An easy question !!!

[LunaLaFee]

My tank si developing now. Im using proper doses of calcium and magnesium and my "purple" algae is becomin more and more beautiful every single day! :D I'd like to add clownfish (amphiprion ocellaris) and a pacific cleaner shrimp but... i havent done any test yet.. and i had some (my prev. tank) but gave them to sb that needed them then more than i did. So .. the point is that im on a tight budget/..and cant buy them all right now.. should i check just ammonia? my ph is 7.9 - 8.0 (i know the ideal is 8.2 but i guess its not that bad) And my questions are 2:

- Can i skip it and bring my new friends home? (i dont want no risks - im gonna be buyin those tests one by one - just dont want anyone to get killed.. )

- If there are tests that HAVE to be done, MUST be done.. ( i mean a few) then which are most important?

Ps. I got rid of Cl as i was preparing the water so there shouldnt be any prob. with that.. salinity is ok and ph is ok..

:bounce:waitn for some answers.. :bounce:

 

[SarahSmile]

Oh, you will get some answers for this one my friend :)
Yes, you have to test and you need a testing kit. I got my basic API liquid kit on amazon for 30 bucks with free shipping. tests ph, amm, trites and trates. that should be all you need.
I would not add any fish without testing and making sure you've cycled.
Now, why are you dosing? I would stop dosing right away, don't dose for stuff that you can't test for.
You are using a water conditioner I take it from your last statement? Do you have access to r/o water? I'm just seeing that you are in Greece. Fun! Greece is on my top 5 list of places to see before I die/get old or fat.

 

[LunaLaFee]

Haha dont come before the crysis ends :D
The prob is i have no credit card and - that means no paypal account ( thats what i understood from my firend's ..um.. description) I can buy one that tests NO3, NO2, PH KH and Cl .. is that all i need? No ammonia test though :( + no access to r/o water . ii have to use till tomorrow a conditioner with mairne bacterias and im pourin also magnesium and calcium ( heyy.. i love that purple algae :P And it sais that its not dangerous for any fish :P ) What do u say?

 

[HeatherLynn]

i got my API test kit from my local petsmart and it test ammonia, nitrates-trites, & pH. i paid $30.

 

[HeatherLynn]

your nitrates are a MUST to be tested.

 

[T Fades]

go to your LFS. They will probably test your water for free.

 

[Nonfamous]

Not sure how it works at her location. Pet stores may not be the same as ours here in the states and they may not test for free. 24 Euros, give or take, for the test kit isn't bad at all IMO.

As stated, test before you spend any money on livestock. If you don't your wasting your money right off. Spend more now, spend less later.

 

[SarahSmile]

You'll get the purple (coraline) algae without dosing trust me. Check out my tank, in the tank showcase thread it's called "sarah's 60." As you'll see, my rocks are covered in purple and I've never dosed. You just need to add a rock that has some of the purple on it and it will spread if you have the right conditions.
I have no idea about water quality in other countries, but, if that's all you got, that's all you got so disregard my questions about r/o water. You def need a kit that will test for ammonia and nitrates and ph and nitrites. What is the size of tank you are setting up?

 

[Northstar24]

Wait, you're dosing Calcium and Alk, but aren't testing so you don't know what the values actually are?

I'm sorry to say, but this is not a cheap hobby. You have no business adding fish to a tank that hasn't been tested. Bare minimum if you want fish you need tests for Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate, they aren't optional, they are required. That should have been figured into the start up costs when you decided to start this hobby

I would also stop dosing Cal until you're testing for it and you know that you need it. If you are doing regular water changes like you should be, there will be PLENTY of cal for coralline algae

 

[LunaLaFee]

TO Northstar24 : Do u really think i dont know that? Its not the first time im setting up my aquarium! :) The fact is that I have my routines - i mean that I use proper doses, add any chem. i need and everyhting goes smooothly every time :) I know its not a cheap hobby but i thought that since i did everything just like previously (with my previous tank) i could skip testin cuz i was kinda sure of what im doin :)

But anyway - every single person here was right - i shouldnt add anything before testing. Sooo somehow i actually got the testing kit ( my friend's help - thank you Mike ) and everything turned to be OK ! Fully stable ! :) So i got my 2 clownies ^^
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