jsoong
Aquarium Advice Addict
I wouldn't trust the lfs's reading of 9.0 .... He either has a bad kit, or the water was contaminated en-route.
If your plants are growing, it is possible to see very little nitrates, even with goldfish. My nitrate routinely bottom out (and I have 9 golds from 1-4") unless I add nitrates.
I think you are done with the cycle if you have seen both an ammonia & a nitrite peak. <If not, it is possible that the plants have used up all the ammonia before the bacteria .... so you don't actually have much bacteria in the tank. It is unlikely, tho, with just swords.> To be safe, try feeding the goldfish heavier - like 2-3x a day to bump up the waste level to make sure you don't get any ammonia/nitrite spikes, and also to get a definitive nitrate level.
I wouldn't be fertilizing the plants during the initial cycle, since that will mess with your monitoring of the levels. And even after, if you are sticking with a low tech, no CO2 setup. Fertilizing is not necessary unless there are signs of deficiency. It is Ok to have low nitrates, it just means the plants are using all available nutrients and maybe grow a bit slower. As long as there is a continuing supply or fish poop & the plants are healthy, I would leave it be.
If your plants are growing, it is possible to see very little nitrates, even with goldfish. My nitrate routinely bottom out (and I have 9 golds from 1-4") unless I add nitrates.
I think you are done with the cycle if you have seen both an ammonia & a nitrite peak. <If not, it is possible that the plants have used up all the ammonia before the bacteria .... so you don't actually have much bacteria in the tank. It is unlikely, tho, with just swords.> To be safe, try feeding the goldfish heavier - like 2-3x a day to bump up the waste level to make sure you don't get any ammonia/nitrite spikes, and also to get a definitive nitrate level.
I wouldn't be fertilizing the plants during the initial cycle, since that will mess with your monitoring of the levels. And even after, if you are sticking with a low tech, no CO2 setup. Fertilizing is not necessary unless there are signs of deficiency. It is Ok to have low nitrates, it just means the plants are using all available nutrients and maybe grow a bit slower. As long as there is a continuing supply or fish poop & the plants are healthy, I would leave it be.