Is my ten gal cycled?

[Mustangman11224]

Hey all I checked my ten gal and my nitrites are zero and my ammonia is between .25 and .50 is it cycled... Also I have noticed an algae boom... Since my pelco
Died I now have algae coming out of the filter... On the glass... For a ten gal after my 36 gal cycles and i tanke my guppies and tetra pit of there. should
I put like three Cory catfish in the ten gal? And for my 36 gal.. Can I have 2 bristle nose pelco in that or is two bristle nose too many... I'm going to have some
Other fish in the 36 gal but not sure yet...
Thanks for all the help
Dan

 

[Fishperson]

1. What test kit are you using? When did you start cycling? How did you cycle?
2. Can you be more clear about what you are saying? What does "For a ten gal after my 36 gal cycles and i tanke my guppies and tetra pit of there." mean? If you are fish-in cycling, then use a hardier, smaller fish than a cory. And I think you mean pleco, not pelco.

 

[Mustangman11224]

Sorry I was on my phone lol. Ok currently I am fish in cycling my ten gal tank. The parameters I gave were for my ten gal tank. I have 5 guppies, 4 tetra in there... And it had been set up for over a month with those fish and one pleco. I am waiting for my fishless cycle in my 36 gal to complete so I can put my fish from
My ten gal into my 36 gal. If my 10 gal is cycled and I take those fish out... To control algae can I put 3 Cory catfish in my ten gal. In my 36 gal which will have the 5 gups and 4 tetra. Can I put two bristle nose pelco. Sorry for the last post... I was rushing and not paying 100% attention to what I put down. I have an API master test kit btw.

 

[Fishanatic]

If you're ammonia doesn't convert to nitrites in less then 24 hours, it's likely not cycled. Also, cory's should be in schools of 4, and an absolute minimum of 15 gallons for them to be happy. So i wouldn't recommend it. You can always scrape it off with a special metal blade to scrape it, or you could control you're lighting and water changes.

 

[Mustangman11224]

Ok thanks... Right now I have been doing changes every day.. 40% ... Maybe tonight ill leave it and test in the morning and see what my levels are... If ammonia goes any higher I'll go back to daily changes..

 

[Fishanatic]

Ok thanks... Right now I have been doing changes every day.. 40% ... Maybe tonight ill leave it and test in the morning and see what my levels are... If ammonia goes any higher I'll go back to daily changes..

That will help diagnose. Also, I recommend changing 50% every 2 days. If ammonia/nitrite/nitrate goes over the safe limit, change the water then.

 

[Fishperson]

OK, I get what you are saying:
1. Test for all of your parameters with the API kit, then post results, especially for nitrates.
2. It is my understanding that corys don't really eat algea, they just look like they are. I recommend getting either:
A Pleco of some kind, rubber lip or bristlenose can go in a 36, but I don't know how many bristle nose in one tank. A regular pleco will grow too big for a 36, so unless you have a place to rehome it, you should not by a regular pleco.
3. When you stock your tank you can fully stock it because your tank is overstocked now as it is. What kind of tetra is it?

 

[Mustangman11224]

They are neon tetra and my parameters are nitrate 10ppm nitrite 0 ppm ammonia between .25 and .50 ppm. Ph is above 7.6 ppm and high range is 8.2... And btw thanks everyone for all the replies I'm a noobie trying to learn lol and all the helpful info everyone gives is always great and ok thank you... Also I'll check tomorrow and if I need to I'll do a 50% water change.

 

[Fishanatic]

They are neon tetra and my parameters are nitrate 10ppm nitrite 0 ppm ammonia between .25 and .50 ppm. Ph is above 7.6 ppm and high range is 8.2... And btw thanks everyone for all the replies I'm a noobie trying to learn lol and all the helpful info everyone gives is always great and ok thank you... Also I'll check tomorrow and if I need to I'll do a 50% water change.

Test you're tap water. Very important!

 

[Fishperson]

^Agreed, test the tapwater for all parameters now, then leave some in a jar or something and test it 2 days later, after it gasses off. Basically, the ph and some other levels will change a little bit because of gas exchange. Your tank is not fully cycled, although it is close enough. When did nitrate start showing up? How many water changes have you done? And when did you start cycling?

 

[Fishperson]

Oh!
Scratch what I said about fully stocking the tank after you finish, I just realized how stupid that sounds.

 

[Mustangman11224]

Ok I will test my water tomorrow morning. I was do ing water changes every day... And now levels were rising so fast it would b more like having to do water changes in the morning and at night, so for now until I figure it out all the fish went into the 36 gal where they seem way more happier, and once I get this ten gal situation figured out it will hopefully be ready for guppy fry. I'll post my parameters when I do the test tomorrow, thanks for all the help everyone!!!!!