Am I now Fully Cycled ??

[skimpy]

Hi Ya All

OK. I ran my tank without fish for one week, Got 6 Guppies, 5 died immediately within hours, (lfs had same problem with theirs from that tank) the one remaining guppy (from a different tank at shop) lived on through spikes of ammonia, nitrate and many many water changes.

At the beginning of 5th week, after one week of PH 7.8 Am 0 Nitrite 0 - My lfs let me have 5 guppies and one bristlenose cat fish.

I was expecting to get a rise in ammonia and then nitrite again, having added more fish. But No Nothing. My lfs said my tank must therefore be mature!

I have had the new fish for one week now and no change all week, PH 7.8, Am 0, Nitrite 0, and Nitrate 10. (I have fed them twice a day, small amounts, plus put in 3 cucumber slices over the week for the catfish).

Does this mean my tank is mature.

What do you guys think?

 

[G_Sharky]

If there is nitrate and ammonia and nitrite stays at 0 then your tank should be cycled... Just don't load it up with fish for a couple of weeks to make sure your tank don't go into a minicycle...Congrats....

 

[skimpy]

Thanks for the congrats.

I was thining of getting just 6 Mollies at the weekend, then no more fish for at least a month. How does that sound?

 

[canarsie11]

You should be fine, but just stay on top of water changes, and do not touch the gravel.

 

[skimpy]

You should be fine, but just stay on top of water changes, and do not touch the gravel

Why do you say do not touch the gravel ???

 

[appleblossom]

Because your bacteria are living in there, as well as in the filter sponges and on your plants and decorations.

Being a newly established colony, I would wait a while before doing any serious gravel vacuming so that the new bacteria growing there dont get killed off, it shouldnt get very dirty yet and water changes will allow you to suck poo off the bottom of the tank with a syphon tube without disturbing the gravel.

Congratulations!! and enjoy your new tank

 

[skimpy]

Thanks a lot for all your replies

 

[Tednol]

i have set up a new tank. i put some of the gravel from my tank that has been runing for 6 years. and yesterday i went through the gravel with a vac to suk up all the poo from my gouramis. nothing to worry about is it regarding canarsie11's post?

 

[appleblossom]

I wouldnt have thought so, if you do see any spikes in the water then you could just add more gravel from your established tank to help balance it all out again Tednol

 

[heresmike]

i have set up a new tank. i put some of the gravel from my tank that has been runing for 6 years. and yesterday i went through the gravel with a vac to suk up all the poo from my gouramis. nothing to worry about is it regarding canarsie11's post?

That depends on how long the new tank has been set up, whether or not it was cycled, and if so for how long.

 

[heresmike]

Because your bacteria are living in there, as well as in the filter sponges and on your plants and decorations.

Being a newly established colony, I would wait a while before doing any serious gravel vacuming so that the new bacteria growing there dont get killed off.....

IME, serious gravel vacuuming in a cycled tank with a good bio-filter does no harm. Most of the bacteria lives in the bio-filter, and whatever lives in the gravel and other places, IME, is expendable.