Set up a 54g corner aquarium about a month ago. 2 weeks ago I added the first fish, no effort was made to start the cycling process for the prior two weeks of the tank being set up. I just simply didn't get around to adding fish for two weeks.
Anyway 14 days ago 2 x 3" angel fish and a 3" rainbow shark where all added to the 54g corner aquarium to start the fish in cycling process.
First week I didn't check any water parameters.
Day 8 I tested ammonia 0, nitrite 0 and nitrate 0
Day 11 I tested ammonia 0, nitrite 0 and nitrate 5 ppm.
Day 14 I tested ammonia 0, nitrite 0 and nitrate 10ppm
As said I find it very strange and I would have expected the fish in cycle to be just begining. But I'm consistently getting 0 for nitrites and ammonia and I'm now getting steadily rising nitrate levels which should indicate stage 3 of the cycling process?
What do you all think?
When I set the tank up a month ago I used old gravel that I had originally used in an aquarium. I give the gravel a good clean in a sieve through tap water but it still contained loads of snail shells from live plants that I had in the old tank
Could any organic matter that was left behind in the gravel such as maybe some dead snails have kick started the cycle from day 1? Instead of when I added the first fish after 14 days?
Using an APi master test kit for all the testing backed up by an NT labs kit which has gave the exact same results. Consistently 0 for ammonia and nitrite but steadily rising nitrate levels.
Anyway 14 days ago 2 x 3" angel fish and a 3" rainbow shark where all added to the 54g corner aquarium to start the fish in cycling process.
First week I didn't check any water parameters.
Day 8 I tested ammonia 0, nitrite 0 and nitrate 0
Day 11 I tested ammonia 0, nitrite 0 and nitrate 5 ppm.
Day 14 I tested ammonia 0, nitrite 0 and nitrate 10ppm
As said I find it very strange and I would have expected the fish in cycle to be just begining. But I'm consistently getting 0 for nitrites and ammonia and I'm now getting steadily rising nitrate levels which should indicate stage 3 of the cycling process?
What do you all think?
When I set the tank up a month ago I used old gravel that I had originally used in an aquarium. I give the gravel a good clean in a sieve through tap water but it still contained loads of snail shells from live plants that I had in the old tank
Could any organic matter that was left behind in the gravel such as maybe some dead snails have kick started the cycle from day 1? Instead of when I added the first fish after 14 days?
Using an APi master test kit for all the testing backed up by an NT labs kit which has gave the exact same results. Consistently 0 for ammonia and nitrite but steadily rising nitrate levels.
