A lot of questions.

Question

started with one betta in 1L bowl, ended up with 60gal
aquagiant:
 Ceramic ring filtration
 SunSun HQD 1100g pump
 100 or 150w heater (can not remember) set to 24C-26C
 a lot of plants including Amazon Sword and Water    
 Wisteria no decoration (had bad experience).
Population:
 3 mss piglets   (sunburst platies)
 9 scary cats   (neon tetras)
 4 clean-up crew (cories 2-albino 2-salt & pepper)
 1 mr.Ugly       (pleco i assume common)
 1 mr.Sh_t Disturber (betta splendens)

Starting up new tank

 week-1
2 filters from old tanks were put in to the new, along with 60ml of Stress Zyme. and mss Piglets were moved to their new home.
API test NH3/NH4 @ 0
        NO3 @ 0
        NO2 @ 0
        PH  @ 8.2
 week-2
removed old filters,added 60ml of Stress Zyme,added some rinsed gravel from old tank. Moved the rest of population.
        NH3/NH4 @ 0.1
        NO3 @ 0
        NO2 @ 0
        PH  @ 8.2
armed myself with Prime,testing every day expecting
ammonia to rise, it does not.
Q1). does that mean my tank will not cycle?

 week-3
        NH3/NH4 @ 0
        NO3 @ 0
        NO2 @ 0
        PH  @ 8.2

10% water change with gravel vac. could not find any Mr. Ugly poop.I can see him move around & nibble @ plants, I give him some algae discs, but no poop.
Q2). Were does it all go?

reading some Q. & A. have more Q.

Q3). If do not use decorations, does that mean I will not have any toxic pockets of gravel? if not how to prevent it?

Q4). Got some driftwood for mr.Ugly, find out it changes acidity.Is it safe for Sh_t Disturber? As far as i know they like their water on alkaline side?

Q5).Tired of drugging water from city, well water is high in iron bacteria and hardness goes off scale. Is it safe for fish?

Q6).Sales guy that sold Prime to me, told me if i use Prime I don not have to use Ultima (that is what i use now).After reading some of the ans. I do not know what to do. Which one is better?

Q7).In one of the ans. I read no aquarium salt, every betta site says it is good for betta. now i am adding
1/4 tsp/4L. Should i stop?

Q8). i have been adding Trace Elements 1 drop/4L. Do i need to do that?

Q9). I should be adding some fertilizer for plants. Which one do you recommend?

Q10). With such a big space in the tank i have hard time feeding Scary Cats. They stay middle to bottom mss Piglets come up @ feeding. Got some Micro Pellets for tetra if i float them mss. Piglets eat them before tetras even know they are there, if i put them just under water, they sink too fast, and clean-up crew has a pig-out. what should i use or do?

Q11). Mr.Sh_t Disturber gets tweezer fed frozen worms or pellets but he also eats floating pellets for the rest of the fish, it is not really good for him. How can i stop him?

Q12). If I want to add more fish, how long do I wait for ammonia v/s nitrate v/s nitrite to balance?

Q13) .What kind of fish to add? Every site says platies are very peaceful fish. They are not. They pick @ clean-up crew, @ each other, @ tetras (if they can catch them), @ mr.Sh_t Disturber, and even @ mr.Ugly 4X their size.

I will appreciate any thing you can advise. I am very confused & frustrated.

Thank you

Nellie  

Answer
Hi Nellie:  I will try to be brief and preface this with please ask more questions as you need too...  

Q1:  the tank has already cycled... you used the old filters and that was enough for your tank... doesn't always work this way...but yes... your tank has more then likely already cycled.  

Q2:  Mr ugly poop  may have been absorbed by::: the filter, the plants, or maybe he didnt poop... yet.   

Q3:  Ah... yes... no decorations means an unlikely chance of the toxic gravel.  I take mine out monthly and clean them and where they were... and I NEVER buy hollow ornaments... EVER...

Q4:  Driftwood will lower pH gradually... 8.2 is kinda high so let the driftwood do its job but monitor the pH at least weekly.  

Q5:  Fish can usually survive in many conditions so long as the conditions do not change rapidly.... I keep a 55 gallon plastic trash can in my garage that I have an old filter hooked up to and that is what I use to replace the water in my tanks with... Even well water will settle down and be usable... especially if you filter it through charcle, etc.  

Q6:  I am not sure as I do not know what ULTIMA does... I don't really add chemicals to my tanks... I think they draw out a natural process.  The driftwood is going to absorb some of the water pollutants and help to buffer the pH from the well water... If you can an give me exact readings from the well I might be able to help more.

Q7:  Aquarium salt is fine for fish just add in enough for the new water though not for the entire tank.  

Q8:  You do not NEED to add in trace elements... but they do not hurt either...

Q9:  I use fertilizer tables which I stick into the gravel about an inch from the plants I want to fertilize... Iron based work really well... yes that was a pun... iron and well...

Q10:  Feed the tank in two different areas... sinking on one end for the clean up crew, floating for the piglegs, and some brine shrimp or tubi worms for the lads of scareville....

Q11:  you cant stop a betta... just let him be... unless you have figured out how to make him think it was his idea... He will only eat until he is full... Live brine shrimp are great for betta because he will spend hours hunting them...

Q12:  Add fish a few at a time and the cycle process should not start....

Q13: I once had a molly... that killed all of my three inch african cichlids... I named her martha after Martha Stewart because she ended up being the only fish in a 55 gallon tank for about 4 years... anything I put in there she killed...  Platy's Molly's, Guppies can be little SH_T disturbers... usually platy's are peaceful but not always.... consider adding... hatchet fish, a few more platy's, different kinds of tetra, rasbora, and eels... I love eels....

Anyways... hope this helps... let me know if you need clarification... dave