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My Aquarium Has Finished Cycling. What's Next?

By Stan & Debbie Hauter, About.com

5 of 6

Step 5: Allow The System To Become Stable

After you have added a few new additions to the aquarium, allow the system to run for say 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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