Bio Filter Booster?

[Scottie42585]

Hello everyone. I am wondering if there is an easy way to boost a bio filter? My tank has been set up for 4 months now and has cycled via a fishless cycle. There are fish in it and ammonia and nitrite are 0. The exception to this is when I add fish - trace amounts of ammonia and nitrite are then present in my tank for a while after adding them. Is my bio filter too weak at this point because it is still young? Is there something I can do to prevent this, or will it just strengthen over time? I don't think I have added too much too quickly as I added only 5 black neon tetras the other day in a 55 gal tank. I want to move towards more sensitive/expensive fish (i.e. angelfish, blue rams, etc.) but want to make sure my tank is ready. I tried angels once before already after my tank was cycled and the same thing happened resulting in the loss of all of them. I've thought about the bacteria in a bottle route, but everything I read on that is that it doesn't work well if at all. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks, Scott

 

[DavidAl]

Tetra Safe Start has worked well for me. You can also borrow media from a trusted source, or get a small tank going with a fish less cycle and then move the media over (when the cycle is complete) to the other tank when you add the new additions.

David