Fishless cycled tank, now thriving with Tetra and Rasbora

[[bt]]

Some of you probably already know how I've been getting on, but I thought I'd better start a little journal to record my fishless cycling of my new tank.

For the record, I'm the UK, on the south coast. Our water is what we would consider 'hard' as it is drawn from chalk aquifers in the nearby hills. I live on a huge limetone isle and pretty much everything has some sort of lime content.

Tank:
37.5l / 8gal
Fluval 1plus internal pump/filter
1/2 inch pea gravel, topped with small, flat black pebbles.
Only plastic plants so far.

Plan:
Small neon tetra school, 10 fish maximum
Like to get it looking like this

Day 1
Added tap-water, gravel (thoroughly washed) and pebbles.
Fitted filter, wired in all electricals (tank is mount is a wall-wall bookcase in my study).

Day 2
Bought Nutrafin Laborette, containing Nitrite, Nitrate, Ammonia and pH testing chemicals.
First test results :
pH : 8
nitrite : 0mg/l
nitrate : 5mg/l
ammonia : 0mg/l
avg. temp : 21degC

Day 4
Second set of test results. Noting added to tank since last tests. Light has been on for around 8-10hours per day.
pH : 8
nitrite : 0mg/l
nitrate : <5mg/l
ammonia : 0mg/l

Used Tetratest 5-in-1 sticks to test the hardness:

GH : >16'd
KH : 10-15'd

Today I also added approximately 200ml rainwater.

Have noticed how the temperature of the room affects the water temperature. This rooms is perhaps the most stable, with fluctuations caused only by body heat, computer heat and mild central-heating rises. Today's temperature peaked at 24degC.

Day 5
Pleased with results of adding rainwater, as pH level has dropped nicely. Only now have I reaslied that it is probably the rainwater that has contributed to my nitrate levels rising drastically, to worrying and confusing readings.

pH : 7.2
nitrite : 0
nitrate : 25mg/l
ammonia : 0mg/l

GH : >16'd
KH : 6'd

The rainwater certainly had an effect on the pH and KH levels of my tank.

Day 6
I've had some bogwood in a bucket, soaking in 'safe' tapwater for two days now. Each day I change the water to remove the tanin-stained water.

Day 7
Haven't tested the water again, but am going to add the plants and a source of ammonia tomorrow, after which I might consider doing a water change in a day or so.
Ammonia levels are still 0mg/l

[[bt]]

Day 8

Made some major changes to my tank today.
First, I removed a good half of the pea-gravel substrate and added a layer of smooth black pebbles over what was left. Then I removed the background picture (thought it was too tacky).
I have now planted 8 Crypt's (don't know specifics), using lids of film canisters to hold them down (plant threaded through hole in canister lid, stones holding lid down).
The roots are in about half an inch of gravel substrate, I hope this is enough for them to take root properly. Not sure if I need some soil or sand....

Here are a few pictures taken with my phone (water is cloudy due to all the work I;ve just carried out).






I guess only time will tell with the crypts....

Another big event today was that I acquired a 7gal tank and transferred the gravel and the 10% water into it. I now have this second tank cycling water for use in the 8gal one. I was going to try growing plants in it, but I may now use it as a second tank for some phantoms.....

[[bt]]

Day 13

Well, my ammonia level is still 0mg/l, while my nitrates are relatively high. All other levels are pretty much the same.
My plants seem to be living, although I'm still a little unsure about whether they'll take in the substrate or not.

I would've thought that with plants, a small source of ammonia (brine shrimp) and having sat for 13 days with only one water change, I'd have seen the ammonia rise and peak by now and now I'd be looking at a nitrate rise. Instead I have quite hard water, some nitrates and no ammonia.
Quite worrying.