Loaches Online Forum

okay, so my fishless cycle is almost complete on my new 125 gallon. It has been going for about a month and currently here are the parameters:
pH 6.6 KH 40, GH 100 NO2 0, NO3 160!!!!!
I will keep adding NH3 this week until I have time to do a great, big water change this weekend. Then the scary part about adding in the fish!
I am wondering if I can go ahead and add my more sensitive fish (like my beloved LOACHES, for example!) or, if I should add a transitional fish - like maybe some buenos aires tetras, to "mature" the tank over the next several weeks, and THEN add in the loaches, roseline barbs,etc.
I have added baking soda a few times to keep the KH up (not sure why I needed to do that, but maybe there is some other nonlisted additive on the ammonia which is precipitating out the carbonate???! the bottle just says ammonium hydroxide and soft water)
I am ready to add in the fish, but am willing to wait, if needed to make sure they are okay.
How have others added their fish after fishless cycing the tank??
thanks

The fishless cycle grows enough nitrifying bacteria to add all the fish at once.
A tank that has run longer probably has a more balanced population of other microorganisms, and this may contribute to the stable conditions that are required by the more delicate fish.
After a month of the fishless cycle, and another week or two of maintaining the tank while you get the fish order set up, I think there will be enough of the other microorganisms to go ahead with the more delicate fish.

Yes, nitrate of 160 is completely possible with the fishless cycle. It indicates there are plenty of both groups of bacteria, hard at work removing all the ammonia you are adding. Keep on feeding them! Yes, it will take as near a 100% water change as you can do to get rid of the nitrate. You won't be able to get rid of the water in the substrate too well, so measure the nitrate after the water change to be sure it is way down. Even a 90% water change will still leave the nitrate at 16 ppm (in theory, anyway) so BIG water change!

hahahaha!!!
it took a 175% water change to get the nitrates to 10!
I was not surprised and it is such a joy to see FISH!!!
in the tank.
I transferred the rainbows last night and they were the devil to catch. I will wait a little while to add the loaches: Larry and Beau were in the tank with the rainbows (I can tell they miss their dithers) and the other three are almost done with qtank.
I threw in a couple of big bunches of hornwort to help with any nitrate that may pop up (Iknow that is not a REAL strategy but it made me feel better), but tonight (approx 24 hours after transfer) the nitrates are still about 10.

maybe the loaches in a week!!

Don't delay too long. With less food the bacteria will start to die off.

okay, maybe tonight I will move them over.
The rainbows are having a blast racing back and forth across the tank. I can tell they LOVE the extra space.
thanks for all the help, Diana!

I found the same thing when I moved some Rainbows from a 3' long tank to a 4' long tank. Sure made a difference!