Ammonia Isnt Dropping

[LionessN3cubs]

9 days ago I added the ammonia to the tank to start the cylcing process. By thursday, my ammonia still off the charts and not dropping at all that I could tell. I did a 10% water change thinking maybe I put too much ammonia in. waited a few hours and tested again. Ammonia was still off the charts so I did yet another change...about 20%. I used dechlorinated water both changes. I didnt test the ammonia again. Friday I left for the whole weekend and tested when I got back yesterday....still isn't dropping at all that I can tell and I still have no nitrites.

The kit that I use is a tetratest laborette and seems to be okay. I had tested water parameters in my tap water beforehand and everything seemed as it should be. The colors in my kit are different than the colors you all talk about tho. For instance, my nitrite chart goes from yellow (0) to red (3.3). My ammonia chart is light greenish yellow (0) to dark green (5). When testing, after I put the 3rd set of drops in and wait the 20 minutes....the water is BLUE...blue isnt even on the chart so thats why I say its off the chart. Am I doing something wrong or do I just need to wait longer? My understanding was that the ammonia SHOULD drop and at least process into nitrites a little bit in a weeks time.

Also, My kit says the ammonia bottles test for nh3 AND nh4. Does anyone know what that means? I can test seperately for ammonia and NitrItes...but have no ability to test for NitrAtes that I can see.

My tank temp hovers around 78 when the light is off all night...but gets up to about 86 when the light is on for more than a couple of hours...I didnt worry about the temp because from what I'd read 78 is acceptable and 86 or maybe even higher is fine while cycling? Thanks for any help.

 

[Davo86]

I take it that you are doing a fishles cycle ?

The laboret kit tests for pH, ammonia, nitrite, PH saltwater, carbonate hardness, carbon dioxide, and general hardness and should be reasonably accurate.

Are you washing the vials well inbetween each test?

 

[LionessN3cubs]

Sorry, yes Im doing a fishless cycle.

As far as the vials, I haven't "washed" them as in with soap....I thought that was bad to do. I do rinse them very well tho. Is that enough?

Also, I have a bubble wall/wand for aeration...is this okay to have during cycling?

 

[Davo86]

Sorry, yes Im doing a fishless cycle.

As far as the vials, I haven't "washed" them as in with soap....I thought that was bad to do. I do rinse them very well tho. Is that enough?

Also, I have a bubble wall/wand for aeration...is this okay to have during cycling?

Yes i just meant well rinsed. The added aeration is fine, it should help to maintain the bacteria needed to reduce the ammonia level.
Do you have the exact ammonia level? You could do a couple of medium sized water changes to bring it down to a more acceptable level then hopefully continue with the cycle as normal

 

[LionessN3cubs]

I can't give an exact level because the color its turning is blue...the highest level on my chart shows a dark green. I think I'll do a 50% change and start over before I waste any more time.

Also, Im wondering if the filter that came with the kit is okay to be using for a cycle. Its a penguin mini bio wheel system. The bio wheel stops spinning constantly ..every time any water evaporates from the tank. I've been "topping off" the tank with dechlorinated water everyday to keep the wheel moving but now Im wondering if I should just ignore that for now until I get this cycle booted. I just dont understand how I could have more than enough ammonia in the tank for 8 days and get NO drop at all grrrr.

 

[waterdrop]

yea, there's nothing wrong with replacing most or all of the water at any point during a fishless cycle in order to then get your ammonia level the way you want it. Doing percentages is just for the convenience of saving time in the fishless context, whereas its actually important in the fish-in context.

When you say blue, do you mean light blue or do you think its that the green is so extremely dark that its crossing over to an extreme blue type thing? Perhaps there will be a member out there with that kit who has seen it do this for high ammonia levels.

Its pretty important to feel confident that you know your ammonia levels accurately since otherwise you are wasting your time. If you can't get this sorted out I'd be tempted to pick up just an individual ammonia kit, maybe from another brand since that would give you some data coming from a different source as it were.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[LionessN3cubs]

oh Im talking that it goes through allllll the stages of green until it crosses over into an EXTREMELY dark blue. Hopefully someone who has this tetratest laborette will reply so I can know if someone else has experienced this since its very frustrating. I just did a roughly 50% water change so I guess I'll see what happens while Im waiting for replies!

 

[Davo86]

You say the biowheel keeps stopping? if this is constant then there may not be enough flow going through the filter to maintain any bacteria or even to keep it alive,

If a filter ceases working then bacteria can start to die off quite quickly and so if the filter is stopping on a regular basis then it is likely the bacteria is struggling to build up in the tank and so is the reason why your ammonia levels are remaining the same

 

[LionessN3cubs]

If a filter ceases working then bacteria can start to die off quite quickly and so if the filter is stopping on a regular basis then it is likely the bacteria is struggling to build up in the tank and so is the reason why your ammonia levels are remaining the same


I wondered about that but this is a 2 part filter so I dont think that is it. Its got the activated carbon cartridge that all the water comes into contact with...then on the way out of the filter it "hits" the wheel and makes it spin. I know that wheel has a purpose and I do my best to keep it moving but sheesh...its so super sensitive to the water level its absurd. On a POSITIVE note...I just tested after the 50% water change and my ammonia level is down to measurable level of 5.0. So, now I have a better starting point woohoo. I'll give a few days and if my ammonia still doesnt drop at all...I'll look into buying a new filter to see if that is the issue.

 

[rabbut]

I use the Tetra test kits, so can shed a little light on the blue colour...

It means that ammonia is way off the chart Id do a very large waterchange, say arroung 70-80% and test again, and that should put it back on the chart. If it doesn't, the test kit may be at fault, or you added a full 500ml bottle of ammonia to a 60l tank, which I doubt is the case Try re-testing the tap water, see if the kit is at fault. IME they are always accurate, so I doubt the kit is faulty either...But is more likely than the latter option...

Good luck with the cycle
Rabbut

P.S. if the ammonia is off-the-chart high, that is the reason why your cycle hasn't started. High ammonia kills filter bacteria.

HTH

 

[backtotropical]

Hi,

I agree with Rabbut. Ammonia levels which are too high will inhibit the bacteria which you are trying to encourage, and it is therefore very important to know exactly what your ammonia level is. Off the chart could be 10ppm or 100ppm, you just don't know, if you get my point?

You seem to have performed water changes to bring ammonia down to a level which you can measure accurately which is good. Ideally you want ammonia level to be 4 - 5ppm for a fishless cycle.

I suspect that high ammonia levels have possibly been your problem.

Also, i notice that nobody has answered about NH3 and NH4. NH3 is ammonia and NH4 is ammonium. Both can be used by your filter, and your test kit, like many others, probably measures 'Total Ammonia' (NH3 + NH4) which is fine.

Now you have got ammonia to a measurable level, wait a few days then post again with new readings and we can help you further from there.

Cheers

BTT