# Established cycle?



## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

I have a 20 long that housed 3 pea puffers for like 8 months. I gave those away and the same day started putting in the smaller fish from my 100ga. I did not check my water before I did this as the tank is well established. At that time I added 2 cherry barbs, 2 black neon tetras, and a zebra danio. That was a week ago. Today I did a 40% water change and then added 2 Julie cats one small rubber lipped pleco and one Burmese loach. 

Much more will go in the tank eventually but that is it for the time being. 

I checked my water just to be sure that things were on track. 

I have no ammonia, no nitrite and no nitrate. The no nitrate concerns me. Do you all think it is this way because of the plants? It is light to medium planted, not heavily at all. Probably to diehards it would be considered lightly. The puffers were fed blood worms and I couldn't ever get small enough pieces to feed them so they were often overfed. I know that there was enough ammonia going into the tank to create an established tank. I have some green hair algae.

Opinions required!


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Yes, the plants could be sucking up the waste. But check your nitrate test with a standard solution as when they fail on me, they show 0. Another possibility is a water conditioner messing with the numbers.


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