you know the working temperature of the light? it seemed a little high...

 

isnt there any way you could keep it inside? that is qiute high

 

the temperature of the water won't be that high, its in a cool shade...
no direct sunlight..

my major problem is the test kit and not the temperature..i'll manage the temperature..
how do I do it without the kit.?

 

As you know, a tank will start cycling as soon as you put a fish in it. But without a test kit, it is impossible to know if you have finsished cycling or not.

So if you are dead set on trying to cycle a tank without a test kit, the best you can do is try an make an educated guess about when it will be finshed cycling.

It generally takes about 6 weeks to cycle,so I would say that if you do daily partial water changes for 6-8 weeks, it should be cycled by then.

 

Due to the small amount of water you are going to have some real temperature swings between night and day even without direct sunlight. That is really going to stress your fish. You could cover with a blanket at night to help with the lowering side of the temperature swing but the low side isn’t what I would worry about I would be more concerned with the high side. Your water temperature is going to stay quite high and I would guess it would average around 35C and that is extremely high for most fish.

There is really no way to tell if a tank is cycling or is cycled with out using a test kit, you would only be guessing at what the water parameters are. Do you have a local fish store near by that can test the water for you? Some stores around here will do it for free and some charge a small fee to do it but even if you had to pay a little bit for it, it would be better to know the true readings.

 

I haven't seen anybody telling me to cycle the tank here in DELHI..
I know nobody with a test kit...
the LFS people just ask us to put some water in the tank, and throw the fishes in..that's it !!