need advice for fishless cycling (pretty lengthy description)
hello aquarium people! i need help from people who know a lot more than me lmao.
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i was absolutely BLESSED with a 20gal tank, fluval30, heater, light, basically a full setup for free and ive been gradually working on it the past few weeks. i finally got to fill it monday after making sure i have most of the basics.
- so far in the tank i have
prerinsed aquasoil
driftwood
a few plants including
larger anubias type (??)
i believe a java fern
repens
a few frogbits at the top
a couple bulbs planted in the back
several pothos stems rooting into the water
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as stated above my equipment includes
fluval30 filter with a new sponge inside
fluval brand heater set to 81°
aqueon brand light (18-24” optibright)
and ive been testing water with an API masterkit (nothing is expired! i checked all the dates.
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i added some water from my betta tank to help it out some, the water has lots of tannins because of the driftwood in there (i also love how the water looks with a little bit of tannin and its good for them from what ive heard)
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i plan to buy some more floater plants and ground/soil plants asap but i have nothing in my checking right now.
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my water test results as of today are currently at
ammonia-0
nitrite- .25 to .5ppm
nitrates - looking to be about 10ppm
i filled my tank on monday and the ammonia was at about .5ppm
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i used some supplemental carbon (flourish excel) and flourish seachem a few days in, as well as ammonia remover (imagitarium). the ammonia remover helped a lot with conditions in ny betta tank so i have high hopes :)
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in general, what else can i do to improve my setup besides adding plants and keeping up what im doing? is my water alright for me being 5 days into cycling?
please anything is GREAT to hear i just want to make sure im doing everything right!