Tank Startup Not Sure What I'm Seeing

[ClarkyBoy]

Hello

After my first post I've decided to take the plunge and I've bought a new Juwel Vision 180 last week. Over the weekend I set it up, filter, heater, plant substrate, gravel and approx 10 live plants. I had planned on a fish less cycle but I had some danios (a gift) that were in an unheated Bio Orb kept originally with some fancy goldfish, seriously don't ask. Anyways the Orb got damaged during the weekend and as a result I've moved the danios (6) into the Juwel yesterday. I also moved the decorations and the Orb filter foam has been moved into the Juwel filter.

The tank temp in this hot spell has been higher than ideal but I thought about chilling it gradually with an iced up coke bottle. More importantly I ran water tests this afternoon with an API test kit and got:

Ammonia - 0ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm
Nitrate - between 20 and 40ppm did the test multiple times because I didn't think it was right.

Lightly fed the fish tonight as I didn't feed them at all yesterday. Feeling a bit uneasy about it all as this is against all the research I had done before buying anything. Was planning on a water change tomorrow evening of about 50%.

Basically, help. Am I doing something wrong and what sorts of water reading should I be seeing?

Once again many thanks for all your help.

Clarkyboy

 

[Salam]

You should be fine as you have moved the filter media into the Juwel filter, so great start. Just keep an eye on the parameters and don't stock more fish for a few weeks just to make sure everything is ok.

 

[Gvilleguy]

Hey - if you no longer have an existing tank for them, then you are doing the best thing you can for the zebras. You are now in a fish-in cycle, so just be sure to find that thread in the beginner's resource center and read up. Basically, test for ammonia/nitrite every day, and water change when you see reading go above zero to keep them under control.

Definitely get the temp down to where it should be. In the heat of summer here I have to melt ice trays in my buckets of water before I can pour the water in the tank.

 

[ninjacheesefish]

Keep up with the water changes and give the tank some time to settle and restablish itself. Remember if your using ice directly in the tank, decholrinate it. Otherwise chlorine/chloromine gets in the water and isn't that great for the fish.

Don't get any new fish for a while. After a few weeks see what the water is like and go from there.

 

[Salam]

It's not really a fish-in cycle though, he is cycled.

I also moved the decorations and the Orb filter foam has been moved into the Juwel filter.

The filter media has handled the bioload of the fish before, so it will cope with them now. It just needs 2-3 weeks to settle down and then it's time for more fish. Slow stocking obviously. But I really don't think there will be any spikes as long as water is changed on a regular basis.

 

[Gvilleguy]

Sorry - I didn't see the part about moving the bio orb media to the new filter! I thought the fish were moved without media.