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fishieguy

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Aug 25, 2004
Messages
35
Location
North Carolina
I have a couple of basic questions, but first I want to say something: Congrats to everyone on the board for being the most newb-friendly on the net. I'm just starting my first FW aquarium and I've been using some "other" boards for reference (as I know nothing). I just found this board today and am happy to discover that the tone (from the threads I've been reading) is far more courteous.

Anyway, that said, here are my questions:

I started a 10-gallon tank about three weeks ago (yeah, I know, too small for a beginner -- I know that now). I have two starter fish (platies -- I had never heard about fishless cycling until the day after I bought them). Until a couple of days ago, I had seen no change in my test strip readings. Then I saw my nitrites start to rise a little.

Meanwhile, my tank was cloudy for about five or six days before starting to clear up (today). Today I also noticed a rust-colored invasion on my decorations, plants and, in a couple of spots, tank glass. I've learned from this forum that the newcomer is likely diatom algae. OK, no problem.

My question is this: Are all of these signs (nitrite rise, cloudiness/dissipation, diatom algae) indicative of a certain stage in the cycle? I saw someone say diatoms show up toward the end, but I haven't seen other changes in my test readings. And here's another question: How do I know when the tank has cycled? Is there something I should be watching for?

I want to add more fish, but I keep reading that too many/too soon is No. 1 failure recipe for new aquarists.

Thanks in advance. And, no, I wasn't just trying to suck up with the compliment. :D
 
Welcome! :D

Your in the 2nd stage of the cycle it appears. First comes an Ammonia spike followed by a Nitrite spike. Once Nitrite levels come down you'll see Nitrates. Once your Ammonia & Nitrite levels are at 0 for a few days in a row combined with the presence of Nitrates, your cycle will be complete and you can add more fish buddies. This could take awhile though so don't get discouraged. Just make sure the Nitrite levels don't exceed 1 PPM at any time. Perform water changes to keep them down if needed.

As for the brown algae... don't worry about that either. Once your cycle is complete go out there are get yourself 2 Otos. They'll happily eat all that brown stuff up and will help keep the algae down in general.

Good luck! :)
 
Welcome to AA, fishieguy! :D

I am impressed with what you know already, and it seems you are checking the right things and asking the right questions, and providing enough good info for us to help.

I'm with AtodaJ and follow the advice above. "Could take a while" is really the truth - weeks - so I will also say don't get discouraged, LOL. Once all of this is over, then you can slowly add a few fish, like the otocinclus, but you are somewhat limited with your stocking options so post back when you are ready and we'll assist. Do you know the gender of your platies?
 
I also am new to these boards and I just found this one today, and I agree that this board seems to much friendlier than some "other" boards. So I too, Thank you! :D
 
I would also suggest getting rid of the test strips. They aren't very reliable an are too expensive. I use Aquarium Pharmecuticals liquid tests. They are easier to read than the strips too.


Kim
 
yes, i did a test with the same water. I used strips and i used drops. The strips worked but seem to only show color under higher conditions. The drops were much more responsive and when i checked the nitrites they were much higher than what the strips said. Drops will last you a lot longer as well.
 
Re: test strips: I'll give the drops a try. I figured the strips were pretty vague, if not downright inaccurate.

Re: sex o' the fish: I think I have two males. I'm going by text descriptions of what I should be looking for, so I wouldn't swear to that. :)

Thanks again.
 
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