Uncycled, fish seem ok?

[Stephen McGeough]

Hi guys,

Total noob here wondering if this is normal, any insight or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

So 15 days ago I purchased a fluval flex aquarium (34L) and some live plants (bacopa & anubias). I installed a 25 watt heater and added stress coat & quick start both from API.

I added some conditioner for the plants and because I'm not using co2 I added some co2 supplement. I let the tank run for 5 days with a few fish flakes in it. I then did a 70% water change and added 3 male guppies. The guppies have been fine now for more than a week with 25% water changes everyday.

Is it normal for fish to be doing so well after such a short time in an environment such as this?

Thanks in advance. Stevie

 

[WillLaw]

Normally, fish should do well almost immediately after being added to your tank. It sometimes take a few hours for them to become accustomed to new surroundings. I would be a bit concerned that you didn't do a long enough cycle before adding fish, however. Did you test your water prior to adding them to be sure ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates were at acceptable levels (0 ppm for ammonia and nitrites, <40 ppm for nitrates)?

 

[Stephen McGeough]

Hey thank you for your reply.

No I have not test the water in the tank but I see no signs of distress with my guppies. They are doing well. It's been 8 days in the tank and I see nothing but good results. I'm just worried that one day they will all just go in one fell swoop.

Stevie

 

[WillLaw]

If they haven't shown any signs of distress thus far, I think you're safe. I Would, however, begin testing your water regularly. Many people use a simple strip that tests PH, Nitrate, Nitrite, and hardness, but I don't believe their overly accurate. I prefer the API Master Test Kit, which tests each parameter individually.

 

[flchamp89]

I would suggest you read/learn about the nitrogen cycle. Takes months to cycle a tank with flakes. It does work its an old school method which I still use. Liquid api master kit will definitely be more accurate.

8.9g and three fish with low bioloads coupled with daily wc is why thus far youve had no issues. But tank is surely not cycled.

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[Byron]

I would say you have lucked out (for three reasons that I'll explain) and shouldn't have problems provided you do not add more fish too fast.

The low bioload others have mentioned is one benefit (the smaller or fewer the fish and the larger the water volume), and the bacterial supplement (Quick Start) may have helped (it certainly wouldn't harm things). But your most significant benefit has been the live plants.

Nitrogen is a macro-nutrient required by plants, and most aquatic plants prefer nitrogen as ammonium. Without getting bogged down in complex chemistry I'll simply say that ammonia is positively charged and ammonium is negative, and the pH of the water decides which (in the aquarium); ammonia will remain in its toxic form in basic (pH above 7) water but change into the basically harmless ammonium in acidic (below pH 7) water. [Many ammonia detoxifiers work by changing ammonia to ammonium.] Nitrite and nitrate are the two other forms of nitrogen aquarists are familiar with, and a fourth is nitrogen gas but we can forget that here.

Aquatic plants take up ammonia/ammonium and a lot of it, depending upon the growth rate of the species. Faster growing plants use more nutrients so they take up more ammonia/ammonium, and Bacopa like all stem plants is fast growing. Anubias is slow-growing, so it requires less nutrients/light. Floating plants are ideal in new tanks as they can be literal ammonia sinks. When plants take up ammonia (rather than ammonium, depending upon the pH) they change it internally into ammonium.

The other thing here is that the plant's uptake of ammonia/ammonium is actually faster than nitrifying bacteria, according to scientific tests. So in a new tank like yours, the plants are taking up ammonia more rapidly, and because nitrite is not a by-product like it is with nitrifying bacteria, there is basically no harm to the fish. Provided the ammonia is not too great, this can work. The nitrifying bacteria will still establish, but slower. You just have to go slow with fish so the balance is not thrown out. When you use live plants in a new tank, if you do daily tests for ammonia and nitrite you should see them remain at zero throughout, and eventually nitrate may (or may not, depending upon the plant load) appear. So the cycle occurs slower and with less impact than it would if you did a non-plant cycle.

I agree with others that you should get the API liquid tests. The Master Combo contains pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate and this kit is worth having.

Byron.

 

[flchamp89]

Im only familiar with TSS++. When using some bb additives you are not supposed to do a wc for a set period of time. Im not sure which one you used.

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