Just Finished a Fishless cycling and new to this site

[pained]

Hi everyone! Just joined and really don't know my way around. Got a "welcome" and can't figure out how to thank them! I just finished a fishless cycling of a 10 gallon tank with live plants and fine sand, a heater with no up or down switch, a Nano10 zoo med filter with the tubes. MY nitrates are 20ppm and I read thay should be between 5 and 10ppm to be safe for fish. I've changed 95% of the water and removed dead leaves but still at 20ppm! My question is can I clean the filter tubes with are full of dirt and rinse the sponge and ceramic media in aquarium water or change the water again or what to bring the nitrates levels down? I'm to be picking up fish i ordered tomorrow afternoon so don't have much time to get it right! I'm stocking my tank with 5 pgym corys and 1 betta male. Only putting in the corys tomorrow and will get betta end of week. What to do?

[Leeatl]

20 ppm is not a problem . Check your tap water and see what the nitrate level is . I wouldn't clean anything that does not really need it if you just finished the cycle .
Do not rinse the ceramic , and the sponge only in tank water .

[pained]

Originally Posted by Leeatl

20 ppm is not a problem . Check your tap water and see what the nitrate level is . I wouldn't clean anything that does not really need it if you just finished the cycle .
Do not rinse the ceramic , and the sponge only in tank water .

Yes! I did test sink water a while back and nitrates WERE 20ppm. And think you, I will not rinse th ceramic, but what about the tubing going to my filter thay are REALLY DIRTY. Ya or Na? And sense my sink water IS 20ppm, is there anything I can do to bring my nitrates down?

[Leeatl]

You can clean the tubing . Nitrates should not be that high from the tap . Are you using a liquid test kit or strips ? Use API liquid test and if you are make sure you are shaking the crap out of bottle # 2 . Not mixing will give high readings . There are pads you can put in the filter for nitrates , but I have never used them . Fast growing plants will help . Maybe someone else with more knowledge will pipe in .