#fishkeeping

Aquarium update. Day 9 of cycling the water. I was getting concerned there was no nitrite showing in the water tests, but there is some today! Looks like the bacteria are becoming established. Plants are growing well. It’ll be a few more weeks until I can start stocking it though… #fishkeeping #aquarium

Aquarium update. Day 14 of cycling. Ammonia is reducing by about 1ppm each day. Nitrite levels are way up, Nitrate is rising too. Looks like the cycle is working! The plants are doing really well. I added some Bogor Moss a couple of days ago. The algae has calmed down too. Hopefully not too long before I can start stocking it! #fishkeeping #aquarium

Aquarium update. Day 26 of cycling. Did a 12L water change today, nitrate had climbed to 80ppm and pH had dipped to 6.6, so needed to reset things a bit. After the change: nitrate back to 40, pH to 7.0. Ammonia is hitting 0 every day now, which is encouraging, the bacteria are hungry! Nitrite is still sitting at 1.0-1.5 though, so we're not quite over the line yet. Getting close. The plants are looking great. Hairgrass is spreading, Bacopa is getting tall, and the moss on the spiderwood has really started to take hold. Fish shopping is close but not today. #fishkeeping #aquarium

Aquarium update. Day 34 of cycling. The big news is the pH problem is finally under control. Turns out my tap water has basically zero KH (carbonate buffer), which is why pH kept crashing and stalling everything. Crushed coral plus a dose of alkaline buffer have it holding steady now: KH sitting at 2.0, and pH actually climbed to 7.0 this evening. Ammonia is still clearing to 0. Nitrite is the stubborn one, though, stuck around 1.5-2.0. The bacteria took a knock a couple of weeks back (I used the wrong bottle and put untreated tap water in!), so the nitrite side is taking its time to recover. Not over the line yet. Plants are thriving regardless. The hairgrass has properly carpeted the foreground, and the moss on the spiderwood is really filling out. Fish shopping is still on hold until that nitrite clears, but the tank's looking the best it has. #fishkeeping #aquarium

Aquarium update. Day 46 of cycling. Tonight, the nitrite reading is 0.00 which is what I’ve been waiting for after a 3 week plateau. If it continues to clear daily for the next week, the cycle is complete and I can start getting some livestock! #fishkeeping #aquarium

Aquarium update. Day 65 of cycling. We’re almost there! Ammonia and nitrite have been clearing in <24hrs for the past week. KH is still a bit up and down but is stabilising around 3 dKH. I just did a big water change to reduce nitrate and, if it all looks good tomorrow, I’ll start stocking it! #fishkeeping #aquarium #grasskeeping

Firemouth Cichlid 🔥 #art #illustration #painting #animalart #fish #firemouthcichlid #cichlid #aquarium #fishkeeping

Any other aquarists or fish keepers on Mastadon? #aquarist #FishKeeping #cichlid