looks great,have you got a testing kit to see when your tank has fully cycled???hope you keep the blog up and keep adding photo's as you add fish,oh and welcome to fish crazy,ask anything you want on here,no question is silly even if you think it might be,we are all here to help each other[wave]

i bought mine from ebay,i got a nutrafin mini master test kit,think it cost me around 20 pounds.it tests everything needed in your tank,u can buy cheeper kits though,another way of testing is to take a bit of your tank water to your local fish shop and they will do a test for a small charge

stingray i'm glad you said that cause i rarely use my test kit,i only use it if i think something is wrong with the tank,and (touch wood) that has been rare

Thanks stingrays4!

I really appreciate your offer to give me your testing kit, but I'd really rather not give out my address to anyone I don't personally know.  No offence intended though!  And thanks for offering!  And for saying my set-up looks great too!

Hi oops our answers crossed over here - i could send it to a friends house or mates house if you wish? {i understand fully, very sensible[Y]}

Hi ok know probs[Y] If you change your mind just send me a P/M[]

Hi and Welcome to FC,

Thats a great little set up, will look really good with the fish you want in there.

If you can't get a test kit then try to take your water down to you LFS for them to test.

Very sensible not giving out your address - I wouldn't give mine out to Stingrays either[2funny] (only Joking James).

hi and welcome

To update everyone...

I now have an air pump fitted for my tank, complete with check valve being as I haven't enough room to place the pump above the water line.  I have a 15cm air stone going along the back of the tank.  I hope to get a splitter valve so that I'll be able to put more air stones in, creating more turbulence in the water which my fish will love.  The water's now really clear, it did go very cloudy yesterday when I fitted the air stone, but once the water had settled again it went crystal clear once more.  I'm getting my fish on Monday, and I'm getting really excited!

Updated photos of my aquarium can be found at the link given at the beginning of this diary.

You'll probably notice the air stone, which unfortunately is blue, not green, but sometime in the future I'll be purchasing more plants to create a little forest for my fish at the back of the tank, so it will disguise it much better.

More updates on Monday when I get my fish!

[quote=stingrays4"]

...i have a test kit i never use{ i prefer to trust me instincts - not recomeneded though

[/quote]

[quote=Soulassassin76"]

stingray i'm glad you said that cause i rarely use my test kit,i only use it if i think something is wrong with the tank,and (touch wood) that has been rare

[/quote]

Just spotted these posts and hope you aren't letting these reprobates lead you astray! [bash]

Seriously....

.....just thought I'd mention it in case you are getting the message that it's OK to skimp on water testing because really it isn't. To be honest I'm the same as them (and many others) and rarely test my water unless I've reason to suspect there's a problem which is almost never, usually I just Feel The Force. None of us are fooling ourselves that there's any virtue in our negligence, but with experience you get a feel for what you can get away with, and that's our excuse. So don't do as we do, do as we say! Particularly since you're at a crucial stage at the mo, having added fish whilst the tank is still cycling. It's vital that you keep a very watchful eye on your water parameters over the next few weeks and be prepared to act quickly if you see any sign of ammonia or nitrite building up in the water. I can't stress that highly enough.

Very good practise in the way you introduced the fish to the tank [Y]. The corys would have been stressing a bit due to the fact that they're bottom dwellers and are very insecure when forced to remain midwater with nowhere visible to hide, this is unavoidable under the circumstances but good to hear they're happy now. Minnows on the other hand are happy midwater and would stress less in the bag particularly since they had the security of being in a group. It's very mysterious that one of them died after being released, I hope the rest are OK in the morning. 

What you have written suggests that all the fish were in one bag? If so did they all come from the same tank in the shop? As a rule in shops WCMMs are kept in cold water with goldfish etc,  and corys at tropical temperatures. Usually you will take fish home in water that came from the tank they were in - so if you buy 2 species from different tanks, you take 2 bags home. Just wanted to clarify that point because if the fish came from different tanks and went into the same bag the chances are that one or the other may have been temperature-shocked. It's a long shot but could explain the untimely demise of the minnow.

Anyway, this morning you will be bounding down the stairs like a kid on xmas morning and I hope that what you find is to your liking! Let us know...