Second cycling? Please Help !!!!

[FishyTT]

I finished cycling my 72g tank about 3 weeks ago (it took me 5 weeks using fishless cycling method). I added fishes in about two weeks ago. My fishes are:

* 11 platies,
* 8 corry cats
* 7 black phantom tetras.
* 8 octocinclus (sp?)

My tank is also has lots of live plants.

The tank has been very stable for the last two weeks. I did 30% water change twice a week.

Last Friday, I use the Vortex Diatom filter to fix the algae bloom (green water) problem in my tank. I left the filter run for 2 hours and the tank is now chrystal clear.

However, Saturday I tested my water and there're some Ammonia. The test result:

Ammonia - less than 0.3
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 10
Ph - 8.0

So, I'm really confuse now. Does my tank go through a second cycling?

I also have the following questions:

1. Does the Diatom filter somehow filter out the good bacteria?

2. In this situation, if I can find Bio-Spira and add it to my tank. Does it fix my problem?

I'm new to this hobby, please help.

Thank you very much in advance.

 

[FroggyFox]

I think with just that little jump in ammonia I wouldn't worry just yet about spending money on biospira or what not. If the ammonia continued to climb that would be one thing, but .3 isn't that much. Have you used any products that say they detoxify ammonia? (amquel, prime etc) Some of these products will give you a false positive measurement of ammonia on some test kits.

Keep an eye on it for another week or so, keep up with your normal maintenance. I've never used or know how a diatom filter works...but as long as you didn't do anything with your normal filter media (let it dry out, rinse it in chlorinated water, replaced it completely) then I can't see how it would take your good bacteria off of that. Since your good bacteria isn't really free floating in the water, most of it is attached to surfaces in the tank/filter.

 

[FishyTT]

Thank you so much for your reply. I used Amquel to detoxify my tap water before water change. I use the Kordon test kit which should not give me false positive ammonia reading.

Is it safe for me to add Amquel to my tank now to detoxify the ammonia?

 

[FroggyFox]

Safe yes....necessary? no.

 

[JWright]

Agreed, unless it gets up in the 1ppm range, I wouldn't worry about it.

The diatom filter probably did collect some bacteria while it was running... but I doubt that in two hours it collected enough to make any sizeable dent.

If it goes away in a day or two, I'd just forget about it.

~JW