Is my tank ready for livestock? HELP

[alicel]

I set up a 16gal BioCube September 2019. By December I had one Damsel, one mushroom, and a snail. June 2020 my tank crashed. Everything was dead. To this day I'm unsure of what caused it. At that time, I did a water change and just left it. The lights stayed off and I only topped off with RO for 8 months. In February (this year) I decided to "set it back up," although I never actually took the tank down.
I've been under the impression that maybe the tank needed to go through another cycle. Two weeks ago I did a 20% water change, changed my filter floss and cleaned the rocks really well.. (Did not add a shrimp or anything like that to create ammonia.) 5 days in and I have a diatom bloom - nothing extreme, just a light dusting on the rocks and small areas of the sand. I also added a bottle of BioSpira. I have tested the water every two days since I "set it back up" and have seen no change in parameters. Ammonia 0ppm, NitrItes 0, NitrAtres 0. Is it possible that the diatom bloom indicates that the cycle is complete and the tank is ready for a fish? Or is it possible that the tank never had to go through another cycle, which would be why I haven't seen beginning stages of a cycle?

 

[laverda]

I would not expect it to go through another cycle. Check your Alkalinity and salinity first. Add fish slowly.

 

[alicel]

I would not expect it to go through another cycle. Check your Alkalinity and salinity first. Add fish slowly.

The salinity is good..I've been checking that. I will go get a test for alkalinity tonight. Thank you for your input!

 

[Azedenkae]

I set up a 16gal BioCube September 2019. By December I had one Damsel, one mushroom, and a snail. June 2020 my tank crashed. Everything was dead. To this day I'm unsure of what caused it. At that time, I did a water change and just left it. The lights stayed off and I only topped off with RO for 8 months. In February (this year) I decided to "set it back up," although I never actually took the tank down.
I've been under the impression that maybe the tank needed to go through another cycle. Two weeks ago I did a 20% water change, changed my filter floss and cleaned the rocks really well.. (Did not add a shrimp or anything like that to create ammonia.) 5 days in and I have a diatom bloom - nothing extreme, just a light dusting on the rocks and small areas of the sand. I also added a bottle of BioSpira. I have tested the water every two days since I "set it back up" and have seen no change in parameters. Ammonia 0ppm, NitrItes 0, NitrAtres 0. Is it possible that the diatom bloom indicates that the cycle is complete and the tank is ready for a fish? Or is it possible that the tank never had to go through another cycle, which would be why I haven't seen beginning stages of a cycle?

I subscribe to the 'cycling = 2ppm ammonia converted to nitrate in a day' school of... cycling. Following that, you can just dose 2ppm of ammonia, see if ammonia and nitrite reads 0 24 hours later. If so, yay. If not, then gotta cycle again.

 

[alicel]

I subscribe to the 'cycling = 2ppm ammonia converted to nitrate in a day' school of... cycling. Following that, you can just dose 2ppm of ammonia, see if ammonia and nitrite reads 0 24 hours later. If so, yay. If not, then gotta cycle again.

I've seen so much discussion about dosing a tank with ammonia. This might be a dumb question, but are you referring to just straight ammonia that can be bought in the cleaning supplies aisle at a grocery store? Or is this something that is aquarium specific from a LFS?

 

[Azedenkae]

I've seen so much discussion about dosing a tank with ammonia. This might be a dumb question, but are you referring to just straight ammonia that can be bought in the cleaning supplies aisle at a grocery store? Or is this something that is aquarium specific from a LFS?

Honestly, I don't know. I just buy Dr. Tim's ammonia. It's like $8 on Amazon. I am a bit lazy, so I can't be bothered reading more into it when a viable product is only $8.

 

[alicel]

Honestly, I don't know. I just buy Dr. Tim's ammonia. It's like $8 on Amazon. I am a bit lazy, so I can't be bothered reading more into it when a viable product is only $8.

Good to know..i've never seen Dr. Tims. I'll try to find some local and order if need be.

 

[jorwill]

I would add ammonia to the tank, check it and if it shows up on a test then wait 12 hrs, if it is gone then you are cycled again. If not and you see either ammonia or nitrite id give it a week and repeat testing and adding ammonia. Your ammonia and nitrite should always vanish near immediately if your tank is actually cycled.

 

[alicel]

I would add ammonia to the tank, check it and if it shows up on a test then wait 12 hrs, if it is gone then you are cycled again. If not and you see either ammonia or nitrite id give it a week and repeat testing and adding ammonia. Your ammonia and nitrite should always vanish near immediately if your tank is actually cycled.

Thank you!

 

[Rubberfrog]

The tank never came down. It's cycled.

 

[alicel]

The tank never came down. It's cycled.

Correct. After the crash I just did a water change (20-25%) shut the lights off and didn't do anything other than top off with RO for about 8 months.

 

[Rubberfrog]

Go ahead and throw a pair of clowns in there.

 

[alicel]

Go ahead and throw a pair of clowns in there.

This is what I love to hear.. I will check my parameters this evening to make sure there have been so surprise changes and go from there!

 

[jorwill]

Correct. After the crash I just did a water change (20-25%) shut the lights off and didn't do anything other than top off with RO for about 8 months.

Then there may be a chance it is not cycled anymore, if you werent adding any ammonia source, wether food or otherwise bacteria may have died off with nothing to fuel it.

 

[alicel]

Then there may be a chance it is not cycled anymore, if you werent adding any ammonia source, wether food or otherwise bacteria may have died off with nothing to fuel it.

That has also been a concern of mine since it was just sitting for so long after a water change with nothing in it.