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DO NOT USE ONLY DISTILLED WATER! It is close to pure h20 which is actually bad. Remember basic osmosis from biology? The fish won't be able to regulate their body functions and they need the salts such as calcium and magnesium found in water. Also distilled water has no buffer. Your buffer, known as kh or calcium carbonate, keeps the ph from changing. When ph changes alot or drops really low fish will get stressed and die. You need a kh of at least 3 but preferably closer to 5 to keep the water ph stable and a gh of at least 2 but also preferably higher for the fish to be healthy. If you use only distilled water eventually your fish will die for one reason or another. If you want to buy bottled water then get spring/drinking water and make sure it tests a kh of at least 3. Kh tests are not expensive and very easy to do. If you use tapwater then make sure to condition it for chlorine.

Okay,

thank you kim..wish me luck guys

I'm posting again because it wouldn't let me edit

Don't use Biocoat. Waste of money.


Kim

I'd use tap with a water conditioner. Distilled costs too much I'd use it for top offs due to evaporation. The rest would work fine.

Kim

Thanks for your post... Let's make sure we our on the right page

Set up step by step

Add gravel,plants,heater,bio wheel etc....

then distilled water, let tank run for 2-3 days to make sure nothing fails

test water..should be clear due to "distilled water"

add bio spira an hour later add "feeder guppies"

then add bio coat and bio safe

Is there any flaws in this set up?

Yes water changes once a week, while having the beneficial bacteria in the tank, will keep you tank nice and safe...

If you don't do the water change it would be like, ok this is odd, but here you go, "Run a bath and take a bath, but don't drain the water, next time you bathe, use the same water, don't add any or change it out, and so on and so forth...hey you're clean the first time, would it stay that way?" No, and it would be nasty to keep climbing back in it, even if you could keep it at a decent temp to bathe in...you have to change the water, 25% each week though may be a bit too much try 10-20% don't want to send the tank into a cycleheidi

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

fis poo = ammonia

water changes of 25% once weekly = 0 ammonia level ...

as this has been proven... bio-safe, bio spira and you shouldnt have any problems =) correct?

did he cycle at all??? as kim said....fish poo..they will dirty the water in time and if u dont have the desirable bacteria in the tank to break up this chem (ammonia in particluar)..it will build up and will be detrimental to ur fish.

The fish put the undesireable chemicals in the tank. Fish make poo. The water won't stay clean.

Kim

He had two oscar in an 55 gallon tank and also...had hiding places , he used all distilled water.... Distilled water doesnt contained chemical hardful to the fish, so why do a cycle? when all level are 0 but nitrate and thats 10? does this make sense?


Thanks for welcoming me

Stephen

I've used distilled water when moving a tank a far distance, as in into another town to top it off so the amount of the new water wouldn't shock the fish...as for never doing a water change, no you still need water changes...otherwise it can get ugly....how long has he had the tank set up? How many oscars has he filled it with? Is there any hiding places? Oscars can become quite violent for lack of wording and start trying to kill each other, ask Tanker and his wife about their two

By the way welcome to fp

heidi

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle