Wolfgang8810

my ten gallon tank has been running for 4 weeks now and my ammonia is at 0ppm however my nitrite is at 2ppm and nitrate is 20 ppm is this normal cycling? should i do a water change? i did about 3 gallons on monday. the current size of my fish is 10 inches i will have a bigger tank before they grow up.

Isabella

Your tank is cycling normally. However, you have fish in it during the cycle. If you have any ammonia and/or any nitrite at the same time that you have fish in your tank, you should be doing 50% daily water changes so that you increase the chances of your fish not gettick sick from ammonia and/or nitrite poisoning. ANY presence of ammonia and nitrite in your water can make fish very sick, and it can even kill them. These 50% daily water changes will probably make the cycle longer, but you have no other choice as you already have fish in that tank. A nitrate of 20 ppm is not that toxic to fish, but I'd try to keep it lower too.