New 75G Tank

[sam180]

Hey all, I am new to the site and, even though I have previously owned an aquarium many years ago, still consider myself new to the hobby. I just purchased a Marineland 75 gallon tank and a Fluval 406 filter. I am going with mostly peaceful, tropical freshwater fish. The tank has been up and running since May 7th. I decided to cycle my tank with fish, so after having it up and running for 48 hours I added 6 Black Skirt Tetras and then 3 days later 4 Angelicus Botia Loaches. I have done a single 12% water change so far with more coming soon and have an ammonia tester keeping an eye on the levels which are still low. So far everything is going great except for the white cloudiness in the water which has been there since day one.

The fish all seem to be doing very well so far. I am wondering if it would be okay to add a few more (thinking 4-6 Danio's or Platies) in a couple of days? Any advice would be appreciated, thanks!

 

[FWFishTanks]

the tank does not sound like it is cycled.. is it?

 

[sam180]

The tank has been up and running for 10 days so no, it is still in the process.

 

[Sublime.Rhythm]

I would wait and test your ammonia before adding anything new. If your tank is still cycling, eventually you will have a nitrite spike. That would b disastrous for your fish.

If you have some nitrates already, and your ammo levels are low just wait it out 5 more days and get a water test to b safe

 

[sam180]

I would wait and test your ammonia before adding anything new. If your tank is still cycling, eventually you will have a nitrite spike. That would b disastrous for your fish.

If you have some nitrates already, and your ammo levels are low just wait it out 5 more days and get a water test to b safe

I have been tracking the ammonia levels and they're still in the 2 PPM range so far. I will be picking up nitrite and nitrate testers in the next day or two. Aside from frequent water changes when the nitrites begin to spike, are there any other measures that can or should be taken to limit the severity of the spike?

 

[Sublime.Rhythm]

Ammonia will create nitrites. Ammonia converts to nitrites. Then nitrites to nitrate.

What is your waters ph?

Feed less. Or every other day. That's all you can do to limit the spike. Once it hits just keep water changing to lower the levels so your fish are ok.

 

[sam180]

I actually haven't tested the pH yet. I'll be buying a full test kit to be able to check everything.

 

[Sublime.Rhythm]

Ok good. If the ph is lower than 7.0 your ammonia should b much less toxic. You should test your source water and then the tank water to see how different, if at all, the chemistry is.

 

[sam180]

Will do, thanks for the info. I'll post the results here when I have them.

 

[sam180]

So I just tested all of the parameters and they are:

pH: 7.6
Ammonia:0.25 ppm
Nitrites: 0.00 ppm
Nitrates: 2.5 ppm

The tank has been up and running for 11 days now. The temp has been 79°F since day 1. I added 6 Longfin Black Skirt Tetras on day 3 followed by 4 Angelicus Botia Loaches on day 6. The water had been cloudy until this morning as it now shows a vast improvement in clarity. Is it even possible that my tank has already cycled? Or is it more likely that it hasn't even begun the process yet? Doesn't the presence of nitrates indicate that it is indeed cycling? I realize I should have been testing it since day one but I have to chalk that up to a big newbie mistake. In my defense, however, we did place a constant ammonia tester in the tank since day 6 and it has read less than 2ppm since. All of the fish appear perfectly healthy and energetic.

So, with all of that said, what is your opinion on it's current state?

 

[Sublime.Rhythm]

What does your source water test? Ammonia and nitrates can be already present in two water too.

It is possible your tank has cycled. Keep testing if daily to see what that ammonia level reads.

 

[sam180]

Both the water from the tap and aquarium read 7.6. I used both the basic pH and high range testers (since the basic caps out at 7.6) for the aquarium water and they are both consistent. I was at our LFS this morning buying the test kit and told the employee that the cloudiness has nearly fully cleared up and she suggested that we could have a nitrite spike, so I held off buying more fish until I could test it.

Later I called back and gave her the readings and her opinion is that it hasn't started the process yet. She also said we would be fine adding some more fish given that the readings are okay (and no, I do not get the vibe from her that she is just trying to make a sale at any cost - she seems knowledgeable and sincere). If we do, I'll make sure they are a hardy species in case it in fact hasn't cycled yet.

So...is it normal to see nitrates in the water if the tank hasn't cycled yet?

 

[Sublime.Rhythm]

Both the water from the tap and aquarium read 7.6. I used both the basic pH and high range testers (since the basic caps out at 7.6) for the aquarium water and they are both consistent. I was at our LFS this morning buying the test kit and told the employee that the cloudiness has nearly fully cleared up and she suggested that we could have a nitrite spike, so I held off buying more fish until I could test it.

Later I called back and gave her the readings and her opinion is that it hasn't started the process yet. She also said we would be fine adding some more fish given that the readings are okay (and no, I do not get the vibe from her that she is just trying to make a sale at any cost - she seems knowledgeable and sincere). If we do, I'll make sure they are a hardy species in case it in fact hasn't cycled yet.

So...is it normal to see nitrates in the water if the tank hasn't cycled yet?

It is pretty normal to see a small amount of nitrates when using Tap water as a source. It honestly sounds like the tank isn't fully cycled. If she said herself that the process hasn't started, then adding more fish is a bad idea. Over loading a tank before a cycle will just be disastrous for the fish inside of it. Anything over 1ppm of nitrites is very toxic. I would monitor your tank closely for the next week, and NOT add any more fish until you are sure it is cycled. It should read 0ppm Ammo 0ppm Nitrite and about 30-40ppm Nitrate. when it is finished. Honestly it should spike the nitrates a little higher once it is finished.

 

[sam180]

So in your opinion the small amount of fish we have in this big of a tank should be enough to trigger the cycle?

 

[treemanone2003]

Adding fish can always possibly trigger a cycle. If the bio load isn't established enough to support the current fish, it most likely will. What do you have for media in the 406 ? Great filter choice IMO, as I only run all Fluvals and one sponge.

 

[Sublime.Rhythm]

That is PLENTY of fish.

A 75g is not very large. Though it is a beautiful tank!

Can u get some source gravel from an established tank? Put it in a filter sock in your fluval and that will jump start things.

 

[sam180]

Adding fish can always possibly trigger a cycle. If the bio load isn't established enough to support the current fish, it most likely will. What do you have for media in the 406 ? Great filter choice IMO, as I only run all Fluvals and one sponge.

For now I am using the media that was included (carbon, BioMax, Bio-Foam).

 

[sam180]

That is PLENTY of fish.

A 75g is not very large. Though it is a beautiful tank!

Can u get some source gravel from an established tank? Put it in a filter sock in your fluval and that will jump start things.

Unfortunately I don't know anyone who has an aquarium, so not sure where I would be able to get it.

 

[Sublime.Rhythm]

Ask your LFS for a bag of gravel

From a cycled tank of course lol.

 

[FishyBusiness]

Unfortunately I don't know anyone who has an aquarium, so not sure where I would be able to get it.

If the LFS doesn't have any established media, you can go online to AngelsPlus and order an ACTIVE MAG FILTER, I did that with my first 90 gallon and cycled in about a week or 2. Or there's someone on here in the classifieds selling established sponge filters also for like $4?