Confusing water parameters

[heymissmiles]

Hi there,

I have kept Betta fish in the past but just recently took up the hobby again. I have a 40 gallon community tank that I cycled (or thought I had) with gifted media from an established thank. I let the tank sit empty with some food rotting in it for around 5 days, water peram. looked good. After that I picked up 10 cherry barbs and 4 kuhli loaches. Water seemed to be doing okay. I recently added 10 more cherry barbs about a week after I added the first 10.
I just did a 50% water change yesterday after my water was at 0 ppm nitrite, .25 ppm ammonia and 3 ppm nitrate. Today my tank is back at 0 ppm nitrite, .25 ppm ammonia and 3 ppm nitrate. Is my tank still not fully cycled? Did I add too many fish too fast? How dangerous are these levels of ammonia and nitrate?
Thanks in advance! -Taylor

 

[Byron]

I would say you did cycle the tank. With the fish you now have, ammonia and/or nitrite would be soaring if not.

Nitrate is fine as long as it stays low, as low as you can keep it (weekly 50-70% water changes, not overstocking, not overfeeding, regular filter cleaning and substrate cleaning will or should do this).

The ammonia at 0.25 could be this or that, I would not worry because it will be primarily ammonium. Tacoma is in western Washington and your water is very soft (like mine up in SW BC around Vancouver) and this means "ammonia" will be "ammonium" which is basically harmless to fish and invertebrates. Stay with soft water fish species though; fish like livebearers that must have moderately hard or harder water will slowly weaken and die in our very soft water.

And, welcome to TFF.

 

[heymissmiles]

I would say you did cycle the tank. With the fish you now have, ammonia and/or nitrite would be soaring if not.

Nitrate is fine as long as it stays low, as low as you can keep it (weekly 50-70% water changes, not overstocking, not overfeeding, regular filter cleaning and substrate cleaning will or should do this).

The ammonia at 0.25 could be this or that, I would not worry because it will be primarily ammonium. Tacoma is in western Washington and your water is very soft (like mine up in SW BC around Vancouver) and this means "ammonia" will be "ammonium" which is basically harmless to fish and invertebrates. Stay with soft water fish species though; fish like livebearers that must have moderately hard or harder water will slowly weaken and die in our very soft water.

And, welcome to TFF.

Thank you so much!! Very straightforward helpful information.