Water level getting low

[Bobbylovesfish]

Hi, I have been doing a fishless cycle for about 2 weeks. Everything appears to be going well. My first round of ammonia lowered to around 1 ppm and then I added more ammonia up to 4 ppm, no nitrites yet. One thing I have noticed is that my water level is slowly lowering. I am sure it is partly due to evaporation & water testing. We also started the new tank 1 inch below because we thought we were going to be adding fish after a few days. That is before I found this wonderful site and learned about the fishless cycle. Would it be okay to add more water? Should I add dechlorinator before or after I add the water to the tank? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[anibis]

It's fine to top off the tank, and yes use a dechlorinator. Match the temperature as well, the beneficial bacteria don't like large temperature swings. Just go by feel, no need to break out the thermometer.

 

[Bobbylovesfish]

Thanks, I will do that today!

 

[bamboostew]

Hello! I always use dechlorinator prior to adding new water to my tank (I believe it's more effective that way) - I add water to my tank via a bucket, so I put the dechlorinator in there and mix it up a bit before gently dumping it into my tank. Additionally, I've hear that Prime water conditioner is a great brand of dechlorinator.

 

[Bobbylovesfish]

Thanks!