Hi, I have set up a new tropical tank just over a week a go. Have tested for ammonia, nitrate and nitries and reading is clear. Can I now add some fish?

I wouldn't expect there to be any ammonia and nitrites in a tank with no ammonia source. If you put fish in now it would be very stressful and possibly fatal for them.

This article explains it fairly well:

http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/articles_51/fishless-cycling-article.htm

Hi, thanks for your reply. sorry what i didnt mention was i have put some flakes of fish food in over a couple of days, as i had read the articl that you recomended on fishless cycling. i am in no hurry to put fish in and wont until i am sure it is safe to do so. But i am not quite sure what to do next. And also the water in the tank went cloudy for a few days, it had been set up for a few days before it went cloudy,bacterial bloom???? i did wash the gravel and everything else before being put in the tank. the cloudyness has cleard on its own. thanks

Sounds like you are on your way. The problem with the fish food method is that you don't know how much ammonia is being produced. It is easier with liquid ammonia so you have reliable, measurable results.

Unless you started with filter media from another tank I really doubt it is cycled. I would assume the ammonia being produced by the fish food is so small its just not giving a reading. Are your nitrates going up?

no nitrates, i do have some ammonia but was a bit unsure of putting it in. about filter media i didnt start it with that. i do have a pond with fish in it can i use media from that filter??

No nitrAtes at all? Testing for them is a right pain and not always accurate but you should be seeing nitrates in your tap water. Nitrates are the end product of your cycle so if all goes well you should see them rising as more ammonia is converted. You then need to remove enough nitrates with water changes to make it safe for fish.

Yes you could pinch a bit of media from the pond but Ive no idea what else you may introduce with the bacteria. I would probably risk it but give it a really good rinse in de-chorinated water first.

Maybe a pond keeper could chime in here?

Hi

Do use the liquid ammonia and cycle to a specific level of 3 or 4ppm using the fishless cycling guide. Using fish food you will need a lot of food to get to the required level, and it's very hard to be accurate as the food needs to rot before it produces any ammonia. Using the liquid is far simpler and much more precise.

There is a calculator at the bottom of the article where you can put in the tank volume, current ammonia level and level you are using to cycle and it will tell you the right dose to use. Take a bit off the tank volume for gravel etc.. You may need a baby syringe (from the chemist) to measure the dose of ammonia depending on how big the tank is.

Also, what test kit are you using? If it's paper test strips they won't really be accurate enough especially for cycling a tank so you should get a liquid based test kit if you don't already have one.

Hi, thanks, it is test strips i am using. i will get liquid based test kit. and ye i think i will try the ammonia. do u think i could use media from my pond??

Yes.....just wash any major gunk off with some of your tank water, but don't go too mad or you'll damage the bacteria too.

I was really nervous about cycling with ammonia too but I found the guide on here really useful and once you get your head round what you are trying to achieve its easy.
This was the only guide on the net I could clearly understand.Also Ive had help every step of the way from very experienced fish keepers on this site who really helped when things got a bit confusing.
Please go down the ammonia route as Ive lost count of how many posts Ive read from people with uncycled tanks whose fish have died.
After all I kept reminding myself that it didnt matter if I got it a bit wrong along the way as there were no fish in the tank for me to kill!
You do need lots of patience though as it seems to take for ever but as I sit here I am watching happy Endlers play tag(whilst firmly keeping everything crossed I have cycled my tank properly!)