when is it "FISH SAFE?"

[bill109]

hi i went to the lfs yesterday on the 13th to test my water and he said the cycle was just starting in my 12 nano and was goign to go fast so if it is starting and i take my water to be tested when i get some more supplies and the ammonia ,nitrates and nitrites are down and my cycle is complete can i start adding my clean up crew that day
im going on the 17th or 18th
whats going to happen?
1. if i add any more krill is it going to keep the amonnia up i dont thinki need it though
2. do i change my water when the trates trites and ammonia go down
3. or wiil he test them up and then i change my water to get them down
:help: i am new and have my tank up and have never thought to think about this but to change water every week.

and do top offs :happyfish
BTW i didnt use ro water ... am i in trouble?

 

[xxxgreg]

when your cycle is over your water will test out to 0 on all the bad stuff at that time you can add what ever you plan to but do it slow as you may have a a jump on some levels till your tank gets used to it

 

[bill109]

Originally Posted by xxxgreg
when your cycle is over your water will test out to 0 on all the bad stuff at that time you can add what ever you plan to but do it slow as you may have a a jump on some levels till your tank gets used to it
when the levels jump that is when you change water i assume :cheer: :happyfish

 

[xxxgreg]

well in a tank as small as yours youll be adding and changing water more than most will I can see you puting new water in every 3 days or so with a 10% every month.the thing you will need to watch out for is over loading your tank I would say you need a test kit at home to do weekly water test if not more offten. with 12g of water youll have to be on top of your water every day to keep it nice things can go from good to wtf in hours. just go slow

 

[gexkko]

When your tank has finished it's cycle you will get an ammonia/nitrite reading of 0. Nitrates should be above 0, especially in a new tank w/o a fuge that was cycled using shrimp. Water changes are done every week or two in order to keep nitrates down. You may want to consider a small refugium for your nano depending on what you are planning on keeping in it.
If you add too much bioload (i.e. fish) too quickly it will shock the tank and cause the ammonia/nitrites to spike. Depending on how bad, it can kill your fish/inverts.
Some suggest that after you reach ammonia/nitrites of 0 to add a small amount of liquid ammonia to the system (small amount, mind you). If after a day or so you have no measurable ammonia or nitrites, then your tank is cycled and you are ready for fish. I didn't personally do that method, but if you are unsure if your tank has cycled it seems to be an acceptable test.
Also RO/DI water is much safer than tap as it is pure water w/o added contaminants (including ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate). You do not need to purchase an RO unit to acquire it however. Many grocery stores have machines that produce RO/DI water and sell the water for 25-35 cents per gallon. It's a worthwhile investment for a healthy tank.

 

[bill109]

Originally Posted by Gexkko
When your tank has finished it's cycle you will get an ammonia/nitrite reading of 0. Nitrates should be above 0, especially in a new tank w/o a fuge that was cycled using shrimp. Water changes are done every week or two in order to keep nitrates down. You may want to consider a small refugium for your nano depending on what you are planning on keeping in it.
If you add too much bioload (i.e. fish) too quickly it will shock the tank and cause the ammonia/nitrites to spike. Depending on how bad, it can kill your fish/inverts.
Some suggest that after you reach ammonia/nitrites of 0 to add a small amount of liquid ammonia to the system (small amount, mind you). If after a day or so you have no measurable ammonia or nitrites, then your tank is cycled and you are ready for fish. I didn't personally do that method, but if you are unsure if your tank has cycled it seems to be an acceptable test.
Also RO/DI water is much safer than tap as it is pure water w/o added contaminants (including ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate). You do not need to purchase an RO unit to acquire it however. Many grocery stores have machines that produce RO/DI water and sell the water for 25-35 cents per gallon. It's a worthwhile investment for a healthy tank.

ok well i plan on goign slow in this but what is a small refuium
i did NOT use ro water but i dont think that i should mess with it now but maybe with top off ill use to replace my water.. ro water is w/o salt i assume
but do i want to add my clean up crew and fish at the same time or is that considered a bioload or should i buy the clean up drew little by little and then add fish.
i am goignt to the lfs on thursday and plan to buy TEST KIT a powerhead and some more lr but i am going to have them test my water

 

[xxxgreg]

Reverse osmosis is (RO) water that hes talking about. its kinda a rule that you can have one inch of fish for every 5gal of water more than that will jump you water levels and be a problem and most everyone on here will tell you that a clean up crew will not realy add to you bio load just make sure your fish is not real big and get a clean up crew fit for your tank size and youll be fine

 

[bill109]

Originally Posted by xxxgreg
Reverse osmosis is (RO) water that hes talking about. its kinda a rule that you can have one inch of fish for every 5gal of water more than that will jump you water levels and be a problem and most everyone on here will tell you that a clean up crew will not realy add to you bio load just make sure your fish is not real big and get a clean up crew fit for your tank size and youll be fine
ok thanx
any other advice?