I wouldn't put anything with added fertiliser into your tank. This fert is for terrestrial plants, not aquariums.

If you don't have live plants it can't be that much trouble to remove all your decor and vacuum all the gravel. I actually would remove all the decor and with my hand I'd stir up the gravel till the water is really nasty looking, and then do a 50% water change. Sometimes I stir up the gravel and make the water nasty, turn off all pumps and aeration, and when the gunk settles I vacuum it off the top. Turn the pumps/filter back on when you're done, and it shouldn't take more than 15 minutes total.

As for me, I thought you were a woman mainly because of the girlyish avatar you use. It's beautiful, but not something most guys would use. It reminds me of my girlfriend with all the flowers she has all over the dash of her car. I keep telling her she's gona get strangled by her flower rope someday. All in jest though! I drive her car sometimes and people give me looks, but oh well!

If you have one tank that is cycling correctly it should be quite easy to get the other tank going by simply putting a pad used in the established tank into the new tank. I'd be surprised if you had any spikes of nitrite or ammonia as long as you add fish slowely. I thought you were using "spring water" and it was working for you. I'd do the same with the new tank.

I've done some speaking with someone who does use R/O water, and that person adds a product called R/O Right to make R/O water perfect for aquariums.

It's just something to considder.

I'd put 1 or 2 fish in right away, and then if parameters are good add a fish every couple days.

I never seem to have problems with ammonia, or nitrites. Actually I've never had a positive reading of either with any of my tanks. I always have live plants though, so this may be why. I don't do water changes very often either. My main reason for water changes is to dilute the minerals and other substances that remain when the water evaporates over time.

I top off my tanks every week or so, and I do a 30% or something water change every month thereabouts. I don't worry about nitrates because the plants use it up as fertiliser.

I add some fertiliser to my high light, co2 pumped, planted tank, but it contains no nitrogen (a main ingredient in houseplant fertiliser).

lol zambize go back to your betta avatar, it's sweet and not many people take as much pride in their bettas as you do.

the lengths we go to, to save that which we love!

I liked the betta pic too...

zambize, the first time i cleaned my tank as thoroughly as these guys suggested, it took me awhile... but it was well worth it. Every time it gets easier, and i have an undergravel filter, so believe me it seemed like a daunting task, but now i have it under ten minutes... its too the point where when i vacuum i really dont see any gunk move up the siphon... but my numbers prove otherwise, cuz after a cleaning my numbers are at zero again. So don't be fooled by what you can't see... its there.

Good luck.

I do enjoy cleaning the tank, oddly enough, and I get great satisfaction out of seeing my incredibly clean tank so I'll be doing my new cleaning routine right away. My fish are cleaner than my dogs already.

I was contemplating replacing the Betta pic anyway because my focus here is my tank. I kept him up because he made it to #2 in the freshwater fish pic ratings. But still, girlyish, ick! Ok, I guess it was, but really, you'd just have to know the fish. LOL

Ms. Zambize