Last Cycle Question..... Hopefully?

[Tedzbug]

so, for the last 3 days now, 12 hours after bringing my tank up to 4-5 ppm ammonia, it's back to 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and about 5 ppm nitrates.

pH is at 8.1

Is this it?? Time for fishes? :headbang2:

 

[fresh_fish]

sounds like its time to add fish, but i would do a large WC first.

 

[Rbishop]

Have your nitrates increased over the last 3 days?

 

[Tedzbug]

Large as in..... 50% of the tank? 75%? then fish once it stabilizes temp? Should i not dose ammonia after the WC before i get fish?

What if i can only afford a few fish at this time?

 

[Tedzbug]

No, nitrates 5 ppm the past 3 days

I also have what looks like brown algae, maybe, on my sand mainly.

It's probably from the couple plants and the big pond snail that i got from a LFS

Have your nitrates increased over the last 3 days?

 

[fresh_fish]

do you have plants and/or pond snails?

 

[Rbishop]

If you have been consuming ammonia and your nitrates are not increasing...something is definitely wrong..... What test kit are you using? Liquid?

 

[jaylin]

With a pH that high, I'd do a big water change and take the pH again right after to see if the pH drops a lot with water changes. If it does, you'll need to watch the size of your water changes once you put fish in. Most fish can acclimate to different pH's pretty well, but they don't do well if the pH is making fast, major shifts.

 

[Rbishop]

If the tank is eating ammonia and nitrates are not rising...your testing is in error...

 

[Tedzbug]

i have one lg snail, 2 med plants, and am using an api master test kit