LeTigra
Member
I have a potentially silly question so please don't throw anything at me....
I'm cycling a tank. Although I'm not new to keeping fish this is the first time I've properly cycled a tank because the last time I had a new tank was years ago and I didn't know what I was doing. Now I'm doing it properly but I'm confused.
I have a Rekord 800 - 29gal I think. I used substrate from my old tank and added a piece of wood covered in Java fern from that same tank. I pulled a few Vallis plants and an Anubias from there too and bought a few new plants - I'm not sure what they are but they're stems and they're growing fast which is what I wanted. Filled tank with fresh dechlorinated water. Have been adding flakes and at one point added a whole cube of frozen used-to-be-alive food (some form of worm). I thought the old substrate would probably contain a fair amount of "rubbish" to provide the necessary ammonia.
Tanks been running for 2 weeks today. Lights on approx 10 hours a day for the plants, temp set at 24C. Cycle being added a splash at a time every few days My Nitrite is measuring 0. The test is a liquid one not a dip-strip. I didn't get an ammonia test because I figured I coud do this with only a Nitrite test - I would see a peak in Nitrite which would then go down to zero and as long as I was still feeding my good bacteria everything would be ok til I added fish.
Are my plants effecting my "fishless" cycle? I didn't want to go down the route of having to add pure ammonia but still - shouldn't I be seeing SOME nitrite 2 weeks in?
My filter has one of those green nitrate removing sponges in it - this wouldn't effect nitrite levels though would it?
I'm cycling a tank. Although I'm not new to keeping fish this is the first time I've properly cycled a tank because the last time I had a new tank was years ago and I didn't know what I was doing. Now I'm doing it properly but I'm confused.
I have a Rekord 800 - 29gal I think. I used substrate from my old tank and added a piece of wood covered in Java fern from that same tank. I pulled a few Vallis plants and an Anubias from there too and bought a few new plants - I'm not sure what they are but they're stems and they're growing fast which is what I wanted. Filled tank with fresh dechlorinated water. Have been adding flakes and at one point added a whole cube of frozen used-to-be-alive food (some form of worm). I thought the old substrate would probably contain a fair amount of "rubbish" to provide the necessary ammonia.
Tanks been running for 2 weeks today. Lights on approx 10 hours a day for the plants, temp set at 24C. Cycle being added a splash at a time every few days My Nitrite is measuring 0. The test is a liquid one not a dip-strip. I didn't get an ammonia test because I figured I coud do this with only a Nitrite test - I would see a peak in Nitrite which would then go down to zero and as long as I was still feeding my good bacteria everything would be ok til I added fish.
Are my plants effecting my "fishless" cycle? I didn't want to go down the route of having to add pure ammonia but still - shouldn't I be seeing SOME nitrite 2 weeks in?
My filter has one of those green nitrate removing sponges in it - this wouldn't effect nitrite levels though would it?