Hi everyone. I have had a few fishtanks in my life, so I'm not completely new to the hobby. But is has been awhile and this new tank is as much for my 4yo daughter as it is for me (it is decorated like Bikini Bottom from Spongebob).
Basics:
37 gallon aquarium
two filters - 40 & 10 gallon
the Bikini Bottom decorations and a few plants
basic black gravel with some colored gems
In the past I had always just bought fish within a day or two of setting my tank up (always 10 gal tanks) and never had trouble. This time however, with the larger tank, and the fact that I'd like to avoid some of the pitfalls that I've heard about from aquarium owners about dying fish, etc I'm trying to do a tank cycle before adding fish.
So here is where I am at using the API test kit after a week (just bought the kit based off reading this sites forums) of having the tank set-up:
water is soft
PH @ 8.3
Ammonia @ 0
Nitrite @ 0
Nitrate @ 5
So what is my next step? I see a lot of people mention adding ammonia (bought Ace brand 10% with no additives) and I know about the calculator on how to figure out how much to add. I'm wondering if I should add ammonia now or should I be waiting for different reading before seeing if my tank can cycle it?
Thanks to anyone who answers this post. My daughter is anxious to go pick some fish out, but I know patience will pay off in the long run. That being said I'd like to make sure I am doing the right thing each day going forward so I can take that next step.
Basics:
37 gallon aquarium
two filters - 40 & 10 gallon
the Bikini Bottom decorations and a few plants
basic black gravel with some colored gems
In the past I had always just bought fish within a day or two of setting my tank up (always 10 gal tanks) and never had trouble. This time however, with the larger tank, and the fact that I'd like to avoid some of the pitfalls that I've heard about from aquarium owners about dying fish, etc I'm trying to do a tank cycle before adding fish.
So here is where I am at using the API test kit after a week (just bought the kit based off reading this sites forums) of having the tank set-up:
water is soft
PH @ 8.3
Ammonia @ 0
Nitrite @ 0
Nitrate @ 5
So what is my next step? I see a lot of people mention adding ammonia (bought Ace brand 10% with no additives) and I know about the calculator on how to figure out how much to add. I'm wondering if I should add ammonia now or should I be waiting for different reading before seeing if my tank can cycle it?
Thanks to anyone who answers this post. My daughter is anxious to go pick some fish out, but I know patience will pay off in the long run. That being said I'd like to make sure I am doing the right thing each day going forward so I can take that next step.