New tank cycling

[Red]

I've been fishlessly cycling my new tank for exactly 3 weeks today.

I used stress zyme in the correct proportions for 2 weeks.

Last week it seemed to get a bit stuck with high nitrITES so I did a partial water change about 10%, dumped in some mature tank water and filter sponge squeezings, turned up the heat and introduced an airstone (advice from people on Live Chat).

Now my water has gone all cloudy and green! It was crystal clear up to this point.

Nitrates are 0
Ammonia is 0
NitrITES have reduced down to 0.25 (last time I tested was yesterday)

I've searched for advice on algae blooms, covered it with a blanket to exclude light and I'll probably do a water change today if the nitrites are down again.

My problem is this :
I desperately want to get some clown loaches (hence the attention to water params and careful cycling) will they be ok if the water is good - apart from the algae?

I'll also be getting some bristlenose catfish and a few danios as tank mates.
I've found the little catfish do an excellent job of muching every last bit of algae off my other tank.

Can I go ahead and add my loaches once the ammonia, nitrates, nitrites are normal?

here's a link to the picture in the tanks section of this forum

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?act=ST&f=22&t=55527

 

[Lateral Line]

Algae, unless really bad, and looking at your picture, yours isn't really bad, rarely bothers fish. Clown Loaches are far from ideal first fish for a newly cycled tank, if I were you, I'd add the Danios for a few weeks first.

Algal blooms in new tanks are quite common, and generally settle down after a while. The cycle must be producing nitrates, and your nitrites are going down, yet you are measuring 0 nitrate - that's a little odd. The nitrites are going somewhere, and something is fuelling your algal bloom.

 

[Liliano]

Yes - something is definatelly fuelling the algae bloom more than likely the nitrates

Are you getting sunlight on the tank during the day - this is a good producer of green algae.

Also I cannot see from the picture - do you have any plants in your tank? I think I can see one IMO - I would get a few more planted in there as these will assist with soaking up the nitrates.

Also if you are looking for good first fish Platies are an excellent choice and they do look a good munch on some algae (usually brown but I've seen them scoffing up green)

 

[Red]

Tested the water today -

Ammonia 0
NitrITES 0
Nitrates 0

did a 30-40% water change which seems to have helped & introduced 2 of my bristlenose catfish who are having a lovely time munching all the brown algae they can find!

I think I had the tank too close to the window so whilst the water was out I shifted it too.