75 gallon fish in cycle questions

[FrolfAddict93]

Ok so i started a 75 gallon mbuna tank with black sand a rocks that i made caves out of. I filled the tank and treated with some water conditioner. I have the api master freshwater kit. I have a ph of 8.2, ammonia .5ppm, nitrite 0, nitrate like 5-7ppm. When can i start adding some mbuna chiclids. I started the tank on fathers day when i added 6 small dollys from petsmart. I had most of them die and im down to two of them. I really want to know how i know when my cycled is complete and when i can start stocking

 

[FrolfAddict93]

IS it ok to buy some syno cats to keep up with cleanup in the tank during trying to get a cycle going

 

[molliwopp]

Adding mbuna now would definitely not be a good idea. The tank really needs to be cycled before adding anymore fish. If you have any fish alive out of the ones you bought keep up on ammonia/nitrite levels and your water changes to keep these alive, when you get a test reading climbing up to 1ppm for ammonia or nitrite you should be changing out water.

Adding a clean up crew isnt really a good idea either they will cause more problems, besides theres nothing to clean up.
I really do suggest fishless cycling tanks but it can be done with fish in but not without motivation for large DAILY water changes.

 

[FishCr8zy]

Ok so i started a 75 gallon mbuna tank with black sand a rocks that i made caves out of. I filled the tank and treated with some water conditioner. I have the api master freshwater kit. I have a ph of 8.2, ammonia .5ppm, nitrite 0, nitrate like 5-7ppm. When can i start adding some mbuna chiclids. I started the tank on fathers day when i added 6 small dollys from petsmart. I had most of them die and im down to two of them. I really want to know how i know when my cycled is complete and when i can start stocking

The ph and ammonia is still too high. Even for cichlids. I'm not surprised if those fish died because the parameters are not good yet. Keep cycling and doing pwc till ammonia is 0 and ph is closer to 7. When the parameters are better, then add the fish.

 

[bud29]

The ph and ammonia is still too high. Even for cichlids. I'm not surprised if those fish died because the parameters are not good yet. Keep cycling and doing pwc till ammonia is 0 and ph is closer to 7. When the parameters are better, then add the fish.

Mbuna come from lake malawi, with a high pH. 8.2 is perfecty fine. Some africans can tolerate a pH of up to 9.0. Furthermore, if the tap water is pH 8.2, water changes will not help lower it. They WILL, however, help lower ammonia.

I second the cycling motion. It doesnt look like you are cycled, so adding messy fish like mbuna would be one of the last things you'd want to do.

 

[FishCr8zy]

Mbuna come from lake malawi, with a high pH. 8.2 is perfecty fine. Some africans can tolerate a pH of up to 9.0. Furthermore, if the tap water is pH 8.2, water changes will not help lower it. They WILL, however, help lower ammonia.

I second the cycling motion. It doesnt look like you are cycled, so adding messy fish like mbuna would be one of the last things you'd want to do.

Really? That's really cool. 9 is sky high and yet they tolerate it...... Phew! That's true if the tap is that high and pwc won't help get it lower.