On 2005-03-12, NetMax wrote:
I agree that the NO3 test is a PITA (FYI: and if you leave the solution
to sit, it gets darker).

I didn't know that. Useful information.

I wouldn't worry about a few readings which don't quite fit. Cycling
is proven when you have no NH3/4, no NO2 and lots of NO3.

Call me eager. It's frustrating watching an aquarium with no fish in
it. :-)

Aerobic nitrifying bacteria is in the air (and in higher percentages
if you already have fish, like your Bettas), and if you have more of
the nitrospiras for some reason (like when you added Stress-Zyme which
I think is a wide spectrum bacterial mix), then they could be moving
the NO2 to NO3 faster than expected.

Basically, I hear you saying that any of my hypotheses could have been
accurate. ;-)

FWIW, we don't have the bettas *yet*. We were out visiting a few more
LFS today, though, and we got our desk aquaria in which we intend to
keep bettas -- she got a plain rectangular 5.5 gallon with a lid and
fluorescent fixture, and I got a Mini-Bow 5, and a self-ballasted
compact fluorescent bulb. Still need heaters -- we're going to get a
compact 25W each. We also hit pay dirt -- Bio-Spira.

I had been looking around online last night and found one source:
http://fishstoretn.com/bio_spira.html. We hit a couple of places[1]
today that we hadn't been, and they had it at both.

When we checked out, they packed the Bio-Spira in its own small brown
paper bag with a cold pack before putting it in the plastic bag with
other items, which I thought was a nice touch.

I just did a 100% water change -- actually, 17 gallons out of 20, but it
was all I could get out, and one or two of the three missing gallons
would have been due to evaporation. I probably wouldn't have bothered,
but there was about three tablespoons of salt in there, which wouldn't
sit well with the cories that we want to get. I'm debating another such
water change tomorrow, but that's probably overkill.

We're thinking a couple of angels and four or five cories for now, and
then adding a few congo tetras and five clown loaches when we get our 80
gallow tank in a few months.

I got a GH/KH test kit today. From the cold tap, it is 300 ppm (16.8 -
17 in dH?) GH and 130 ppm (7.3 dH?) KH. It might be too hard and basic
(pH is north of 8) for tetras.

Lots of fun, and there aren't even any fish yet! :-) Can't wait to get
the little buggers.



[1]For Phoenix-area residents, the stores were Aquarium Arts in Mesa and
Pets Inc in Tempe, about five miles from each other. So far, my wife
and I like Pets Inc the best of any store that we've been to. I'm
probably going to steer clear of Aquarium Arts, personally -- among
others, we saw a firemouth who was laying on its side on the bottom of
the tank, gasping for breath, along with more than a couple more dead or
dying fish. Pets Inc, while not specializing in fish, had quite a large
fish section and selection, the fish all seemed to be doing well. There
were tanks marked not-for-sale, and I overheard an employee telling a
customer about one tank that they weren't being sold because they were
sick. That impressed me. The other place seemed like a gamble to buy
healthy fish.