Tank is Cycled, what's next?

[Dextreous]

Hello, I have just cycled my tank and am eager to start stocking but i have a couple of questions I want to ask you guys.

For reference my tank is a planted 10g. My parameters are Ammonia 0ppm, Nitrites 0ppm, Nitrates 20ppm, PH 7.5. KH 40ppm, GH 180ppm

No CO2 or fertz, my substrate is a bottom layer of Sera Floredepot and top layer of Activ-Flora. Light for 8hrs a day

Do I water change now? and by how much? and will that hurt my nitrates if its at 20ppm?

After each water change, do I have to add bacteria every time?

I want to add Amano Shrimp as the first introductory inhabitants, can I go ahead and put 5 or do I have to start little like 2 or 3?

During Cycling some of my plants either died or is yellowing (mostly my hairgrass) I bought some Seachem root tabs and a bottle of API leaf zone, can I start adding them now or will that start to cause excess nutrients/ raise nitrites or ammonia?

and is it okay to scrape off the algae in the glass or is that bad or should I leave it for algae eaters?

its been a hell of a month and I appreciate the help I received before and appreciate anyone taking the time to read this and answer my questions.

Here is a picture of my tank the first week of Cycling (Feb 4)

And picture 2 & 3 are from Yesterday (I know Im not the best at aquascaping)

[Tony s]

Weekly water changes will not do anything to your cycle. your bacteria are surface dwellers and don't live in your water column. but 20 nitrates is almost perfect for your plants. they will have to have some to live, so no changes needed yet. you don't need to add bacteria every time as you're not removing a lot by water changes.

most algae is beneficial for small fish. it's just the humans that don't like it. depending on your view it can be considered unsightly. you can even just do the front and side glass leaving the back for your animals. whatever looks best to you.

not sure what's up with your hair grass. it may be converting to submerged growth. most plants are grown in air and need to convert to underwater forms. or it may just be dying, time will tell.

5 amano shrimp is fine as they have a very small bio load. actually, may be too small to keep your cycle going. and they are going to need some form of food supplement in a new tank as there may not be enough algae to keep them going. you may actually want to introduce a few of the fish you want to keep your cycle stable. 

I don't use active substrates, someone else would be more help there

It looks like a very good tank. love the depth your background gives it. and with the background, you could leave the algae alone on the back wall for your animals

[AllFishNoBrakes]

If it was my tank, I’d go ahead and scrape the glass to your liking, and then add a couple fish. Personally, I would add the Amanos later. I’d want the fish to ensure the cycle keeps going, and I’d want the Amanos to help clean up the algae. 
 

I only have Amanos in my 6 gallon cube. My girlfriend brought them home for me as a surprise, and I wasn’t sure that tank was mature enough for them. They’ve been fine and I still have them a couple years later, but if I had it my way I would’ve waited longer. All that is to say, adding them now is probably fine, but like @Tony s said, I’d be concerned about their very little bioload to keep the cycle going. 
 

What fish do you plan to stock in there?

[Galabar]

Definitely go ahead and scrap the algae, and start adding the fertilizer.

My thought is that you might want to add some fish first.  I've found that shrimp are a little more delicate.  However, that might just me my issue.

Also, you can clear up some of the plants covering the surface to allow more light to the other plants.

For dwarf hairgrass, it can be difficult to grow without CO2:

https://light.fish/blog/dwarf-hairgrass-no-co2#:~:text=It is possible to grow,have much faster growth rates.

I haven't had any luck with it (without CO2).

 

 

[Dextreous]

@AllFishNoBrakes my fish Stock goal is 1Honey Gourami, 8 Ember Tetras, 5 Amano shrimp and 2 Nirite snails.

 

Also if you're saying the shrimps bio load wouldn't be enough for the cycle to keep up would that also mean it's okay to add them along with a fish that would add to the biology?

 

I'll go ahead and start adding ferts as well and scraping the front glass of algae. 

[Tony s]

On 3/7/2024 at 12:58 AM, Dextreous said:

Also if you're saying the shrimps bio load wouldn't be enough for the cycle to keep up would that also mean it's okay to add them along with a fish that would add to the biology

It should be. But I would watch carefully. They may need something else to eat if the tank doesn’t grow enough algae. I’m not sure they eat the flat algae on the glass 

[AllFishNoBrakes]

On 3/6/2024 at 10:58 PM, Dextreous said:

my fish Stock goal is 1Honey Gourami, 8 Ember Tetras, 5 Amano shrimp and 2 Nirite snails.

Personally, I would add the Embers first. Then maybe the Amanos or Nerites next depending on your tank balancing and what kind of algae you’re experiencing, and the Gourami last. 
 

My Amanos eat Xtreme Shrimpee in addition to whatever they graze from the Pearl Weed forest. They’re the biggest thing in the tank and have no problem getting to the food before the snails do. 

[Dextreous]

Gotcha. What food should I feed my embers? Anything specific? And can it also be feed to the amanos or would it be better to have specific food for them? (Like the Xtreme Shrimpe @AllFishNoBrakes mentioned) since i figure the algae wont be enough for them.

 

I appreciate the advice so far, been a huge help for me.

Edited March 7 by Dextreous

[Tony s]

On 3/7/2024 at 1:52 AM, AllFishNoBrakes said:

They’re the biggest thing in the tank and have no problem getting to the food before the snails do

Ha! My snails would disagree. Sometimes they’re faster than the corys 😂

 

@AllFishNoBrakes would know better than me about what to feed embers. But I believe you’d need 2 different foods. Embers would need more protein. 

[AllFishNoBrakes]

On 3/7/2024 at 12:05 AM, Dextreous said:

What food should I feed my embers? Anything specific?

Crushed up flake food, small pellets. Small frozen foods like baby brine shrimp, daphnia, and cyclops. Don’t overthink it. See what they like, see what else eats it in the tank, and go from there. 

[Chad]

Regarding food for amanos? Mine covet the hikari sinking wafers I feed my cory's. Little bastards just swoop down, snag one and hang from my frogbit chowing down. Been like that for over a year and they're fine so them eating fish food is fine. Got the amanos for algae control only, shocked at how much I like them. They're a lot of fun to watch. Enjoy, and congrats on the tank, looks great!

[lefty o]

i would start with the ember tetras first. let them get all cozy for a few weeks, then add the nerites. give it another week, and add the gourami. give it another week or 3 then add the amano.  shrimp really need to be put in a fairly well established aquarium. even though amano's are as tough a shrimp as they come, id still do them last. as for amano food, besides them nibbling on stuff growing in the tank, they will nab the fish food that hits the bottom or gets in the cracks/crevices. id not feed them directly.