Purchased a new 60 gallon aquarium.
-tank was set up with tap water and prime treatment.
-filtration - aqua-clear 110 and aqua clear 70, also a small sponge bubble filter
-with this i used approx 10 gallons of cycled water from a friends aquarium along with his sponge insert which i added to one of my aqua-clear filters
-he also gave me a few decorations from that same cycled tank
at first i was using water testing test strips which i tested the empty tank with for a few days before adding fish (was not aware of fish-less cycling and went on the advice of the sales people at the pet store)
i then added 6 small African cichlids of assorted breeds recommended by the pet store
i continued to test the water with test strips that showed all levels at 0 except the ph that i was intentionally trying to increase - following the advice of the fish store. - important to note that these test strips did not have ammonia testing capabilities.
the pet store sales people told me to return for more fish in a week if all was well and to bring a water sample with me. i did this an purchased 4 small mixed breed cichlids (also now aware that this is not a recommended purchase)
later in the week i noticed one fish appeard to have a sunken stomach parasite desease that i successfully treated cured.
i then completed alot of online reaseach and discovered the numerous mistakes made but am doing my best to carry on.
i have now purchased the api water testing kit.
i have tested daily since and am now about 3 weeks into the entire process since initially tank setup
once i started with the api testing the results were at first approx
PH 8.4
amonia at 0
nitrites 0
nitrates 0
i have continued daily testing until present along with 20% pwc every 2-3 days
currently
ph 8.4
ammonia .25
nitrites 0
nitrates around 30ppm
temp approx 78 deg
not once did i see a nitrite increase at all and the ammonia seems to be pretty consistent around .25.
the water appears clear and a small algae bloom appears to have started as brown algae is beginning to appear on some of my lighter colour decorations
the fish seem to all be healthy (hungry, active, good colours, perky fin movement - no deaths)
the tank is not fully planted but there is a live moss ball along with a small plant from a friends tank that does not look so healthy but possibly growing new leaves
first i want to thank you for reading thru this and analysing the results; secondly my questions
1) does this indicate a completed nitrogen cycle, if not please explain and offer any suggestions along with a possible time frame on what to expect.
2) is it possible i missed the ammonia and nitrite spike in that short of period
3)i want to maintain a long healthy tank for these fish - knowing that i have so many mixes how many more fish should i add and when
-tank was set up with tap water and prime treatment.
-filtration - aqua-clear 110 and aqua clear 70, also a small sponge bubble filter
-with this i used approx 10 gallons of cycled water from a friends aquarium along with his sponge insert which i added to one of my aqua-clear filters
-he also gave me a few decorations from that same cycled tank
at first i was using water testing test strips which i tested the empty tank with for a few days before adding fish (was not aware of fish-less cycling and went on the advice of the sales people at the pet store)
i then added 6 small African cichlids of assorted breeds recommended by the pet store
i continued to test the water with test strips that showed all levels at 0 except the ph that i was intentionally trying to increase - following the advice of the fish store. - important to note that these test strips did not have ammonia testing capabilities.
the pet store sales people told me to return for more fish in a week if all was well and to bring a water sample with me. i did this an purchased 4 small mixed breed cichlids (also now aware that this is not a recommended purchase)
later in the week i noticed one fish appeard to have a sunken stomach parasite desease that i successfully treated cured.
i then completed alot of online reaseach and discovered the numerous mistakes made but am doing my best to carry on.
i have now purchased the api water testing kit.
i have tested daily since and am now about 3 weeks into the entire process since initially tank setup
once i started with the api testing the results were at first approx
PH 8.4
amonia at 0
nitrites 0
nitrates 0
i have continued daily testing until present along with 20% pwc every 2-3 days
currently
ph 8.4
ammonia .25
nitrites 0
nitrates around 30ppm
temp approx 78 deg
not once did i see a nitrite increase at all and the ammonia seems to be pretty consistent around .25.
the water appears clear and a small algae bloom appears to have started as brown algae is beginning to appear on some of my lighter colour decorations
the fish seem to all be healthy (hungry, active, good colours, perky fin movement - no deaths)
the tank is not fully planted but there is a live moss ball along with a small plant from a friends tank that does not look so healthy but possibly growing new leaves
first i want to thank you for reading thru this and analysing the results; secondly my questions
1) does this indicate a completed nitrogen cycle, if not please explain and offer any suggestions along with a possible time frame on what to expect.
2) is it possible i missed the ammonia and nitrite spike in that short of period
3)i want to maintain a long healthy tank for these fish - knowing that i have so many mixes how many more fish should i add and when