I have had aquariums for most of my life, but I am realizing that I don't know nearly enough about it. I currently have 2 tanks one is a 55g community with platies, mollies, and 2 bn plecos. The other is a 10g that I have been using strictly as a fry tank. I noticed that I was losing a fry or two everyday so I knew something must be wrong. I got a master kit and have tested it the last 3 days. The 55g has looked great each time, but the fry tank numbers were off. Since fry are sensitive I decided to move them back to the 55g in a breeder box and they are all doing great and I haven't lost anymore since. I had fallen for the lfs rule of cycling your tank and had only run it for a few days with no fish in it before adding the fry. I guess it never completed a cycle. So this is where I was and where I am now.
3 Days ago:
pH 7.6
Ammonia .25
Nitrite 1
Nitrate 0
Now:
pH 7.2
Ammonia >.25 ( It is between 0 and .25 on the color chart)
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
From what I have read it doesn't look bad but it need some nitrates to be cycled. There are no fish in it now but there were fish in there for more than a month including pregnant adult platies a time or two. My question is since it had fish in it and has some decorations and plastic plants from the 55g will it cycle without me adding anything else to it.
3 Days ago:
pH 7.6
Ammonia .25
Nitrite 1
Nitrate 0
Now:
pH 7.2
Ammonia >.25 ( It is between 0 and .25 on the color chart)
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
From what I have read it doesn't look bad but it need some nitrates to be cycled. There are no fish in it now but there were fish in there for more than a month including pregnant adult platies a time or two. My question is since it had fish in it and has some decorations and plastic plants from the 55g will it cycle without me adding anything else to it.