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My Aquarium Has Finished Cycling. What's Next?

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Step 3: Add Some New Livestock & Stabilize the System
Once you have allowed the system to run for a few days after cleaning up the system and doing a water change, test to see if the ammonia and nitrite levels are at zero, and the pH is correct. If any trace of ammonia and/or nitrite is still present, wait until they are gone before you add new livestock, and when all is ready, proceed, but only by adding a few things!

You don't want to overload the system, otherwise a spike in ammonia will likely occur. One or two primary diatom and macroalgae eating fish, such as Tangs, Angelfishes, and Blennies, as well as some snails, hermit crabs and other hardy tank janitors are ideal additions at this point.

Stabilize the System

After you have added a few new additions to the aquarium, allow the system to run for several weeks to become stable before continuing on.

This means you should test the water daily for traces of ammonia and nitrite after introducing the first new animals. The longer you let the system run before putting anything else new in, the better, because this allows the beneficial bacteria to mature and multiply, making the biological filter base stronger.

When all looks good, go ahead and add a few more new pieces of livestock as you did before.

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