Parameter Check

[Tyler LaZerte]

@Patrick_G Yeah I thought that is weird as well. The only things in the tank are a seeded sponge, big piece of manzanita wood in slate, a bahai stones that I took out yesterday to see if that was what is making my pH higher, pool filter sand, and the ADA soil a the base layer. I am going to fully plant it but there are no plants right now. Tonight I am going to put im some red root floaters I bought. There's no added CO2. 

[Patrick_G]

I’m still leaning towards blaming the Amazonia even in the absence of added co2. They mention the ph raising when the KH is high and the natural co2 the tap water is released from into the air. 

Therefore, in case of using tap water with high carbonate hardness (KH) or commercially available filtration media such as activated carbon which has a property of raising pH level, with the exception of ADA NA Carbon, please note that pH level of aquarium water may get even higher

When tap water is left for a while, the water condition generally becomes mildly alkaline as CO2 dissolved in the water is released to the air and pH level goes up (Original pH level of the tap water fluctuates with carbonate hardness (KH) level of the water). By conducting aeration, CO2 dissolved in the aquarium water is also released to the air and pH level rises (usually the water becomes mildly alkaline).

 

[Tyler LaZerte]

@Patrick_G Hmm okay. So should I just monitor for a while and see if it goes down?

[Patrick_G]

5 minutes ago, Tyler LaZerte said:

@Patrick_G Hmm okay. So should I just monitor for a while and see if it goes down?

That sounds like a good first step. I’m still a beginner at this stuff too. I feel fairly confident we have the cause of the problem but I’m less sure of the solution. If time doesn’t help you can plan on other solutions like RO water or adding fish that like your current PH. 

[Tyler LaZerte]

@Patrick_G So just got home. TDS is still high in the mid 400s but by doing the API Master Test Kit, I got 7.5 pH. I am using the Tetra Test Strips (Aquarium Co-op is sold out of theirs for the moment) and those read 8.0. So i'm guessing there must be something off with the Tetra Test Strips. 

[Tyler LaZerte]

@Patrick_G And the temp is stable at 78. 

[Patrick_G]

14 minutes ago, Tyler LaZerte said:

@Patrick_G So just got home. TDS is still high in the mid 400s but by doing the API Master Test Kit, I got 7.5 pH. I am using the Tetra Test Strips (Aquarium Co-op is sold out of theirs for the moment) and those read 8.0. So i'm guessing there must be something off with the Tetra Test Strips. 

I use the Tetra strips for day to day and then go to API if something seems wrong. Usually there’s not much variation.

[Tyler LaZerte]

@Patrick_G I use them day to day as well until I can get the Co-op ones. So hopefully my true pH is 7.5 haha 

[tonyjuliano]

16 hours ago, Solidus1833 said:

My first question is, is the tank cycled?

That would also be my first question, but I already know the answer.

No way in hell a tank completes a full cycle in a day.  He has nitrates, but that could have come from a different source, or measured in error.

[tonyjuliano]

11 hours ago, Tyler LaZerte said:

@Patrick_G ADA Amazonia, I believe. It is under the sand, yes. My tap parameters are 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrite, 0 Nitrite, 7.3 pH, 7 dgH, and 14 dkH. 

If you used Amazonia, you definitely would have ammonia.  Did you ever measure any ammonia? Any nitrite?

if not, you’re not cycled.

Edited May 18, 2021 by tonyjuliano

[tonyjuliano]

8 hours ago, Tyler LaZerte said:

TDS is still high in the mid 400s

Forget about TDS, you have inadequate history for it to mean anything, and you’ve got all kids of “additives” in there that will contribute to that number.

Edited May 18, 2021 by tonyjuliano

[Tyler LaZerte]

@tonyjuliano I never said my tank was cycled and I am not doing stocking until I fully know I am. I haven't registered any Ammonia or Nitrite yet after 3 days. 

[Eric R]

16 hours ago, Tyler LaZerte said:

@Patrick_G So just got home. TDS is still high in the mid 400s but by doing the API Master Test Kit, I got 7.5 pH. I am using the Tetra Test Strips (Aquarium Co-op is sold out of theirs for the moment) and those read 8.0. So i'm guessing there must be something off with the Tetra Test Strips. 

Did you check the pH reading using both the regular and the high range pH tests in the master test kit?

[laritheloud]

I would focus on your plants for now and let the tank flourish and grow for a few weeks. I don't see any reason why you wouldn't be able to keep your selected species in your tank, so long as you have a healthy ecosystem going on and try not to rush (I know, super hard to not want to get excited and jump ahead). I would probably wait for the tank to establish for awhile before trying the shrimp, and I would give them a good, long drip acclimation. Snails, in particular, LOVE a flourishing ecosystem. Anecdotal story:

I put a mystery snail I picked up from petsmart in quarantine for a couple of weeks. We were convinced the poor guy was dying. Dropped in food every day, he had a wrinkled and swollen foot with discharge, he would move but not in front of us and not a lot. Every time I'd check on him or tried to pick him up he'd stay stubbornly suctioned, though, so we left him, until the end of quarantine when his shell was lying in the gravel and he was all closed up.

Surely he's dead by NOW.... joke's on us. I tested him by putting him on a dry plate, he came out. I then filled a container with display tank water and dropped him inside to see what he would do and he immediately popped out and started hiking laps.

He's now happy, healthy, and fully recovered from his irritated foot in the main tank, acting just like the rest of my snails. 🙂 Quarantine gave his foot the time to heal, but he clearly wasn't active and healthy in that tank. He much preferred the healthy ecosystem full of plants and life in my display.

So after all of that, definitely just focus on growing out your plants and providing a healthy little box. If you see pests, algae, anything else that might be an eyesore but is alive, this is all good for your tank. Good luck!

[Tyler LaZerte]

24 minutes ago, Eric R said:

Did you check the pH reading using both the regular and the high range pH tests in the master test kit?

Yes, sir! I did both and got a high pH of 7.8

[Tyler LaZerte]

@laritheloud Thank you for the great advice and glad to hear the snail pulled through! This will be fully planted once I get funds to buy some plants and I will put them in before I start adding any livestock. 

[Patrick_G]

@laritheloud, great advice! 

@Tyler LaZerte, you’re doing everything right! I can’t wait to see the end result. 

[Tyler LaZerte]

@Patrick_G Thank you for the kind words. I know it will be worth it when I get it all set up. 

[SWilson]

This sounds like a great plan! For what it’s worth I have high ph, very hard water and I have been able to keep habrosus cories. The store I got them from also has high PH, so they’ve just had to adjust to my hard water and they’ve done pretty well.  My other LFS that is in my same city and has same water parameters (I’m truly spoiled in the Bay Area) has cories in all the time. You’ve probably already thought about this, but you’ll wanna be strategic about when you add them and how many at a time to balance not overwhelming your cycle and having enough of a group that they are comfortable, without overstocking your tank when they are full grown. 
 

one thing I’ve heard about rabbit snails is that they will eat plants. That’s the reason why we didn’t get them. They are really cool looking though. we keep Japanese Trapdoor snails instead which is another livebearer snail (this might be the wizard snail). 
 

and last thing you’ve probably already researched this but most ppl recommend having a tank established for at least 6 months before you get shrimp. I think you can get away with less it just depends on how much algae and biofilm you’ve grown and how stable your tank has been. 
 

btw, what is the app you’re using to track notes and parameters on your tank? That is pretty neat!  Much easier to read than my handwritten notes on some scrap paper lol

[Tyler LaZerte]

@SWilson Thank you for all that! I use an app called Aquarium Notes. It's true that they will eat plants but that is if you aren't feeding them. If you feed them enough, they probably won't mess with the plants. I plan to add the nerites and other snails first, then introduce a small school of panda corys and wait to see how they do and add a small group of San Juan corys and then wait a bit and add the rest of my stock. The shrimp will go in when I see a lot of algae growth and it is fully planted so they can be secure. I also have plenty of shrimp pellets and other tasty foods for the shrimp to graze on a well. 

[SWilson]

Thanks! I'll check Aquarium Notes out! And good to know about the rabbit snails - maybe we can try some out then, feeding enough is definitely not one of our problems as aquatic animal caretakers. lol.

That's great! I'm hoping to try some different types of cories someday.  

[Tyler LaZerte]

1 minute ago, SWilson said:

Thanks! I'll check Aquarium Notes out! And good to know about the rabbit snails - maybe we can try some out then, feeding enough is definitely not one of our problems as aquatic animal caretakers. lol.

That's great! I'm hoping to try some different types of cories someday.  

Having a smaller tank, I had to choose smaller cory species so I went with those two species 🙂