Is this a good combo of fish

[Inchworm]

Hi bettaninja

Please do not let anyone make you feel guilty about cycling with fish. It's the oldest and still the best way to go about it.

You are in control of the chemicals acting in your tank and by testing and doing water changes you can easily keep them at levels that are perfectly safe for the fish. Just take your time; there is no need to rush the process since you are monitoring the chemical levels. The fish do not need a cycled tank. It's actually a convenience to you. What they do require, in order to be healthy, are low levels of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate and by doing all the water changing you are insuring that they have those safe conditions.

I would suggest that you add 2 Dwarf gouramis next. The honey gouramis are more delicate, so it is best to wait on them until the tank is cycled.

Please tell me about the product Sera Nitrivec. I am not familiar with it and it might not be one that is available in the US.

 

[bettaninja]

Hi Inchworm,

Just got home and did a nitrite test and it's closer to 0.1 mg/L. I was sure that this morning it was a bit darker, more like 0.2 mg/L. Unfortunately the test kit (Hagen) only marks 0.1 and 0.3 on the chart.

Also did ammonia, pH and Nitrate tests this morning:
Ammonia - 0
pH - 7.5
Nitrate (NO3) - 5mg/L

I just hope I can maintain it for the next 2-3 weeks.

Sera Nitrivec is labelled on the bottle as a Biostarter and the bottle says that it breaks down ammonium and nitrite. It also says phospahte and nitrate free. As a said, it was on recommendation from the LFS. It says it's "a special mixture of purifying bacteria, which serves a purpose of breaking down ammonium and nitrite. With long term effect, these microorganisms immediately remove the pollutants and provide clear water for the aquarium".

Composition according to the bottle: nitrosomonas/nitrobacter 16(to the power of 10) bacterial cells/ml, aqua purificata ad 100 mL.

It says to use it daily for 10 days even if you do not find traces of nitrite... we used it for about 14 days. We also had plants in the tank in that period. We also use it after each water change as per the instructions on the bottle.

But then I read on a few sites that the true bacteria that breaks down ammonia is Nitrosococcus not Nitrasomonas and the bacteria that break down nitrites are Nitrospira not Nitrobacter:
http/www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/cycling2.htm

So I'm at a loss really. Just monitoring my chemicals daily and doing a water change when the nitrites reach 0.3mg/L and over (as per the water change note on my Hagen test kit). So far high nitrites have been the only reason I've had to do a water change.

Hoping for the best...

 

[bettaninja]

Ammonia, and Nitrites have been zero so far this week (mon, tues, wed). pH has been 7.5 and nitrate at 5mg/L. Danios are looking very happy