tl;dr: Should I have high nitrites but little ammonia when doing a fishless cycle? What fish are suitable for a ten-gallon tank?
Hey, y'all. So, long story short, I was bedridden with bronchitis about a month ago and my boyfriend bought me a fish. Because of our lack of research, Derpy 1.0 promptly died. But his sacrificial death sparked my passion for fish.
I decided that I wanted to take care of fish the right way. I bought a 10-gal tank, some plants, a filter, etc, and started doing a fishless cycle. I totally thought that I had everything accounted for. I bought an API Master testing kit thing. I was so excited. Today, I tested my water. Ammo super low, nitrites super high. It was at this point that, as I was staring at the variously-colored test tubes and chemicals in front of me, that I realized that I have no friggin idea what I'm doing.
Should my nitrites be off the charts when my ammo is super low? Should I have any nitrates at this point? I have some, but not a lot.
In addition, I realized that I was so excited for my cycling journey that I didn't even think about what fish I would be getting. I want more than one fish if at all possible. What fish can I get that will be lively but easy for a beginner to take care of for a ten-gallon tank? Thanks, guys.
Hey, y'all. So, long story short, I was bedridden with bronchitis about a month ago and my boyfriend bought me a fish. Because of our lack of research, Derpy 1.0 promptly died. But his sacrificial death sparked my passion for fish.
I decided that I wanted to take care of fish the right way. I bought a 10-gal tank, some plants, a filter, etc, and started doing a fishless cycle. I totally thought that I had everything accounted for. I bought an API Master testing kit thing. I was so excited. Today, I tested my water. Ammo super low, nitrites super high. It was at this point that, as I was staring at the variously-colored test tubes and chemicals in front of me, that I realized that I have no friggin idea what I'm doing.
Should my nitrites be off the charts when my ammo is super low? Should I have any nitrates at this point? I have some, but not a lot.
In addition, I realized that I was so excited for my cycling journey that I didn't even think about what fish I would be getting. I want more than one fish if at all possible. What fish can I get that will be lively but easy for a beginner to take care of for a ten-gallon tank? Thanks, guys.