Shirl

Good morning, everyone. I finally put my first tank ever together yesterday (Penn Plax 10 gallon Radius, Fluval stratum, inert large grain sand, slate, sand-blasted manzanita wood, Cardinal plant, red undulata, Cardinalis (all Top Fin tissue culture plants) API Quick Start and API Stress Coat +) and did a water test this morning to get an idea of where I am starting. If I'm reading this right, my pH is low, and my water is hard as nails. What, if anything should I be doing, please? Thank you in advance. Shirl PS: Cory, if you see this, you weren't kidding about how quiet that USB air pump is. It's wonderful. PSS: I already moved the heater down so the water is above the water line on the tube.

So, like a fool, I'd tested water that had been sitting in a glass for a while. D'oh. I retested, and yes there is some Chlorine, though not that much. I had gone to my water utility website and read up and saw that they also advise that it varies depending on the time of year and other factors, so dechlorinating as a habit seems like the smart thing to do. @KBOzzie59definitely planning on live plants 🙂

Hi folks, I'm so new to this hobby, I still have the New Fishkeeper smell. My tank is on the way, and I'm assembling the things I need. First thing to arrive was the Aquarium Co-op test strips, so I tested my tap water. Here's what I have: Nitrate 10, Nitrite 0, GH 150-300. (I'm not quite sure which one it is based on color, but I'm leaning to the 150), Buffer KH 40, PH 6.4, Chlorine 0 (this one surprised me). So, my ultimate goal is to keep a Betta and possibly some snails. I already know that the water hardness will benefit the snails fine, but I'm worried about any Betta that I get. (ten gallon tank, btw). What, if anything, should I do to this water aside from heating it, adding the beneficial bacteria and Seachem Prime? Thanks! Shirl