Advice please

[Kimlea]

As this is my 2nd attempt I'm determined to do it right this time, so need lots of advice please.
I have a Jewul Vision 260 (76 uk gallon) which i filled 17 days ago adding Aqua Safe as directed. I also added Stress Zyme on 1st, 7th & 14th day again as directed. After running the tank for 7 days, i added 8 platys & have been feeding them once a day. It is now 10 days since i added the fish, the PH is 7.0, ammonia, nitrites & nitrates still negative - is this normal or should i be seeing ammonia spike?
Also, ive got brown algae on the inside of the tank & on the rocks, should i get some Oto's or is it too soon?
Grateful for any advice you can give me, thanks

 

[CMC]

Did you check the water during the first 7 days? If so, what were the readings?

 

[Kimlea]

CMC I only checked the PH during the 7 days without fish, it was 7.0. Everything else i just checked every other day once i'd added the fish, they have been negative right through. Thanks for the reply, what do you advise now?

 

[tstenback]

Without knowing the levels of ammonia,nitrite,nitrates during the first days it is hard to determine where in the cycle your tank is right now. It seems strange to me that if it is cycled 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites that there is also 0 nitrates but if all seems ok then keep testing the levels daily for a while to make sure that they stay stable. Do you have alot of plants in your tank?
The brown algae happens quite often in newly setup tanks it will usually go away by itself after a couple of weeks. If it does not then you can manually remove it.

 

[thecichlidaddict]

There is the possibility theat 8 small mollies in that size of a tank won't create a noticable ammonia spike for the average budget test kit. I would just keep doing what you are doing, keeping an eye on the fish health and testing regularly.

 

[pendragon]

Hi Kimlea,

You probably aren't reading ammonia yet because your bioload is so small for a tank that size. Not saying that's a bad way to go about it, by any means. I cycled my 46 gallon with six red-eye tetras and nothing else, and I didn't read any ammonia at all until around Day 17 or 18. Your tank certainly hasn't cycled in ten days - especially not a tank that large with so small a bioload; just be patient. It *will* cycle. IMHO, you are doing perfectly, just keep doing exactly what you are doing, and wait it out.

Don't worry about any algae or diatoms that accumulate in your tank while cycling, unless it's absolutely positively driving you insane and you must do something about it - and even then, think about it twice. During cycling the chemical and nutrient makeup of your water becomes favorable for algae and/or diatoms, and most tanks will see some. I would encourage you to leave it alone until cycling has finished, and then deal with it afterward. When cycling, your tank is trying to reach an equilibrium point for the bioload you have in there. Treating the algae with chemicals is only counterproductive to that process, IMHO. Likewise, I wouldn't add otos yet, either - generally speaking, algae-eaters and bottom feeders don't deal particularly well with the toxicity spikes that are part of the cycling process (admittedly, there are others whose opinions differ than mine here, but I've heard/read it from too many credible sources to not believe it). So why risk their health? You have to see your cycling tank as a necessary step in setting the stage for the "finished" tank. It's no big deal if algae or diatoms accumulate during that time. Not always, but often they go away by themselves either before cycling finishes or soon thereafter anyway, when the excess nutrients that drew them there begin to dissipate.

Anyway, that's my two cents.

Hope that helps.

pendragon!

 

[Kimlea]

Without knowing the levels of ammonia,nitrite,nitrates during the first days it is hard to determine where in the cycle your tank is right now. It seems strange to me that if it is cycled 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites that there is also 0 nitrates but if all seems ok then keep testing the levels daily for a while to make sure that they stay stable.

Thanks for replying. I didn't test the levels during the first 7 days as i thought they would be negative in fresh tap water. I'm not assuming that the tank has cycled, just wondering when to expect the first spike of ammonia, or if i need more fish to get it going!
Thanks for the advice about the brown algae - i'll leave well alone & stop worrying about it!!

Pendragon Thanks to you also for the excellent advice, will keep checking my levels & ignore the algae!

Cichlidaddict Hi again! Going to get it right this time (i hope!!) thanks for your reply as well.

 

[Kimlea]

So, i started cycling with 8 platies on 13th March, 2 weeks ago i added 10 guppies & a pleco, still no ammonia spike, my tank is 76ukgal. Is this a record??? lol.
Dare i add more fish? Never dreamed it would take this long to start cycling, but at least my fish are happy & soooo beautiful. Grateful for any advice on this fab forum.

 

[boozybears]

Hi... no, don't add more fish. I just finally finished cycling my 25 gallon tank with 5 platies and 4 mollies. It took over 2 months to finish the cycle and I did lose a few fish along the way due to the stress. Like you, I started to develop green and brown algae within just a few short weeks. Don't worry too much...algae is good right now. Just keep checking your levels everyday. suddenly one day you'll see the amonia spike... that's good! after a while the nitrite will start to register.. that's even better because it means your bacteria is building. Then the amonia will start to decrease. The nitrite spike is the longest.... continue to be patient. Do your daily 10-15% water changes to alleviate the stress on the fish. Almost overnight the nitrite drops to zero too and then.... you're done!! whew!

Good luck! you can do it!

Val

 

[atkinspa]

I never got an Ammoina reading from my Tetra test during cycling. But i did get a Nitrite spike. if i understand this process you may miss the Ammoina as it can dissipate within a couple of hours, Nitrite takes much longer?

 

[Kimlea]

Thanks Val & atkinspa, will keep being patient & not add more fish!
Will let you know when i finally get ammonia!! Cheers.