Mantis' New Tank

[mantis]

Ammonia arrived today to can finally start cycling my tank. Here's a picture of it.

https://i.imgur.com/CMBlGCH.jpg

Haven't placed things where I want them yet, but I will be moving the heater over to the right side and cover it with all the fake plants as it looks horrendous stuck on the back wall like that. I'm planning to have live plants on the left. We already have one which is a Echinodorus, which we were told was very hardy and will do well with sand as a substrate.

Anyway, I'll get to the scaping later, for now I want to start the cycle.

Here are my first test results

Ammonia 0.5ppm
Nitrite - 0.ppm
Nitrate - 0ppm
Kh 2 drops - 2
Gh 3 drops - 53.7
Ph 6.8

My tank already has ammonia which seems strange but I'm guessing that will possibly be from the wood I placed in to the tank a few days ago. Using the calculator it seems I have to put in 6.63ml of ammonia to reach 4ppm based on the fact my tank is 180l. However taking into account the sand and decorations I would hazard a guess and say my tank volume has dropped to around 150-160l, do I have to take that into account when working out how much ammonia I need?

Also a few other questions, do my tank results look normal and would they be suitable for tetras? We haven't decided 100% on fish yet but I really like the look of tetras, specifically neons, cardinals, rummy nose and emporer, just to name a few. Do these conditions look fine for these type of fish? My 9 month old daughter is mesmerized when we go to the lfs, so active, colourful fish are a must.

Also the piece of wood I put in the tank has started to develop a sort of slimy cotton wool (no idea how to describe it )

here is a picture of it, just wondering if this is normal

https://i.imgur.com/32QbWYn.jpg

Anyway I'll leave it there, and add more questions as and when I think of them. Thanks for all the help that I've had on this forum so far, you guys are awesome

[Ric]

That'll be a nice tank when its all up and running, no doubt.

Perhaps one suggestion: if you can put the outlet and the inlet at different sides of the tank, you will get a better flow overall. With the water coming in where it gets sucked straight back into the filter, you could end up with more stagnant pockets, particularly once all your plants and decor are in place.

Also, the slime on the wood is slime mould, which is normal. You can just wipe it off, if it bothers you or fish will nibble it off, once they're in.

With regards to stocking options, perhaps check on your water supplier's website, pop your post code in, and it will tell you whether your water is soft, moderate or hard. This will determine your stocking options.

Then you can play around with various fish species who would share a similar temperature requirement.

[mantis]

Thanks Ric, I will move the inlet to the opposite side, I might have to order some more piping first as I might have stupidly cut it too short, whoops

According to my local water supplier my water is 'Moderately soft' here is the full report - https://www.nwl.co.uk/globalassets/shar ... s/W201.pdf

Good to know about the slime mould, I think I'll just leave it there for the fish when they finally arrive, cheers.

[Stephen]

Tank looks good already.
All the best with the fishless cycle

According to my local water supplier my water is 'Moderately soft'

What degree of moderately soft did the water company state? (Usually in degrees German or degrees Clarke)

[Ric]

That is a report for @Stephen and @Vale! to peruse

Moderately soft water should be good for most tetras, so you should get a nice busy tank together once cycled

[mantis]

Tank looks good already.
All the best with the fishless cycle

According to my local water supplier my water is 'Moderately soft'

What degree of moderately soft did the water company state? (Usually in degrees German or degrees Clarke)

Unfortunately alll it says is 'Moderately soft' it doesn't seem to have any other information aside from the water report. Is there a way I can test this myself?

[Stephen]

Tank looks good already.
All the best with the fishless cycle

According to my local water supplier my water is 'Moderately soft'

What degree of moderately soft did the water company state? (Usually in degrees German or degrees Clarke)

Unfortunately alll it says is 'Moderately soft' it doesn't seem to have any other information aside from the water report. Is there a way I can test this myself?

You can buy a GH test kit or go to your LFS (local fish stockist) and ask them to test your water (take a sample in a small bottle).
Moderately soft usually means somewhere between 3 dGH (German) & 5 dGH (German), my water is moderately soft at about 4.6dGH (German).

[mantis]

Tank looks good already.
All the best with the fishless cycle

According to my local water supplier my water is 'Moderately soft'

What degree of moderately soft did the water company state? (Usually in degrees German or degrees Clarke)

Unfortunately alll it says is 'Moderately soft' it doesn't seem to have any other information aside from the water report. Is there a way I can test this myself?

You can buy a GH test kit or go to your LFS (local fish stockist) and ask them to test your water (take a sample in a small bottle).
Moderately soft usually means somewhere between 3 dGH (German) & 5 dGH (German), my water is moderately soft at about 4.6dGH (German).

Thanks, I've already tested for those. My Gh was 3 drops and Kh was 2 drops. So it should be good by the sounds of it

[Stephen]

Tank looks good already.
All the best with the fishless cycle

According to my local water supplier my water is 'Moderately soft'

What degree of moderately soft did the water company state? (Usually in degrees German or degrees Clarke)

Unfortunately alll it says is 'Moderately soft' it doesn't seem to have any other information aside from the water report. Is there a way I can test this myself?

You can buy a GH test kit or go to your LFS (local fish stockist) and ask them to test your water (take a sample in a small bottle).
Moderately soft usually means somewhere between 3 dGH (German) & 5 dGH (German), my water is moderately soft at about 4.6dGH (German).

Thanks, I've already tested for those. My Gh was 3 drops and Kh was 2 drops. So it should be good by the sounds of it

Nothing wrong with 3dGH (German), perfect for soft water fish species, you'll be spoilt for choice

[Martinspuddle]

Nice set-up, but even better was the video under your aquarium picture!

https://imgur.com/gallery/qJpTAvG