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How about adding some invertebrates like shrimp or snails? Fun to search for, and won't affect the bio-load much.

When it comes to small species, I've come to prefer larger schools of fewer species. I love diversity and color, but a school just looks more natural.

Excellent photos of beautiful fish. I've not tried cichlids, but your pics make me want to! I'd pick the neon as a subject for a contest. Very striking.

I'm glad to hear their status has improved. Let us know how the new acquisition goes!

Gratz! Seeing an aquarium cycle before your eyes is a very satisfying event!

Wow, that's a beautiful fish. I had not heard of them, so I googled a bit. I'm a little concerned with their conservation status. Sounds like they are mostly wild-caught, and diminishing quickly. I'd verify that they were captive-bred by a reputable breeder if I could. I'm going by...

A nitrite spike for a bit is a natural part of the process. As long as the ammonia is being processed, and nitrate is appearing, it will all work out. The nitraters will catch up with time.

Inverts can be more sensitive to additives than the fish. I'd move them to a hospital tank with untreated water if you can for a few days.

I do this for hospital tanks. It's basically an instant cycle, as long as it's stocked slowly.

Yep, need data, but it sounds like an ammonia spike. I'll speculate anyway. Possible causes: PWC with chlorinated water without a de-chlorinator reduced the bacteria. Perhaps a recently-changed filter cartridge took too much bacteria with it (especially if it's not a Bio-wheel). Regardless, the...

BTW, the Python brand has apparently folded, but there are many similar products now--look for "aquarium water changer" rather than "Python." Children's play sand (a Home Depot item) is not black, but it is washed and sterilized, making it easy to use and inexpensive. I'd wash it one last time...

I would guess that if the water wasn't right, the eggs are not viable. My nerite snails lay eggs all the time in my freshwater tank, but nothing comes of it (they need brackish, too.) Here's some info on breeding Amano: http://www.aquariumslife.com/freshwater-shrimp/breeding-caridina-japonica/

My khulis seem perfectly happy with no sand. I have three that have been with me for nearly five years, and they seem content among the nooks and crannies in the decor. I have thought of a sand pit for them a few years back, but I run a UGF, and never pursued it. Let us know if they take to it.

Moving is stressful, so hopefully it's just that. Not much you can do for him at this point except wait anyway.

I would go with a school of small, colorful species like a cardinal tetra or the like. Maybe 8 or so max. Neons are pretty, but so overbred that I have not found them to be very hardy.

A little late to the thread, but for seeding I find that in a good HOB filter like a penguin there's room for a second filter to lay in against the old one, for quick, certain seeding. By quick, I'd still say a couple weeks. I actually keep an extra filter media in the filter tank all the time...

The kids got free goldfish. When the fish outgrew the tank, we found new homes for them (the goldfish, that is) , but then we had this cycled tank just sitting there, and the rest is history!

Here's a tool for converting inches of substrate into pounds, since the packages aren't labeled in cubic inches for some reason! "How Much Gravel Do I Need?" Aquarium Substrate Calculator

Ghost shrimp and/or a snail (I recommend nerites) would not add to the bioload significantly, if you want more "life" in a small tank. And they are interesting to watch, IMHO.

Is your tank cycled? If it's still cycling, it will clear on its own. I'd avoid adding chemicals.

I use vinegar and water. If perchance some residue is left, it won't harm the fish. The vinegar has a bonus feature in that it will dissolve mineral deposits.

I've found the heater indicators to be approximations at best. Is the ambient air warmer than 79? 82 seems warmer than necessary (and costs more energy), unless something you have has a specific need for it. I'd bump it down a degree on the heater, and where it settles, probably before adding...

My last glofish had a bent spine, and he was in a 30g tank the whole time. I phased out danios (zebras and glofish) by simply letting them age out. The last one was by himself for a few months, but he was active and eating well up to the end. They are not all that long-lived, so after a few...

I'm wondering, since it was cold-related and not a disease, if you could at least keep the filter media or some of the substrate to jump-start the next cycle...

Excellent post. My first cycle was with fish, and it was because I did not know better. But I did know enough to choose a hardy fish, to be patient and to watch the parameters. And it was a species that I wanted to keep, zebra danio. The tank cycled on schedule, the zeebs came through with...