So this is my first ever aquarium, and I am just getting into the hobby after spending a lot of time reading and watching videos on how to set up a tank.
The tank is now 7 days old, and I am cycling the water without fish, by adding ammonia when needed to keep it around 4 ppm.
Yesterday I did my first nitrite test and had a reading of 0.25 ppm, I tested again this morning and had a reading of 0.5 ppm.
In my excitement I did a test for nitrate as well and had a reading of 10 ppm.
So I’m hoping that I’m doing this right so far, but I would like some guidance on when to do my first water change, and what I need to do next.
My setup is a 55 gallon tank, my hard scape is with natural wood and rocks, Fluval plant substrate and gravel base. I have used a variety of “easy” plants which have been growing steadily since planting 7 days ago. Temperature is 77 degrees and the tank is getting 8 hours of light a day from a Fluval LED light, set at 50% white, 40% pink, 3% blue.
Any and all help and guidance is welcome 👍🏻