Just want to clarify...

[PereguineFalcon]

If my nitrites are at 0 or 0.2....practically unreadable...then is the ammonia gonna be unreadable as well. Just got done cycling the tank, have nitrate at around 30ppm right now...and my nitrites are at 0ppm...which is great. Just don't want to waste a test strip to test for ammonia if i don't have to. Thankz! PF

 

[Tempestuousfury]

The ammonia should be unreadable if your tank has cycled to the end of the nitrite stage. if it's at the beginning of the nitrite stage, you'll have ammonia, and lots of it.

The ammonia will go up if you add fish, but you're not going to do that.

 

[PereguineFalcon]

I'm not gonna add fish huh? lol...k, thats funny. Actually the tank is completely cycled now. The nitrites have already done their little spike thingy and leveled off at 0ppm for 3 days now...so i believe it is done. Nitrates are around the 20-35ppm range...so not to bad there.
Techinically, from what i've learned and heard, I shouldn't have any problems with ammonia once i add fish because of the way i cycled the tank. I cycled the tank using pure ammonia. Worked out great, cycled the tank in about 16 days...much faster than the other ways. Plus since i was puttin in more ammonia than the fish could ever produce there will be a larger bacteria colony that will be able to handle larger loads of fish. According to some people, i could fully stock the tank and not have any problems because it will still be producing lower amounts of ammonia than when i was adding it. I don't think i will try that out however because i am a bit cautious since this is my first time cycling this way. Its done everything a normal cycle does but just in half the time. So yeah. Not too horribly worried about the ammonia shooting through the roof since i tested out the bacterias capabilities by adding twice the normal dosage the other day to see how it would handle a larger load of ammonia. There were no side affects...couldn't even see a change in nitrites, nitrates barely moved at all...maybe 1 or 2ppm...so yeah. I think its gonna be good. Just wasn't sure if ammonia will be readable if nitrites aren't readable. I was still gonna do a water change today before i started stocking fish in it just to make sure that its not to high with nitrates. Believe it shall work out great though! Thankz for your input!! Wanna stock it with Cardinal tetras, but, i'm thinkin that they are sensative enough of a fish so i will wait a while to add them to make sure the cycling is all done. Don't want to get them and have them die because it is a newly cycled tank. That would be a bummer. Probably gonna start with ottos and some hardier rasboras. Toodles,
PF

 

[Sky042]

Where I live I can't even find cardinals. Every pet store I ask the people say "they're hard to come by"


But I'm in your shoes actually I'm in the beginning of my fishless cycle but I'm trying to decide on the initial stock and how many etc etc. So You'll have to make a post once you put some fish in there and let us know how it goes.

 

[gadazobe]

Glad to hear that your fishless cycle is completed. Yes, you can safely add fish now but don't forget to do a water change first. Congratulations!

 

[PereguineFalcon]

Sky, sorry dude. They have cardinals around here like crazy depending on what time of year it is. The FS i am gonna be getting them from is selling them cheap too...only about $2.50 or so...where as another FS around here sells them for $4.99 or so..so yeah. Kinda wins me on that. They also sell Harlequin Rasboras for $.88...its crazy kewl. So i'm gonna pick some of those up. Its actually my girlfriends tank...just helping her stock it. Shes telling me what she wants in there, i tell her if it will go good or not, what would look good and so one. She wanted me to get either cardinals or some type of rasboras...so I'm thinkin the rasboras will be first.

 

[thecichlidaddict]

testing the ammonia to make certain that everyting is cool in the tank is not a waste. isn't it better to be 100% certain?

 

[PereguineFalcon]

testing the ammonia to make certain that everyting is cool in the tank is not a waste. isn't it better to be 100% certain?

True...but those strips are kinda expensive...and if i don't need to test it...why waste a good strip? I'm still gonna do a water change before i get fish...and i probably WILL give in and test everything again just to make sure...as much as it frustrates me. Like having live fish better than dead decomposing ones! lol

 

[Sky042]

testing the ammonia to make certain that everyting is cool in the tank is not a waste. isn't it better to be 100% certain?

True...but those strips are kinda expensive...and if i don't need to test it...why waste a good strip? I'm still gonna do a water change before i get fish...and i probably WILL give in and test everything again just to make sure...as much as it frustrates me. Like having live fish better than dead decomposing ones! lol

try picking up a API ammonia test set. it cost me about $8USD and you get 130 tests from it.

 

[PereguineFalcon]

If that is those quick dip strips that test within 60secs or so then thats what i already have. Work great IMO. Hehe, thinkin of surprising her and throwing in some of my baby C. gachua....she might be ticked at first but you just gotta fall in love wit them! So cute and have great personalities!

 

[PereguineFalcon]

Ended up getting 18 Harleguin Rasboras...they were $.89 each, but he marked it down to $.80 because i bought the whole tank(hehe) AND they were so freaking small. Shoulda been only $.50 if you asked me....looked like some of them had just hatched a week ago. Oh well.

 

[Tempestuousfury]

Oh. I meant you weren't going to add fish before it cycled. I though it wasn't done cycling.

 

[PereguineFalcon]

Oh. I meant you weren't going to add fish before it cycled. I though it wasn't done cycling.

Lol, nope its done cycling. Now if it wasn't done cycling i wouldn't even look at fish from the temptation of buying them. But since it is i can finally let loose, moderately! lol.