Recent content by Spankenstyne

Full tank pics here

Ok interesting, i'll definitely be sure to keep tabs on the lighting. I did stock a few small Dario Botia a couple of days ago and so far the levels have maintained. I'm keeping a close eye on it all and so far so good.

Yeah it's gonna be a tough go finding the patience while stocking but keeping an eye on the big picture should help.

Excellent, much love for the loaches.

Thanks, and that's exactly the plan as well. I figure we'll let it go for a week with the pleco and then maybe add one or two smaller fish every week to 2 weeks. Does that sound reasonable or would we be best to wait longer? The plan is to eventually have: the bristlenose pleco, about 5-7...

Oops there's a typo there that i missed. I meant the nitrites were getting near 1 ppm not 3, sorry i had been up way too late and gotten up way too early a few days in a row there :lol: "It may have even gone above that level since you were testing infrequently." Actually i tested every day...

Ah hah, i never even thought of checking the tapwater to see what the nitrate levels were, this is why i'm really growing to love this place. Just checked as per the advice and the tapwater is indeed lower than the tank. We're adding a small 1-1/2" Bristlenose pleco and will keep checking the...

Just tested tonight and it's now showing nothing at all for nitrites and ammonia.

Thanks! Yes it's a liquid reagent test kit. The ammonia and nitrites are showing at zero, just if i look at an angle at the meniscus in the tube i can see the slightest hint of colour which leads me to believe i have some trace amounts. I dunno if i'm just trying too hard to see some colour...

This seems very odd to me, i've been quite prepared for a month to 6 weeks minimum for my tank to cycle but it seems like it's either done or very very close to after just over two weeks. I hadn't tested for a couple of days since i expected the nitrite spike to last a while, but when testing...

Thanks for the tips all :) I'm gonna hold off on fertilizing for a bit, already starting to see some algae halfway through the cycle.

Oh ok it makes more sense now. The literature with the test kit had mentioned that a high nitrite reading meant high levels of ammonia and that i should test for that immediately etc, then having low to no ammonia kinda threw me off. Good to know it's progressing properly and thanks for the info...

So i'm about 9 days into the cycle, with 4 comets and some plants, and i'm getting: Just trace ammonia maybe .2 at the most ppm my Nitrites are reading 1.6 ppm Nitrates are reading 10 ppm PH has been a steady 7.5-7.6 the whole time so far. Haven't checked it every day but when i do it seems...

Ok so i have just over 1wpg in a currently cycling lightly planted 75 gal aquarium (is it considered a 75 tall or an 80 gal with dimensions of 48" x 16" x 24" ? I get 79.79 gal at this size by my calculations). Ideally it will be sort of medium planted with a fair amound of free swimming space...