Question: Cycling question on adding food for ammonia

[daremo]

Hi

i am trying to cycle a new tank for my axie
the tank is 80cm x 40 cm x 30 cm

i set it up with a stone taken from my running tank and a log that i bought from a pet store (that was in a running tank) and a pot for a hiding place

i added an air pump and let it run for a while

then i added 2 dried brine shrimp and 2 reptomin pellets

the shrimp and pellets started to produce mold, and then the log also got mold on it

i took out the rotten food and tried to clean the log as to take the mold out, is that alright?

now i have a little ammonia 0.25 ml/l and less than 0.25 nitrites, should i add more food or leave it without anything now?
and also, should i add plants or will it slow down the process?

 

[Azhael]

The mold on the log has nothing to do with the rotting food really. It´s just mold eating away rests of decomposing matter on the log. It will go away when there´s nothing left to eat hehe. You don´t have to worry about it unless there´s huge quantities of mold or it doesn´t go away with time.

Keep adding something. Without something to decompose, there will not be ammonia, and without ammonia, you can´t cycle a tank because the nitrifying bacteria need it. So, keep adding a source of ammonia until it is fully cycled ( in fact, until you introduce the axolotl).

 

[daremo]

excellent!! thanks

but i guess i should remove the food when its start getting moldy right?

and also, should i add the plants now it maybe wait until the nitrites rise up?