My setup so far

It needs to settle down a bit now

You should have a cycled filter now (ish) so I'd see how quick the ammonia is consumed & what happens to the nitrItes by this evening.
If the nitrItes haven't moved, i'd do a good 80% water change, let it settle overnight & post any results in the morning (don't add anything else now)

Roger! I just want it all to happen now! Im too impatient!

Never mind GD, you've had a bad time with this havent you? What do you think went wrong - did you overdose a bit - I kniw that kills off the bacteria doesnt it, does anything else cause it to stop?

no idea Charley. I maybe O/D'd the tank. but hey you learn from experience

I aint doing it again unles I have a jam jar of a fish tank

well well.....its a miracle...ammonia (0ppm) and the nitrItes are dropping (0.5ppm)

Dosed Ammonia back up to 2ppm!

Wow GD the amount of poop you took from my house, it's no wonder!!!
You just want them nI to drop now & you'll have the magic 0-0.
I'll have my fingers crossed, that ammonia should be a nice 0 in the morning (touch wood) along with the nitrItes.
Then you can do your water change & suck up all the poop from my filter

Oh well done GD, I am really pleased for you. It's been a bit of a saga hasn't it.

0-0

water change coming

Yippeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Now go & get some fishies

Oh Well Done GD, that's great, cant wait to see pics of your tank with fishies in it

6 zebra danios in atm. not much else tho..still looks VERY empty.

only one tree stump ornament and an air curtain which I am to move again as I am not happy where it is.

plants are in the post - wont get them till next week tho

Yep, you're the only one, Diana...

(Kidding, I've done that as well - just not lately )

now the fun begins GD and all the water changes :lol:

no worries I have become the master at WC's.

I have moved my few thing about in the tank to keep a good movement of water.

However the ornament is close'ish to the intake tube is this a problem for sucking up the poop and other crap? or am i making a mountain out of a mole hill?

I have the same ornament in the same position GD and it doesn't make that much of a difference. With decor, plants etc., I can only access about a third of the substrate to gravel clean - the rest just decays and is absorbed by the plants.

Mary wrote:

Yep, you're the only one, Diana...

(Kidding, I've done that as well - just not lately )

Sorry Mary, what have you done, or am I missing a post somewhere! :lol:

as many confused pics as possible

GD this must be the longest TFF post to date :lol: . Well done on on finally getting the cycle sorted and getting fish in. have you only got a couple in coz the bacteria will die off if you dont keep the ammonia level up to the level the filter has been used to during the cycle.