Hello,
I just inherited a 60gal tank from my father-in-law and it had everything i needed with it. I just set it up and started researching what i need to do to get it ready for fish. I now have it filled and it has settled to a ph level of 7.2. Now i am to the first cycling part and am unsure what to do. The substrate i was given was used by my father-in-law for years and when he finished with it he said he washed it in the tank water and just left it in the tank. I received the tank a few months after he had stored the tank.
Now my question is whether or not the substrate still had the good bacteria on it or the prolonged dry state killed it all off. I haven't seen any nitrate/nitrite changes since starting this endeavor.
I have not added fish to the tank yet but do plan on it because an empty tank for a month while it cycles seems boring to me
I plan on starting with some Zebra Danios and maybe some Barbs.
I just inherited a 60gal tank from my father-in-law and it had everything i needed with it. I just set it up and started researching what i need to do to get it ready for fish. I now have it filled and it has settled to a ph level of 7.2. Now i am to the first cycling part and am unsure what to do. The substrate i was given was used by my father-in-law for years and when he finished with it he said he washed it in the tank water and just left it in the tank. I received the tank a few months after he had stored the tank.
Now my question is whether or not the substrate still had the good bacteria on it or the prolonged dry state killed it all off. I haven't seen any nitrate/nitrite changes since starting this endeavor.
I have not added fish to the tank yet but do plan on it because an empty tank for a month while it cycles seems boring to me