30 Gal Cycling Questions

[danielle9402]

Hello all!
I have 2 goldfish in a 10 gallon tank at the moment. I ahve had them for over a year,
I recently bought a 30 gallo tank for the critters.
I am using unergravel filters and have 20 lbs of gravel in the new tank.
It has been full since June 21st. 
I have not added any cycling suppliment, fish, nor food.
The gravel isd white and now has small spots of brown and also one small spot on the back of the glass.
I am only using strips to test the water and have only tested once which was today, so I am not sure if the ammonia, nitrites, or nitrates ever spiked...but today they were all good. 
 
Okay, so to the questions!
 
First:  Should I add SOMETHING? Or will it cycle on its own without any fish, food, etc? Has it cycled already and I just didn't know because I wasn't checking the levels?
 
Also:  Since the levels are good, is it okay to add the fish? Or will they spike again? 
 
Lastly:  Should I do a water change to the new tank before adding the fish or will that make it need to cycle longer?
 
 
 
 
I just want to add my fish and them be safe and not die! Please someone tell me what I need to do!!

 

[LyraGuppi]

First:  Should I add SOMETHING? Or will it cycle on its own without any fish, food, etc? Has it cycled already and I just didn't know because I wasn't checking the levels?
 
Yes, you need to add food for the bacteria for the tank to cycle. You can do this with fish, but it isn't really humane. Fish food can cause problems (I tried once, I got a few odd organisms show up, bad bacteria, and over all a mess), so we recommend ammonia. It's a lot easier to know how much you're putting in at a time, so less headaches in the end. Here's a thread to explain it: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/421488-cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first
It seems really confusing at first, but watered down it's actually quite simple. c:You can pick up ammonia at a hardware or maintenance store, as long as it doesn't foam when you shake it, and is 100% ammonia, it's good.
Strip tests are not accurate, since they are exposed to moisture in the air and such. I'd try to get liquid drop tests (Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate), you can get these from online stores, or sometimes in a fish store. Here's a good brand:
https/www.amazon.com/API-Ammonia-130-test-Kit/dp/B0002566TC/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1469022578&sr=8-4&keywords=aquarium+test+kit
https/www.amazon.com/API-LR1800-Nitrate-Test-Kit/dp/B002DVVICS/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1469022578&sr=8-14&keywords=aquarium+test+kit
https/www.amazon.com/API-26-Nitrite-Test-Kit/dp/B000255NC8/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1469022578&sr=8-13&keywords=aquarium+test+kit
 
Lastly:  Should I do a water change to the new tank before adding the fish or will that make it need to cycle longer?
 
At the end of the cycle it is recommended to do a large water change, but that's in the thread above.
 
By the way, congrats on moving your fish to a larger tank, and welcome to the forum. c: