My First Freshwater Tank

Question
Hi Christy,
I have just finished setting up the tank last night, after a few hiccups. I set it up actually around a week ago, and tested the PH level, and it was 7.6. I thought it was supposed to be 7.0, so i bought a couple of tablets to get it to the proper level. I did some more reading and learned that it is the stability of the PH that matters more. So I did a big water change last night, added some conditioner (stress coat and stress zyme), and i am going to let the filter and heater run till Monday night, then i was hoping to add some starter fish to get the cycle going. Am I missing anything? I have read some articles about fishy vs fishless cycling, and some experts think you cant start the cycle until you have fish, so i was going to buy 6 danios ( I have a 20 gallon long tank). Any suggestions? Corrections? I want to do this right! Thank you!

Answer
Hi Lance
You're best bet is to just leave the ph alone.  Like you said, there's more to it then just adding ph up/down products.  You have to get into the hardness of the water and the buffering capacity.  Unless you're planning on keeping wild caught fish or sensitive fish like discus or German blue rams, just leave it be.  A stable ph is much better for fish then one that fluctuates-like what usually ends up happening when using products to alter the ph.  So good call there :)

Letting the filter run and the tank sit till Monday isn't going to do anything really.  The cycle process won't start until there's an ammonia source added to the tank.  You sound like you're familiar with it, but here's a link anyway just in case you have any questions about it:

http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/startupcycle/Step_5_The_Cycle.htm

There's also some articles on there about ammonia and nitrite poisoning.  Read through those, because if you do a fishy cycle, you'll be dealing with those issues, and she tells how to treat those poisonings.

If you do the fishy cycle, danios are good hearty fish to use.  Have you thought what you'll do with them if they survive the cycle process?  You may not be able to give them back to the pet store if you want other fish instead...just something to think about.

If you want to do a fishless cycle(usually more recommended now because it's less harmful to the fish)  you can use a cocktail shrimp to start the process going.  You don't have to have fish in there to start it, anything that will put out ammonia will work.  I've even done it before with regular pure ammonia before, but it's hard to find pure ammonia now, and I messed up and added wayyyy to much and it took a bit longer to complete the process.  But back to the shrimp, I'm sure you've read articles on that method.  Just put a piece or two of cocktail shrimp in a pair of pantyhose/nylons(cut out the toe/leg area), knot it and throw it in the tank and let it rot.  That will put out ammonia, which will start the bacteria colonizing, which will convert the ammonia to nitrites, then to nitrates.  Honestly, I think using the shrimp method would be quicker(it all takes roughly 4-8 weeks to complete), because with fish in the tank, you need to do small daily water changes to dilute the toxins in the water.  This does have the tendency to prolong the cycle a bit.  With the shrimp method, you don't do anything except check the ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates to see where you're at in the process.  When ammonia and nitrites are 0 ppm, and nitrates are showing, it's cycled, remove the shrimp, do a water change, then fairly soon after that(the bacteria needs an ammonia source to survive), start adding a few fish at a time.  

Or, if you have family/friends with an established disease free tank, you can use some of their gravel or filter media to put in your filter.  There will be some bacteria on the gravel/filter media you get, and will greatly reduce your cycle time.  I keep a small mesh bag of bacteria bio balls in 2 of my tanks, so when I start up a new tank or hospital tank, I just add that to the new tank the same time I add the new fish.  Never lost a fish that way.  

Another alternative would be to use BioSpira.  It's a bacteria in a bottle, and it needs to be kept refrigerated.  It's also fairly expensive and hard to find, but from what I've read on it(never used it myself), it will cycle your tank in about a week.  You add it the same time you add fish to your tank I believe or within a day or so of adding the fish.  The stress zyme and other products that are not refrigerated, are really of no use.  I would save your money and not buy those products even though the pet stores seem to promote them heavily.  The bacteria in those bottles has no ammonia source, and therefore is usually already dead by the time you buy it.  The BioSpira is supposedly a different type of the bacteria, and the refrigeration does something to prolong their lives....can't say for sure, but it's the only reputable brand I've heard of.  
Just a few more ideas for you...

Other then that, sounds like you're ready to go.  You have the dechlorinator added...just be sure to float the bag-o-fish in your tank for a few minutes, then slowly add your tank water to the bag.  I usually take a good 45 minutes to let the fish get adjusted.  Don't add the bag of water to your tank(good way to spread diseases, algae, parasites, etc. to your tank), just net the fish out of the bag and add to your tank.
 
That's all I can think of....good luck with your new tank!  Let me know if you have more questions!

Christy