FishProfiles.com Message Forums

ok i was trying to cycle my tank with just a few damsels but i quit on that last week and decided to go with the cocktail shrimp. since then i have a nitrate of 10 ammonia of 0.25 and nitrite of 0. is my tank cycled and ready for its first actual fish.. i may hold off on that thought anyway as i need some live rocks but are these water parameters sufficient to add something like a clownfish without it dieing?

also i have a question about acclimation usually i empty the fishes into a bowl and add some of my tank water in 15 minute intervals for about 1 hour and a half is this sufficient time? were my fishes before dieing because of the lack of nitrate?

ok i was trying to cycle my tank with just a few damsels but i quit on that last week and decided to go with the cocktail shrimp. since then i have a nitrate of 10 ammonia of 0.25 and nitrite of 0. is my tank cycled and ready for its first actual fish.

I would say no - it takes more than 1 week to cycle a tank. Ammonia levels of .25 and nitrite of 0 shows me that your cycle is just beginning. It should take a few more weeks.

i may hold off on that thought anyway as i need some live rocks

Get these before adding fish. They will probably cause an ammonia spike.

but are these water parameters sufficient to add something like a clownfish without it dieing?

No.

also i have a question about acclimation usually i empty the fishes into a bowl and add some of my tank water in 15 minute intervals for about 1 hour and a half is this sufficient time?

This may be sufficient depending on the fish. I'd just drip acclimate your fish with an airstone in a bucket for a similar amount of time, or more for the less hardy.

were my fishes before dieing because of the lack of nitrate?

No, nitrAte is not a beneficial compound. It is a waste product.

Last edited by mattyboombatty at 25-Oct-2005 22:12

---

Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

ok thanks for all of your help.