new tank - 30 gallon hex

Good morning, I started my tank on May 30th fishless cycle I dropped a peice of shrimp into the tank. The tank is a 30 gal hex with penguI'm 550 power head. my readings are now ph 7.6 the high ph 8.4 ammonia 0 ppm, the nitrite 2.0 ppm and the nitrate is 10 ppm I am using apI master kit to test and get these readings the gh is 0 the kh is 180 the ph is 7.5 the no/2 is 10 and the no/3 is 10 using the apI 5 in 1 strip. Can I add fish? or should I wait longer? Do I need to do a part water change? I am ready to see some fish. Please help. Thanks Sterling

 

I would ignore test strip readings if I were you, since they are considered unreliable, and you have an API master kit, which is much better.

First of all, as long as your ammonia and nitrites are not both 0, your tank is not ready for fish yet. It looks like you are in the nitrite spike part of your cycle. Do you know how long ago your ammonia dropped to 0? Based on that one could give a roungh estimate of how far along you are (whether or not you are almost there).

I would not bother measuring nitrates until nitrites are 0 if I were you. My understanding is that the nitrites interfere with accuracy of nitrate reading, plus nitrates are a pain to measure what with all the shaking and pounding needed to get the results right that I would suggest not bothering until nitrites are 0.

8.4 is very high pH. However, during cycling pH tends to be unstable.

I know how frustrating it is toward the end of a fishless cycle - I chose fishless cycling too, and the last week especially took forever. Hang in there!

 

HI JoannaB,
My ph levels have been high from the beginning. I started the tank May 30th and they have not changed. The ammonia spiked and then fell to 0ppm on the 24th of June at that time the nitrite was 5.0 ppm now the nitrite has dropped to 2.0 ppm how much longer do you think it will take for the nitrite to drop to 0 ppm ? That is why I was asking I really didnt want to do a water change and mess up the cycle. Should I be worried about the high ph? Thanks for your help! and happy 4th of July Sterling

 

I would not worry about the pH. It sounds like you are pretty close to being cycled. I would guess it could be as little as a day or two, but it could be longer.

 

Thanks The peice of shrimp I dropped into the tank is all but gone. The water is gin clear. I am ready for some fish. How about some tips on what kind of fish to start with? The tank is a 30 gal hex. When I went to the fish store one fish that caught my eye was ghost fish.

 

Nah, I would cross the ghost fish from your list. They need big tanks as they can get to a possible 2 feet in total.

 

What kinds of fish would be good starters? I will start slow to make sure they stay healthy

 

Are you sure your tank is ready? Has your nitrite dropped all the way to 0? I wouldn't add anything if you're still at 2 ppm.

Do you like fast moving fish? Colorful fish? Fish with personalities?

 

Dria, The tank is not ready yet but I am thinking about what fish to buy. I will wait until the nitrites are 0 I want some healthy fish that school together that are fast moving, colorful ,with great personalities. Got any ideas? and that doesn't make a mess. Thanks

 

I would suggest that you go to the LFS or chain store and browse around and see what fish you like. Perhaps go to several of them who carries different stock/types of fish. Write down the names of the fish you like and do research on them to see if they are compatible with each other.

 

Fast moving and colorful and don't make a lot of mess: glofish? Don't know about great personalities: depends on your definition. They chase each other a lot and can get a bit aggressive if not in large enough a school. Another option: platies? I heard they have great personalities, and they are certainly colorful. Great personalities but not colorful: coridoras catfish. Colorful (well red anyway), interesting, and almost no mess: red cherry shrimp - but I think it is recommended to have had the tank running for several months before adding them (I may be wrong on that though).

 

You do know you need to still have an ammonia source until the tank finishes cycling. If you don't keep feeding the tank ammonia, the ammonia converting bacteria will starve off. I say this because you mentioned that your shrimp was gone and that shrimp was your ammonia source.

 

jdhef, there is still a little fuzzy loking piece in the bottom. The size is 1/2" x 3/4" it has turned kind of redish brown. Should I drop a fresh peice of shrimp in the tank? Thanks for spotting that. Man that is why this site is valuable. Thanks for the tips on the fish JoannaB and AmazonPassion. I am going to check nitrite levels again today.

 

For schoolers I love Harlequin Rasboras and Cherry Barbs. Those are the two I've been deciding between. Those both have a sort of natural red color. If you want more exciting color glofish come in some wild colors and are fast swimming schooling fish. Guppies and Platies are both more solitary colorful fish who don't need to be kept in schools. Both are prolific, so if you don't want to worry about babies you can get males only. Do your own research on sexing, don't depend on the folks working at the store to do it properly.

I believe your tank has a small footprint, so if you want bottom dwellers I'd probably go with dwarf cories so you can have a full school and still have enough floor space for them. Cories may not be colorful, but they have buckets of personality. Otos are another option, but I have no personal experience with them.

I think in a 30 hex you could even have an angelfish or two, but probably wait for someone who knows that particular fish a bit better to weigh in. I know my tank isn't quite tall enough for them at 16", I have a 30 long.

 

Thanks Dria, I checked my nitrite level today and it is still to high looks like between 1.0 and 2.0 Thanks for the tips on the fish. Now I need to to some home work on the fish that you suggested. Thanks

[jdhef do you think I need to add another peice of shrimp?]

 

I THINK a couple angels would look nice in that tank they like height more than length I beleive

 

jdhef, there is still a little fuzzy loking piece in the bottom. The size is 1/2" x 3/4" it has turned kind of redish brown. Should I drop a fresh peice of shrimp in the tank? Thanks for spotting that. Man that is why this site is valuable.

I've never cycled with a piece of shrimp, so I don't know for sure, but I would thank so long as there is (decaying) shrimp in the tank, ammonia is being produced. But if you were worried, you could add an additional piece.

 

Thanks to all /I'll put some angels in when tank is ready. How many? I looked at the cherry barbs those are nice and the glofish will these three types get along?

 

How big small is the floor area of your tank, and how tall is it? I did not originally notice that this is a hex.

Glofish are danios and they do need enough horizontal space to chase eachother, and I do not know for sure whether a 30 gallon hex is enough.

Angels need vertical space primarily, but they also need horizontal space. I do not know for sure, but I think your tank may be big enough for one or two angelfish (?).

I think you need someone else to find out whether this combination will work. Cherry barbs and glofish are both active or a bit aggressive. I know glofish are fin nippers, so I wonder whether they would nip the angels or whether the angels can take care of themselves. Angelfish may eat smaller fish, but danios and barbs are fast moving enough to move out of their way, I think. I don't know whether angelfish would be disturbed by all this activity around them - some fish get stressed out by danios because when healthy danios are almost constantly on the move, and slower moving fish may find that stressful.

I hope someone more experienced than me will help you out some more.

 

The floor area is 18" hex
about the size of a stop sign the height is about 24" I will try to post a picture. I want fish that get along. Thanks for your help