New Planted aquarium setup help!

Yesterday I set-up my new 55 Gallon planted tank, upgraded from a 40Gal planted. I used cycled filter media from my old 50Gal Hob filter to help cycle the new canister filter. I moved all fish into a separate Tub with half fresh water and half old tank water with heater and cycled sponge filter for the time being. My issue is that last night once i finished setting everything up in the new tank I tested the water with the API master test kit and my readings were as followed. Ammonia-1.0ppm, Nitrites-0ppm, Nitrates-20ppm. I did not add fish since the ammonia was reading 1ppm in the new tank. i did test the tub water that the fish are in and it was reading 0ppm for ammonia, 0 for nitrites and around 20ppm nitrates. I did dose the new tank with Prime and Stability at the recommended doses and waited until today to test the water again. Haven't done a water change On the new tank just yet Don't know if I should or just keep dosing with prime? Ive looked everywhere and just can't seem to find a for sure answer.

I just tested the water and everything is the same except ammonia has seem to gone down to 0.50-0.25ppm. So I few questions if anyone can help it would help greatly! And if any other info is needed or missing Just ask!

1.With ammonia being 0.50-0.25 is it safe to add the fish and dose with Prime? or should I be doing water changes without the fish in and wait to see if it goes down by itself?

2.Since nitrates are present in the new Tank does that mean its cycled or close to being? The new canister filter can hold more media, so im assuming not all of it is seeded yet being its been only a day. But as said for i did throw some cycled media in to it to help jump start it. May it not have been enough media?


Thank you in advance!!

 

Did you add water from your old tank? You need that to ensure each level of the cycle has food to digest.

What substrate have you used? Does it have anything that may leech into the water? Amazonia will put loads of nutrients in the water to begin with, for example.

Prime will not remove ammonia. The cycle and plants can only solve that issue. Water changes will help level that out too but reduces the food for your filters BB.

 

I didn’t get a chance to add water from the old tank into the new tank because after I put the fish into the holding tub and added about 20gallons of old tank water I uprooted all my plants which were planted in dirt capped with sand so the water was pretty dirty.

Substrate I’m using the pool filter sand with seachem root tabs. (Also did not use old tank sand which I should have). Put 10 Root tabs spaced out amongst the tank, not sure if that’s too many or little for a 55 gallon?

Ok I see. So would you say doing a 25%WC would be sufficient from not taking to much food for the bb to eat?

 

any new tank, I just dose with Prime every 48 hours and do a fish in tank cycle.

No issues and I'm running 10 tanks currently. My 55 gallon was set up in July 2021. I used new gravel and new media, so it was 100% new. I do use battled bacteria Stability. Not sure if it's really any good. But it makes me feel better. lol

Because you are using your old media, you may get a mini cycle but that should be fine.

My new tank, I just did weekly water changes.

Congrats on your new tank!

I didn’t get a chance to add water from the old tank into the new tank because after I put the fish into the holding tub and added about 20gallons of old tank water I uprooted all my plants which were planted in dirt capped with sand so the water was pretty dirty.

Substrate I’m using the pool filter sand with seachem root tabs. (Also did not use old tank sand which I should have). Put 10 Root tabs spaced out amongst the tank, not sure if that’s too many or little for a 55 gallon?

Ok I see. So would you say doing a 25%WC would be sufficient from not taking to much food for the bb to eat?

be careful of root tabs. I noticed in my 1 tank that 3 months later, the fertilizer was too much as organic matter started building up. I had to dig the bulk of it out.

IMO - fertilizer is better to go below than over when getting a new planted tank going.

if your plants are huge & lush, the 10 tabs may be fine. But if they are newer, just starting out, it may be too much for the tank.

 

1.With ammonia being 0.50-0.25 is it safe to add the fish and dose with Prime? or should I be doing water changes without the fish in and wait to see if it goes down by itself?

Yes, absolutely. 1x Prime dosage detoxifies 1ppm ammonia, and you can dose up to 5x.

2.Since nitrates are present in the new Tank does that mean its cycled or close to being? The new canister filter can hold more media, so im assuming not all of it is seeded yet being its been only a day. But as said for i did throw some cycled media in to it to help jump start it. May it not have been enough media?

Since you moved everything over, it should be an instant cycle. The 1ppm likely simply arose because things got stirred around and something probably released ammonia that has now been handled.

It does not matter how much bigger the tank is. The nitrifiers you had before can handle your old stock, so moving over they still handle the old stock.

If you want to think about it a different way, yes now in a larger tank your nitrifiers can handle a lower concentration of ammonia, but your fish will also be producing a lower concentration of ammonia.

It's not like upgrading to a bigger tank means the nitrifiers magically stops being able to handle the ammonia currently being produced.