Can I Have A Little Help Please? :)

[hollyjay]

Hello, not been on the forum for a while but just got back into the whole fish thing so I'm back
Right so I've still got my 120 ltr and its going great had no deaths apart from a gourami and my golden nugget plec looks great.
But I've recently acquired a 19 ltr (yes I know its small) fluval chi tank and am desperate to get a single dwarf puffer in there. Has anyne got experience of keeping these in tanks like this?
Also in respect to cycling the tank I'm using the seeding technique and have used gravel and filter media from my mature tank, I have also hung a bag of gravel in a piece of tight in the tank, it has been 3 days and the test results are reading:
pH 7.6
ammonia- 0
nitrite- 0
nitrate- 30

Is this expected?

Any help, tips, ideas anything at all would be great.
Thanks

 

[TomShootsPhoto]

I don't see what would be wrong with it, I say it's cycled.
You could pop in some fish now

 

[hollyjay]

I don't see what would be wrong with it, I say it's cycled.
You could pop in some fish now

Really?
Can it cycle that quick?
Thought it usually took weeks.
So, have you got any experience keeping dwarf puffers and if so what about tank mates (shrimps perhaps) just to help clean up a little?
Thanks.

 

[fluttermoth]

Unless the OP has added a source of ammonia, we don't know whether it's cycled or not.

You could add a pinch of fish food to rot down and produce some; in the meantime put the media back in your main filter.

Of course, if you have added some ammonia and that's disappeared, then yes, you should be good to go

 

[hollyjay]

Unless the OP has added a source of ammonia, we don't know whether it's cycled or not.

You could add a pinch of fish food to rot down and produce some; in the meantime put the media back in your main filter.

Of course, if you have added some ammonia and that's disappeared, then yes, you should be good to go

Ok, I'll add a little fish food and test the water after that, how long should it take to break down?

 

[fluttermoth]

Trouble is it will take a day or two to produce any ammonia; your filter bacteria may have died back by then. I'd put the media back in the main filter; add some fish food to the Chi and wait til you get a reading for ammonia.

Then you can add your media (I do it last thing at night and test in the morning) and retest after 12 hours; if the ammonia has gone you're definitely cycled.

 

[hollyjay]

Oh right, I understand.
God isn't all this cycling buisness confusing I remember when I first got a tropical tank I was about 12 and knew absouletly NOTHING so much so that I put a south american chiclid in with community fish! (SUICIDE!)
Now when I go into fish stores and hear people buying 2 goldfish for a 20 litre tank it makes me shiver!
Thanks for all your help.
Anyone keep dwarf puffers by any chance?

 

[sona98765]

Adult Size. 1 to 1.5 inches

Sexual Differences Horizontal “line” on males.  Females plumper.

Temperature Tropical – 72 to 82 Fahrenheit

Attitude Inquisitive, hungry, people watchers , a bit shy

Security Likes planted tanks and nooks and crannies

Foods Live and frozen

Water Not brackish

Biggest Threat Improper diet, bad water, overcrowding

Breeding Comments Condition and warm them a bit