tropical fish ammonia nitrite and nitrate?

C

Chris

New member
my 20 gallon tank has been cycling for 6 weeks with fish in. iv been testing the water every other day, i had a problem with ammonia and nitrite. today i tested the water and all three are showing 0ppm. is my tank cycled now. i thought nitrate would show up? thanks
 
Nitrate should show up. I'm assuming this is a marine aquarium. As your nitrite levels go down, you "should" see an elevation in nitrate levels. If you've changed the water before checking it today, you may have reduced the concentration of nitrates below detectable levels.

Be aware that when you add more fish (even though your tank has already "cycled"), you will still see another cycle occur because the bacteria will be getting used to a new increased level of ammonia in the water due to the new fish being introduced. Although the cycle will be much faster than the 6 weeks you experienced previously...

1) Rise in ammonia.
2) Drop in ammonia with a rise in nitrite.
3) Drop in nitrite with a rise in nitrate.
 
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