Paul B
Premium Member
That looks like a normally cycling tank, perfectly fine.
Your tank will not be cycled for a year or so. It does not matter what your test kits tell you. There is a misconception that a tank is cycled when the ammonia and nitrites are zero, that is false. That just means that the tank is cycled enough for whatever you put in there to initally cycle the tank. When ever you add something the bacteria have to reproduce enough to take care of the extra waste. There are also many bacteria in there taking up space but may not be the best bacteria for our purposes. Not all bacteria help with a cycle. It will take time for the tank to be able to take care of problems like if something dies or an occasional overfeeding. Your tank is in a precaroius state now and there is no extra bacteria for emergencies so go easy on the feeding. The algae is normal and it is just a sign that it is not fully cycled.
Don't add any new fish for a while.
Good luck.
Paul
Your tank will not be cycled for a year or so. It does not matter what your test kits tell you. There is a misconception that a tank is cycled when the ammonia and nitrites are zero, that is false. That just means that the tank is cycled enough for whatever you put in there to initally cycle the tank. When ever you add something the bacteria have to reproduce enough to take care of the extra waste. There are also many bacteria in there taking up space but may not be the best bacteria for our purposes. Not all bacteria help with a cycle. It will take time for the tank to be able to take care of problems like if something dies or an occasional overfeeding. Your tank is in a precaroius state now and there is no extra bacteria for emergencies so go easy on the feeding. The algae is normal and it is just a sign that it is not fully cycled.
Don't add any new fish for a while.
Good luck.
Paul
