HELP: Nitrate level at 0ppm

Hello! I'm currently attempting to transfer my freshwater tropical fish from a ten gallon tank to a 25 gallon tank. This is a link to a previous thread I got help on; it has important info on what I've done so far and all that:



Now, since my last post on the other thread, I've moved my old "used" filter from the old tank and moved it into the new 25g one. I was told in the other thread it would be instantly cycled, but I'm tested the perimeters and the levels of nitrate and such are kind of confusing - and it definitely doesn’t seem cycled.

Nitrate: 0ppm (I'm mostly confused about this reading as I know the last stage of the cycle should have nitrate at a higher level than this)
Nitrite: 0ppm
High range PH: 7.4
Ammonia: 0ppm

So what I need to know is if it’s OK to move my fish over into the new tank? I'm worried about having them to go through the cycle with its ammonia spikes and such. Any help is really appreciated!

My fish:
One grown female swordtail
6 smallish baby swordtails
One "sucker" fish
One small catfish
And four small tetras
One small hatchet fish

 

Well I am assuming that you haven't added any ammonia to the 25 gallon tank at all right? If so there will be no readings. The nitrates come from the ammonia and nitrites so without them there will be no readings at all. If you have moved the filter over you can move the fish over. The water isn't what gets cycled, it is the filter so your filter is already cycled. If the 10 gallon tank was cycled before you moved the filter over, then the filter is still good for those same fish. Just be sure you don't leave the filter in the new tank too long before moving the fish or the cycle will die with the lack of ammonia to feed the bacteria.

 

Thank you so much! But how long is too long before the bacteria dies? I'd had the filter running for a few hours now....

 

I don't think the bacteria will be dead already, but I would move them right away, assuming the water is up to temp. If you have the same filter and the same fish, you're not really changing much, just increasing the volume of the tank a little.

 

Move the fish over. When I've done upgrades like this, as soon as the tank is filled and the filter is on, the fish go in and I'm instantly cycled.

 

I didn't read the other thread...
When did you transfer everything over?

Nitrates are the by product of ammonia and nirites.
If you used all new water you wouldn't have nitrates until the fish waste and food was converted to nitrates by the bacteria in your filter.

 

I agree, move the fish if the temp is there.

 

The bacteria shouldn't be dead yet...they should last a while without ammonia but I would move them over immediately as long as temp and chlorine is good and stuff