OK the new tank has been up and running now for a while (maybe 3 months). I had to get the fish in from the old tank earlier than expected due to many reasons.
However the tank is 200L, with an external filter (Aqua One 1250), planted well and only has 2 fish in. These being a 3 year old angel (pretty big, body about 4") and a Bolivian Ram, again mature and about 3" long.
When the fish went in I was really rigorous with water changes and made sure everything was good in terms of water quality. I now only do a water change every other week. (about 1/3).
My water stats however are confusing me, I use the API master test kit, and my ammonia and nitrite have never gone above zero. My nitrate is anywhere between 10 and 20.
I originally assumed this was due to the fact the 2 fish in a large tank just didn't create enough ammonia for it to show up, but the fact that they've been in these for so long I figured that some bacteria would have colonised the filter by now to keep up with the tiny amount of ammonia the fish would produce.
So a couple of weeks ago I bought 5 otos after falling in love with the guys. They've been really happy and (touch wood) not had any of the initial problem with them many people experience. These have been eating constantly and must be producing some more ammonia. However being small and only 5 in number, should I expect to see any ammonia in the water?
For the last 2 weeks while they've been in there, I'm still getting no signs of ammonia or nitrite!
So am I right to think that due to the size of the tank and the low number of fish, the ammonia levels have just been so low to detect. Am I also right in thinking that after 3 months or so that there will bacteria in the filter, or am I maybe running essentially a filter-less tank and due to volume just diluting the nasty toxins down to trace levels?
Ideally I'd like to start stocking the tank up with the next load of fish, but just concerned that once I reach a critical fish load, all hell is going to break loose!
However the tank is 200L, with an external filter (Aqua One 1250), planted well and only has 2 fish in. These being a 3 year old angel (pretty big, body about 4") and a Bolivian Ram, again mature and about 3" long.
When the fish went in I was really rigorous with water changes and made sure everything was good in terms of water quality. I now only do a water change every other week. (about 1/3).
My water stats however are confusing me, I use the API master test kit, and my ammonia and nitrite have never gone above zero. My nitrate is anywhere between 10 and 20.
I originally assumed this was due to the fact the 2 fish in a large tank just didn't create enough ammonia for it to show up, but the fact that they've been in these for so long I figured that some bacteria would have colonised the filter by now to keep up with the tiny amount of ammonia the fish would produce.
So a couple of weeks ago I bought 5 otos after falling in love with the guys. They've been really happy and (touch wood) not had any of the initial problem with them many people experience. These have been eating constantly and must be producing some more ammonia. However being small and only 5 in number, should I expect to see any ammonia in the water?
For the last 2 weeks while they've been in there, I'm still getting no signs of ammonia or nitrite!
So am I right to think that due to the size of the tank and the low number of fish, the ammonia levels have just been so low to detect. Am I also right in thinking that after 3 months or so that there will bacteria in the filter, or am I maybe running essentially a filter-less tank and due to volume just diluting the nasty toxins down to trace levels?
Ideally I'd like to start stocking the tank up with the next load of fish, but just concerned that once I reach a critical fish load, all hell is going to break loose!
