Hey all,
Just received my first aquarium, and looking for a little advice on some issues.
So, the tank has been up and running now for nearly 2 weeks. I was given a donated sponge from a friend who has an established aquarium (2+ years) and used it on about a third of my sponge filter. The idea is that this would naturally provide some of the bacteria to start off the nitrogen cycle.
In the last few days I have added plants and such as well. No fish yet, but this is where I need some help. I understand the donated sponge should speed up the fishless cycle, but I want to know how much. I've been doing regular testing of the water using the API test kit, and I've been constantly getting zero nitrites, around 0 - 5ppm (maximum) nitrates, and 0.25ppm ammonia. My tap water naturally has this amount of ammonia in it, as I've tested it as well.
So, I guess my query is this - Is getting the ammonia down just a case of waiting? If I added some of the "bacteria in a bottle" would that damage the bacteria on the donated sponge? If I leave the sample for a couple of hours, the ammonia comes down to zero, just not in the 5mins stated. Should I consider adding fish at this point?
I've got an emotional 5 year old that's already attached to this aquarium, so I really want to avoid killing fish where possible!!
Thanks for the advice all!
Just received my first aquarium, and looking for a little advice on some issues.
So, the tank has been up and running now for nearly 2 weeks. I was given a donated sponge from a friend who has an established aquarium (2+ years) and used it on about a third of my sponge filter. The idea is that this would naturally provide some of the bacteria to start off the nitrogen cycle.
In the last few days I have added plants and such as well. No fish yet, but this is where I need some help. I understand the donated sponge should speed up the fishless cycle, but I want to know how much. I've been doing regular testing of the water using the API test kit, and I've been constantly getting zero nitrites, around 0 - 5ppm (maximum) nitrates, and 0.25ppm ammonia. My tap water naturally has this amount of ammonia in it, as I've tested it as well.
So, I guess my query is this - Is getting the ammonia down just a case of waiting? If I added some of the "bacteria in a bottle" would that damage the bacteria on the donated sponge? If I leave the sample for a couple of hours, the ammonia comes down to zero, just not in the 5mins stated. Should I consider adding fish at this point?
I've got an emotional 5 year old that's already attached to this aquarium, so I really want to avoid killing fish where possible!!
Thanks for the advice all!