Damon-Alter
New Member
Hi Everyone
I've recently started my first (not counting goldfish as a kid) freshwater aquarium (127L/33.5G - 80x38x51 L-D-H) which I had running for a few days shy of a month before adding fish. The tank has an inbuilt drip bar filter, for which I've added Matrix all the way along which has been there since the tank has been running. It still has the carbon cartridges that came with the tank, however I will replace these in the near future with bagged activated carbon beneath the sponges. It seems I've made the mistake of cycling incorrectly as I had been relying on Seachem's Prime and Stability (dosing per instructions) to do the work + pet store instructions + inadequate research without having a proper appreciation of the nitrogen cycle (helpfully included on this site!). Nevertheless, I've since stocked the tank (one week ago) with:
Testing shows no detectable nitrite and approximately ~20ppm nitrate. Water conditions measure as hard - around 7-8, although apparently this is normal for our water and is the same used at the pet stores in my area. pH is about 6.4-6.8, and I'm running a heated temperature of 26 degrees C/78.8F. I'm thinking now that fish are in the tank, will it be best to continue cycling without adding additional fish for 1 - 2 weeks?
Lastly, future stocking - I was hoping to add the following fish:
If anyone reads this far and chooses to respond I'd greatly appreciate it because if I've made/am making any mistakes I'd prefer to know the truth. Sorry if I've left anything important out, I've tried to be comprehensive.
Thank you!
I've recently started my first (not counting goldfish as a kid) freshwater aquarium (127L/33.5G - 80x38x51 L-D-H) which I had running for a few days shy of a month before adding fish. The tank has an inbuilt drip bar filter, for which I've added Matrix all the way along which has been there since the tank has been running. It still has the carbon cartridges that came with the tank, however I will replace these in the near future with bagged activated carbon beneath the sponges. It seems I've made the mistake of cycling incorrectly as I had been relying on Seachem's Prime and Stability (dosing per instructions) to do the work + pet store instructions + inadequate research without having a proper appreciation of the nitrogen cycle (helpfully included on this site!). Nevertheless, I've since stocked the tank (one week ago) with:
- x7 Diamond Tetras
- x1 Kribensis (a mate for him would be nice, but all the articles on heightened aggression during breeding seems unfeasible to accommodate in a community tank)
Testing shows no detectable nitrite and approximately ~20ppm nitrate. Water conditions measure as hard - around 7-8, although apparently this is normal for our water and is the same used at the pet stores in my area. pH is about 6.4-6.8, and I'm running a heated temperature of 26 degrees C/78.8F. I'm thinking now that fish are in the tank, will it be best to continue cycling without adding additional fish for 1 - 2 weeks?
Lastly, future stocking - I was hoping to add the following fish:
- 2-3 Dwarf Gourami (apparently they prefer upper/middle layers which I hoped would prevent conflict with the Kribensis who has only been peaceful so far)
- 6 Kuhli Loaches
If anyone reads this far and chooses to respond I'd greatly appreciate it because if I've made/am making any mistakes I'd prefer to know the truth. Sorry if I've left anything important out, I've tried to be comprehensive.
Thank you!
Last edited: