Could it be cycled already?

I've been cycling a new 30 gal tank for less than a week. It's for the arrival of 3 new juvenile axies that will be arriving in another 2-3 days.

About a month ago, I placed an extra Aqua-clear 200 hang on filter, on one of my exiting aquariums. Last week I cleaned and added water to the new 30 gal tank, and let it sit a few days (didn't have dechlorinator at that time). Then took the filter off the aquarium and put it on the new tank. Did a water change and added about 10 gallons of water from my outdoor pond. At the same time, added pool filter sand as the substrate, some rocks (that had been scrubbed and soaking for a while), and some live plants.

I've been checking the water twice a day, and the levels appear to where they should be. PH 7.8 (maybe a little low?), Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0, Nitrates 20. Also been checking Alkalinity 120-180 ppm, Chlorine 0, and Hardness 0-25 ppm (I know that's low, but we have a water-softener in the house).

I also have an "Ammonia Alert" hanging in the tank, that supposedly monitors the ammonia, and will change color based on the level. It reads "0 / safe".

Can the tank be cycled already?

Is there anything in thier feeding the bacterial population? If not, it is possible that the tank cycled with the ammonia in the tap water (carbon will remove the chlorine from chloramine leaving NH3).
If this is what happened then you would get the low nitrate result but the bacterial populations would have crashed again due to lack of food requiring another cycle. (the tank may cycle more quickly but then it may not. )

Ed

I have four juvenile koi in there. They are between one and three each, not counting their tails. They were in the aquarium from which I took the Aqua-Clear filter. I've been over feeding them four or five times a day, trying to see if the readings spike, but they haven't yet.

I'll keep checking the readings twice a day.

Hi Paul,

What kind of test kits are you using and how old are they? Even with a wet dry on the tank I would expect to see a nitrate level higher that that with 4 small koi in there particuarly if you are overfeeding them.

Ed

I just built the wet dry, and haven't installed it yet. I'm still running an aqua clear 200 hang on type. It was taken off a running aquarium, with all the filter media left intact.

The test kit is from Jungle Labratories Corp of texas, and I just bought it last week. the expiration date is july 2008.

Paul are you using the test strips? (Dip tests?)

If you are I would suggest a different test kit as the dip tests do not have the best track record for accuracy...

Ed

I bought the test strips. I guess I'll go out tonight and get a new kit.

Any particular brand thats better than the rest?

If its any help I bought test strips ( 5in 1) figuring that it would be quicker..which it was, but i was constantly getting really crazy readings. Being very new to the cycling lark and being completely clueless on anything chemical I was getting very worked up. It was gently sugested I purchase individual test kits ( ammonia, nitrate and nitrite) and it all started to make sense, and to boot is actually quite easy to do. Now all I have to do is keep my 8 year old son away from it ( far to curious!)

Thanks Bella... and Ed,

I'll go out tonight and get a set of individual test kits.

Paul,
you don't have to get the individual test if you choose not to, a number of people on this board are pretty happy with the larger test kits that lump them all together like the Aquarium Pharmaceutical Master Test kit.

Ed