Hi All
I've checked out the forum for threads on Fishless Cycling but couldn't quite find the answer to my question, please therefore forgive me for starting a new thread on cycling a tank.
So, I've had my new 20l nano tank set up for about 4 weeks now, with 50% water changes daily for first week, alternate days the second and third week and now 25% changes every few days.
Now I might have confused myself somewhere, because I understood that the water changes above are needed to prevent algae in the starting days of the tank and to help with cycling, however, I'm not convinced by tank has been cycling.
I have tested the ammonida and nitrite parameters whenever I'm about to do a water change, just to see where things are. The Ammonia hasn't been above 0.25ppm and nitrite has been 0 (though if I leave the tube a few minutes more it turns a very light shade of pink). I haven't added an ammonia source (I have some though if needed to get this process started), as I assumed that the tropica soil I'm using would leach enough - though it doesn't seem to have leached much at all.
The tank is densely planted - any chance the plants are consuming more of the ammonia? I've seen many times people saying that all you need really are healthy plants and that they will take care of the rest, but I'd like to be sure before I add any living creatures!
Thanks
I've checked out the forum for threads on Fishless Cycling but couldn't quite find the answer to my question, please therefore forgive me for starting a new thread on cycling a tank.
So, I've had my new 20l nano tank set up for about 4 weeks now, with 50% water changes daily for first week, alternate days the second and third week and now 25% changes every few days.
Now I might have confused myself somewhere, because I understood that the water changes above are needed to prevent algae in the starting days of the tank and to help with cycling, however, I'm not convinced by tank has been cycling.
I have tested the ammonida and nitrite parameters whenever I'm about to do a water change, just to see where things are. The Ammonia hasn't been above 0.25ppm and nitrite has been 0 (though if I leave the tube a few minutes more it turns a very light shade of pink). I haven't added an ammonia source (I have some though if needed to get this process started), as I assumed that the tropica soil I'm using would leach enough - though it doesn't seem to have leached much at all.
The tank is densely planted - any chance the plants are consuming more of the ammonia? I've seen many times people saying that all you need really are healthy plants and that they will take care of the rest, but I'd like to be sure before I add any living creatures!
Thanks