I hate having to ask a cycle question because it seems like i've read and responded to so many during my time on this site. however, the more knowledge i gain, the more i realize how much i don't know, and it's always good to get a second, or third, or 11th opinion.
aaanyway. . .
my 50g tank has been running and cycling(?) for a month. after a disappointment with biospira, i was stuck doing the daily testing and water changes routine. fine, whatever, you do what you gotta do. my test levels have always stayed low. ammonia under .50 (highest ever was the very first test - 1ppm - when i tested after the first 3 days and found out that the biospira wasn't actually working), nitrites .25, and nitrates under 5ppm. lately both nitrites and ammonia have been at 0 after several days of no H2O changes, but nitrate has been barely turning orange every time i test.
i'm running a wet/dry filter, and added a used filter cartridge right after the biospira quit, as well as a tiny Whisper HOB early last week to get over the miniature nitrite stall and to get some of the floaties out of the water. driftwood from established tanks was also added in the beginning. i have 4 good sized amazon swords, 4 happily growing anubias (one has doubled in size), and a load of cabomba, probably around 25 stems.
i was expecting, even with my daily maintenence, to get some massive and alarming spikes, based on the fishload i added (which is shown below - total of 14 inches of pleco). i thought that was what's supposed to happen. however, this has been a disturbingly mild process, and the low nitrates worry me more than a big nitrite spike would.
1. did i really add a huge number of fish or am i just a little paranoid?
2. does this low-level cycle sound fine, or just a little 'fishy'?
3. can i thank my numerous and apparently happy plants for the barely-there nitrate levels?
aaanyway. . .
my 50g tank has been running and cycling(?) for a month. after a disappointment with biospira, i was stuck doing the daily testing and water changes routine. fine, whatever, you do what you gotta do. my test levels have always stayed low. ammonia under .50 (highest ever was the very first test - 1ppm - when i tested after the first 3 days and found out that the biospira wasn't actually working), nitrites .25, and nitrates under 5ppm. lately both nitrites and ammonia have been at 0 after several days of no H2O changes, but nitrate has been barely turning orange every time i test.
i'm running a wet/dry filter, and added a used filter cartridge right after the biospira quit, as well as a tiny Whisper HOB early last week to get over the miniature nitrite stall and to get some of the floaties out of the water. driftwood from established tanks was also added in the beginning. i have 4 good sized amazon swords, 4 happily growing anubias (one has doubled in size), and a load of cabomba, probably around 25 stems.
i was expecting, even with my daily maintenence, to get some massive and alarming spikes, based on the fishload i added (which is shown below - total of 14 inches of pleco). i thought that was what's supposed to happen. however, this has been a disturbingly mild process, and the low nitrates worry me more than a big nitrite spike would.
1. did i really add a huge number of fish or am i just a little paranoid?
2. does this low-level cycle sound fine, or just a little 'fishy'?
3. can i thank my numerous and apparently happy plants for the barely-there nitrate levels?
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