Uncycled tank after 3 months

Hello,
I bought a new Fluval Flex 9-gallon fish tank in October 2022. I am new to the hobby so I didn't know of the nitrogen cycle and bought some fish with my tank.

My tank is currently stocked with some fish. I feed them tropical flakes and one crushed Omega One Catfish pellet every 3 days
I have floating plants (dwarf lettuce) and about 2 weeks ago I added some java moss and java fern.
I dosed 1 capful of Api QuickStart every day and used an entire 16fl oz bottle over the last few months. It didn't help much because my ammonia was always spiking and I never tested any nitrites or nitrates. I assumed that my tank never cycled because of the very low pH which is now fixed.

About 2 weeks ago I went to my LFS to ask for some advice. They recommended Seachem Stability and this is what I'm using now. (1/2 of a cap every day) They also sold me some of their established filter media that I added to my filter, and a 1lbs bag of crushed corals that I also added to my filter to help me raise my pH because it was always lower than 6 pH.

Today I tested my water parameters and for the first time in 3 months my ammonia was at 0 ppm, but my nitrites and nitrates were also at 0 ppm.
Is that a good or bad sign? Did I lose my cycle or is my tank already cycled, and the reason why I don't test any nitrates is that my plants consume all nitrates?

Water Parameters:
Temperature: 76
pH: 6.6
Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 0 ppm
(Tested with API Master Kit)
(Tap water is always treated with Natural Rapport All-in-1 water conditioner before adding to the tank)

Fish:
2 cherry barbs
2 albino corry
1 kuhli loach
1 cherry shrimp
(Fish are active, they don't hide nor stay at the surface and have no torn fins)

Plants:
Dwarf water lettuce (Added about 2 months ago)
Java Moss (Added 2 weeks ago, attached to a stone, turning brown in some spots because of algae)
Java Fern (Added 2 weeks ago, attached to a stone, looking good)

Products used while cycling:
Natural Rapport All-in-1 water conditioner
Seachem Stability
API QuickStart (no longer used)
1lbs of crushed corals in the filter
Established filter media from my LFS
Tetra Whisper Air Pump

 

I wouldn’t worry too much if the fish are all fine. The water lettuce will definitely use up a lot of nitrates so this could well be why you are not seeing any.

 

I suggest you read the instructions on doing the nitrates test again. In particular the part about shaking the bottles. One of them I think it’s the second bottle is notorious for settling. Shake both and also shake the test tube. ( till your arm hurts) .

Yes it is possible to have zero nitrates in a 9 gallon with 5 fish but it’s unlikely with the amount of plants that can fit on the surface of a Fluval 9 gallon?

 

I wouldn’t worry too much if the fish are all fine. The water lettuce will definitely use up a lot of nitrates so this could well be why you are not seeing any.

So would you say it's safe for me to get some new fish? Or should I wait a bit longer?

I suggest you read the instructions on doing the nitrates test again. In particular the part about shaking the bottles. One of them I think it’s the second bottle is notorious for settling. Shake both and also shake the test tube. ( till your arm hurts) .

Yes it is possible to have zero nitrates in a 9 gallon with 5 fish but it’s unlikely with the amount of plants that can fit on the surface of a Fluval 9 gallon?

I followed the instructions very carefully. I even set a timer while I was shaking the bottle. I can test again tomorrow but I really don't think this is what gave me a false reading.

My tank has a lot of algae. My java moss is turning brown because there are algae growing on it and I want to buy some algae eaters but I won't do that if my tank is still uncycled.

 

So would you say it's safe for me to get some new fish? Or should I wait a bit longer?


I followed the instructions very carefully. I even set a timer while I was shaking the bottle. I can test again tomorrow but I really don't think this is what gave me a false reading.

My tank has a lot of algae. My java moss is turning brown because there are algae growing on it and I want to buy some algae eaters but I won't do that if my tank is still uncycled.

Not commenting on the cycling except to agree that it would take a fair bit of floaters & mature plants to eliminate all nitrates from the get go. If you think that's the case tho, a full tank pic might help others see how heavy the plant growth & its possible contribution to the cycling question. Too, your lighting is likely contributing to algae growth so info about your lighting routine with that pic would help too. It would be good to know if you're fertilizing or using root tabs with the plants.

Frankly, the cycling question isn't the issue for adding new animals at this point. You're housing barbs, corys & kuhlis in a tank too small for them in sufficient numbers. The kuhlis & corys are shoaling fish requiring groups of 5+ min & lots of room to forage - like a 20g long. The barbs are schoolers & require minimum similar sized groups. I can't think of any 'algae eater' suitable for your tank beyond more shrimp & snails. Even then, snails don't generally eat all types of algae, but will eat up dying foliage.

Glad you're researching the nitrogen cycle & the needs of your animals. Hope you can arrange appropriate housing for them. There's lots of knowledgeable fishkeepers here to help you on the journey. Welcome to fishlore!

 

I tested my water again today and I measured 0.25 ppm ammonia, 0 ppm nitrite and 0 ppm nitrate. It’s been over 3 months and I never tested any nitrites. My ammonia is almost always at 0.25ppm. I use API master kit and it’s definitely not expired. I always shake all the bottles and follow the instructions.

I don’t have that many floating plants. They cover about half of the surface of my 9 gallon tank. The lighting that I use is the stock fluval flex 9 gallon lights at maximum brightness for 8-10 hours a day.

All my fish are doing well. No nipped fins, no swimming at the surface. I wanted to buy some amino shrimps today to help me clean my tank of algae, but I’m not sure if this is a good idea..

(It’s mostly covered in brown algae but I’ve also noticed some tiny white hair on my new java moss that I introduced 2 weeks ago. Not sure if this is a hair algae or if the plant is growing.)

As for getting a bigger tank, this is my goal but I wanted to start with something small first.

 

Don't put any more fish in your tank. As said above, everything you have in your tank should be with more of it's own kind, but your tank is too small. It's important to research the fish's needs before buying them. Fish store advice isn't sufficient.

Fish tanks will cycle below pH 6. A problem arises when you try to use bottled bacteria at that pH because they don't include the organisms that will work at that low pH.

It's hard to say what's going on. I don't think you have enough plant mass to consume all the ammonia etc. But I may be wrong.

How often do you water change and how much.

Are your test results from before the water change or after?

 

I tested my water again today and I measured 0.25 ppm ammonia, 0 ppm nitrite and 0 ppm nitrate. It’s been over 3 months and I never tested any nitrites. My ammonia is almost always at 0.25ppm. I use API master kit and it’s definitely not expired. I always shake all the bottles and follow the instructions.

I don’t have that many floating plants. They cover about half of the surface of my 9 gallon tank. The lighting that I use is the stock fluval flex 9 gallon lights at maximum brightness for 8-10 hours a day.

All my fish are doing well. No nipped fins, no swimming at the surface. I wanted to buy some amino shrimps today to help me clean my tank of algae, but I’m not sure if this is a good idea..

(It’s mostly covered in brown algae but I’ve also noticed some tiny white hair on my new java moss that I introduced 2 weeks ago. Not sure if this is a hair algae or if the plant is growing.)

As for getting a bigger tank, this is my goal but I wanted to start with something small first.

A full tank pic would be helpful to assess plant mass & algae growth. It seems odd that there's algae on only a single plant? Or do you mean all the plants are algae covered now? I'm definitely no lighting expert, but I'd reduce the lighting to medium, or around 50-60% (however the light programs) & run it for fewer hours a day for a while to observe algae growth.

In my experience, the API master test kits frequently identify .25 ammonia in even ammonia-free water. You might try testing your tap water if you're concerned but I wouldn't be.

As FishDin said, more animals in this tank is not a good idea. Nor will amano shrimp eat all kinds of algae. At most, 'pest' snails might eat some algaes. They will reproduce tho, sometimes massively, if there's overfeeding. I'm surprised that none came in on any of your plants already!

Hope it helps.