Vio
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Hi,
I'm new at this! So i bought a 26 gallon from someone with all equipment : filter, heater, air pump, even some used gravel.
He emptied it few days before i got it. So the filter still had bacteria i suppose, and the gravel.
I filled it with tap water, waited few days to measure chlorine, it was at 0 after 4 days. I then put the filter on, heater, more gravel and few new plants, rocks. The filter head makes litlle surface movement and i have a air stone (now 2).
i then began to measure the water parameters. Gh kh and ph were low, so after few days i added crushed oysters shells and 1 tsp baking soda. Which helped. I also added a handful of my compost as i read it was good for bacteria, and some bread. Then i begin to add 1 tsp of fish food flakes everyday. Quickly,
gh went from <3 to >4, kh went from 3 to 4.5, Ph took longer, went from 6.4 to 6.8 in a week. For info, this parameters are back to start after 1 more week.
Nitrite went from 0.25 to 0 in a week and still is.
Nitrates went 18 to 25 in a week then >25 since a week. But <50.
I did not have the stuff to measure ammonia, but i have been since 4 days and its at 0.
So now, my question is : is it cycled or i messed up??
Should i add more food to see if ammonia spike? But when should i measure?
And what to do for gh, kh, ph?
Thank you for any help, advise!!
Ps: the plant arent dead, there is even new stems.
And there is fluffy stuff on the bread and food, and a gluey white stuff on tubes, etc...and the water is clear but the window would need a clean.lol
I'm new at this! So i bought a 26 gallon from someone with all equipment : filter, heater, air pump, even some used gravel.
He emptied it few days before i got it. So the filter still had bacteria i suppose, and the gravel.
I filled it with tap water, waited few days to measure chlorine, it was at 0 after 4 days. I then put the filter on, heater, more gravel and few new plants, rocks. The filter head makes litlle surface movement and i have a air stone (now 2).
i then began to measure the water parameters. Gh kh and ph were low, so after few days i added crushed oysters shells and 1 tsp baking soda. Which helped. I also added a handful of my compost as i read it was good for bacteria, and some bread. Then i begin to add 1 tsp of fish food flakes everyday. Quickly,
gh went from <3 to >4, kh went from 3 to 4.5, Ph took longer, went from 6.4 to 6.8 in a week. For info, this parameters are back to start after 1 more week.
Nitrite went from 0.25 to 0 in a week and still is.
Nitrates went 18 to 25 in a week then >25 since a week. But <50.
I did not have the stuff to measure ammonia, but i have been since 4 days and its at 0.
So now, my question is : is it cycled or i messed up??
Should i add more food to see if ammonia spike? But when should i measure?
And what to do for gh, kh, ph?
Thank you for any help, advise!!
Ps: the plant arent dead, there is even new stems.
And there is fluffy stuff on the bread and food, and a gluey white stuff on tubes, etc...and the water is clear but the window would need a clean.lol
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