A new thread

[Sunbird]

That water tester is really cool, where did you find it?

Honestly, I don't know, it was at Aquatopia, the aquarium store I go to, they're professionals so I trust their equipment.

[akirien]

I'm new to this, so bear with me. Here's what's going on:
Pineapple's tank is mostly good, except the water hardness is off (no water softener). Everything else checks out.
Heater's at 78 degrees.
Aqueon submersible pump is what I'm using.
I've got 3 plants in the tank.
It's a 10-gallon tank, new since May 10th.
I didn't know I needed to cycle the tank, so I didn't do it.
I checked the parameters before putting Pineapple in, and they matched the water he came with.
Temperature's the same as my other tank.
I kept 2 gallons from the old tank. Pineapple went from 2.5 gallons to 10 gallons.
He gets 5 pellets twice a day. I didn't know I was supposed to soak them. He gets blood worms 3 times a week or less.

When am I supposed to change the filter?
When do I do a full water change?
I clean the gravel once a week - is that enough?
Do I need to add that rescue stuff to his water with every partial change?

Pineapple's really agitated, always resting on his hammock. He sinks from the back and seems to be looking for air. His fins, tail, eyes, and sides all look good. I've only been doing this since I rescued him in February, but I've been trying to troubleshoot everything. The aquarium store said my water was great as of yesterday.
Is there something else I'm missing?

So they actually tested the water sample you brought in, huh.

[akirien]

To save yourself some money, I'd get an API master liquid test kit. Those instant testers can be pricey and not always accurate, trust me I've learned that the hard way.

[Sunbird]

That water tester is really cool, where did you find it?

I do the test strips but I've also taken water samples to the aquarium store a few times to double-check everything's fine.

[Sunbird]

I'm actually pretty set with my current water testing situation - the aquarium store I go to does it for free, which is a huge plus for me.