Re:Delay in cycle, is this normal???

We figured out the delay problem. It was a combination of our test kit, and using Amquel.

Appearently, Amquel will coat the ammonia and make it safe. Unfortunately, our test kit read it as not exsisting, even though it was there but not harmful. We took a sample of water to our LFS, they tested it with an awesome test kit and told us our tank was completely cycled. We purchased two erectus. The female turned dark gray in color, except for her lines which are a nice shade of white. The male (without a pouch) stayed a golden yellow color with stripes. We added two more (we believe are erectus also) horses. This new male has a very well pronouced pouch, no question he’s a male. This week, our first male actually started showing a pouch. We are assuming that he was just immature and his pouch was just not "formed" when we purchased him?

We bought a new test kit and the numbers have been on the money. So much happier with the newer kit. All tests are done with 5 ml in this kit. The old kit required 3 ml for this test, 8 ml for another test etc. I’m all about simple.

Over the past two days we’re wondering if our 2nd male is pg and getting ready to have some fry. He’s been very lathargic. He only eats when things come by him slowly. Sometimes it’s like he can’t focus on it until it’s already floated past his nose. Then he acts too lazy to go after it. I don’t think it’s a vision issue because he sees food coming, he just takes his sweet time grabbing at it…then floats by. Imagine him moving in slow motion, but the rest of the world is at normal speed. We’ve noticed that he’s keeping his pouch on the bottom. If he’s hitching to a rock, his pouch is laying on that same rock. It’s almost as if it’s such a heavy load he can’t lift it. If he unhitches to go somewhere, his tail frantically searches for another hitch. Almost as if he’s scared and lost his security blanky. The other 3 horses are acting very normal and very very active.

Even our dark female spends less time on her perch. Ove the past week, we see her swimming freely more than she’s hitched. When we got her, we had to coax her off her hitching post (heater or filter intake) with the baister. It was the only way we could get food to her. Soon, she associated food with the baister. So, whenever we’d put the baister in the water, she came running and would snick right out of it. We let her do that for only a couple days. Then, we made her chase the baister while dropping a shrimp trail. Now, we just pour the mysis in and they all go nuts swimming around snicking. It’s comical to watch one grab a piece that one of the others was lining up on. The 2nd one will give the "robber" a funny look and size them up. Then a new piece of food floats by and the race is on!

Thank you for all the help you have provided us while we were cycling. We’re still learning everyday and are amazed by watching the horses. Each one seems to have it’s own personality. We’ve named them…Ralph and Alice…George and Gracie. Ralph and Alice were our first pair. We picked out their names while we were on our honeymoon.