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Other than getting into this totally addictive, expensive, can-never-have-enough-must-have-more hobby that is...

Anyways, I have had my 27 gallon (tank #1) up and running since Father's Day, so that would be about 8 weeks,(I had a goldfish in there originally, which I returned to the lfs, and then I had 4 neons and a dwarf gourami in there)

I also had a 10 gallon running for about 12 weeks,(in which I had a goldfish, 5 neons and a dwarf frog, until I had took the golfish back to the lfs, and the frog died in the intake tube, after that I had the neons and a siamese fighting fish in there) I have since dissasembled the 10 gallon tank when we got our 30 gallon (tank #2) 2 weeks ago. I used the gravel, filter, plants from the 10 gallon (I did NOT wash any of this stuff before using it in the 30 gallon as I wanted to preserve whatever beneficial bacteria there might have been) I did however add about 10 pounds of the gravel that came with the new tank, so it's mixed with the old stuff that came out of the 10 gallon...

So yesterday, my lfs got a new shipment of fish in. I, (probably foolishly) thought, my tanks HAVE to be cycled by now, it's been so long...so I bought 2 angels for the 30 gallon (tank #2) , and 2 jullii corys to add to the 27 gallon (tank #1). I also bought a Laguna Master Test kit (for ponds, but I thought it will work for any water) So I get home, test both aquariums, and the pond outside. ALL 3 show:

Ammonia--0
Nitrite- 0
NitrAte-0??????!!!!!

the Ph is:
27 gallon-7.5
30 gallon-7.0

So those have come down from a ph of 8.0, which is good I guess...

But how the HECk can I still have 0 NitrAtes? Have I messed up somewhere? The only thing I have done in the 27 gallon is I added 5 live plants about a week ago, and I have done some gravel vaccuuming, on Tuesday, and a 30% water change. Have I obliterated all the good bacteria?? Are my fish going to be ok???

Am I not doing the test right? I just don't understand how I can be showing 0 for everything. Especially the pond, the thing has been up since January for pete's sake!!
Are Laguna not a good test kit? I did also test for GH and KH, I have those results upstairs.

Please tell me I'm not doing everything wrong...I know I probably shouldn't have bought those fish yesterday....I've been trying to be patient but I thought after 8 weeks I should be ok!!





[span class="edited"][Edited by 2004-08-12 10:23][/span]



[span class="edited"][Edited by 2004-08-12 10:53][/span]


[span class="edited"][Edited by 2004-08-12 10:54][/span]

[span class="edited"][Edited by 2004-08-12 10:57][/span]

Dont know anything about Laguna Water Tests, but did I miss something here? When you said your tanks have been up and running for a while now...Were they empty all this time? For a tank to become and stay cycled it needs a steady amount of Ammonia.....

No, they haven't been empty...the 27 gallon has had ,first, a goldfish in it, then 4 neons and the dwarf gourami, after about 6 weeks...(when I dismantled the 10 gallon, I moved the 5 neons from the 10 gallon up to the 27 gallon)
and the 10 gallon originally had a 5 neons, a goldfish, and a frog in it. (I took the goldfish back to the lfs, and the frog met his demise in the intake tube) Then when I took all the rocks, etc. from the 10 gallon to set up the 30 gallon, I had a Siamese fighting fish in there for a week or so, and now the angels...
does that make sense? It's kind of confusing!

[span class="edited"][Edited by 2004-08-12 10:50][/span]

So, after the New tanks were set up, there was always a constant source of ammonia in the tanks at all times? Never a period of a week or longer where just the tank sat empty with just plants and gravel ? If not, then I think for starters, I would take a bag of water to your LFS and have them run test for you, and make sure you get numbers.

Well...you do want ammonia and nitrIte to be zero...nitrAte can also sometimes be zero in a planted tank....it also depends on the test...I agree that you might want to get the LFS to test for you ask for the numbers and don't accept "you're water's fine, perfect" or "add this".

It could also be that the tank never fully had time to cycle...personally I'd still take it slow when you're stocking and maybe stick with hardy fish to begin with, possibly add some cycle or biospira as well.

^_^

is your tank planted?? plants use up a lot of nitrates, which could explain the low levels. Good areation can also greatly reduce the amount of disolved nitrates. My 10g consistently shows only the slightest trace of disolved nitrates.

just a side note...If you already have the ten gallon aquarium, why dont you leave it up and running to use as an emergency hospital/quarantine tank?

first, you should make a 3rd party test.
second, your plants might be eating the nitrate up. in this case try to add more fish to the tank, and see what happens. add a fish or two small ones at a time, and check for an increase in nitrate. at this rate of new fish introduction and tank volume, the amonia spike should be insignificant.

Vic: I have always had fish in the tanks...

Babelfish: I am going to go to the lfs today, with the test kit i bought, and ask them to help me, and also get them to test my water with THeir test kit I also am going to buy a bottle of cycle!!

Mike: The angel's tank has fake plants in it, the other tank has a few live plants in there. My daughter really wants the 10 gallon for her beta, who has been kicked out of the 30 gallon to make room for the angels, poor guybut I agree i should have a hospital tank set up)

thanks so much for your replies!!

Fry: I just added 2 corys yesterday, I will test the water later today to see if anything has happened...I'm getting tired of this cycling business!! But I know it's necessary...

yeah, the cycling period is too long, isn't it?
having a quaranteen/hospital tank is a good idea, even if your tanks are not that big.

i myself have a small 7G tank, and have to cycle it from start now because of a very nasty desease. have yourself a quaranteen tank, keep new fish for two weeks in there before introducing them to the primary tanks, and save yourself the trouble of dealing with desease and having to cycle the tank ever again.