Cycling Not Working!

[OldMan47]

If you have enough ammonia to measure easily you have enough to get started Emdgz4. A very high value can cause a cycle to stall but as long as there is any, there is more than your present bacterial colony can use. If it could use it all, the ammonia would disappear. Where you want to end up is with enough bacteria to convert 4 or 5 ppm to nitrates with no residual nitrites in less than 12 hours. You need not keep the level at 5 ppm to get there, especially at first. When you start getting close, you will need to get the levels that high to finish building the colony and verify that you have completed the cycle. It is not unusual to see no progress on a cycle at 2 weeks and going into a third week. If you live near one of the media donors, it would be a good idea to get a small sample of live media, that way you would know you had some bacteria to start out and were just trying to build the numbers up. There is a list of media donors at the top of the forum here http/www.fishforums.net/content/New-to-t...ia-To-Newbies-/ .The thread started as a single list and lots of folks have jumped in since then to volunteer to share media so do a quick read through. There may be someone close to you who can help.

 

[Ficious]

if your ammonia is a little lower you can just throw 2 or 3 danios in there for a week or so...

theyre 1$ at my LFS and are very hardy

 

[Amunet]

if your ammonia is a little lower you can just throw 2 or 3 danios in there for a week or so...

theyre 1$ at my LFS and are very hardy

UGH For the love of god, STOP suggesting to people to get fish to cycle their tanks. We do fishless cycles b/c we DON"T WANT TO HARM THE FISH.
And even still.. even though danios are small, they do NOT belong in a 3 gallon tank. B/c they're so active, they need larger tanks.


Anyway..... I would do a small water change. Get the ammonia to about a 3 reading. It could very well be that the filter can't handle that amount of ammonia. That is if nothing happens again.

I might also try upping the aeration in the tank.

 

[emdgz4]

Still nothing........I had the ammonia at about 3 ppm for a while but that didn't work, so I did a water change to have it read just 1 ppm. I tested today and still the ammonia hasn't gone anywhere and there is no nitrites. ugh

I changed my filter to a HOB one that was a little bigger than my whisper filter, thinking maybe the whisper was just too small to handle cycling. I carried all the media over into the new filter. This new one creates a lot more aeration, but so far nothing else has changed!!

I really don't know what to do. Maybe my cycle is just going to be one of those ones that takes 6 weeks to finish. Not good for an impatient person like me

And i will NEVER do a cycle with fish. My LFS told me to do that, and so did my neighbors who have a fish tank, but I wont cuz that defeats the purpose of a fishless cycle plus its mean.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

did you try a 100% water change?

 

[Miss Wiggle]

did you try a 100% water change?

 

[backtotropical]

I did the 100% water change

did you try a 100% water change?

Somebody isn't reading the whole thread before posting...............

 

[emdgz4]

lol yeah I changed all the water (well except for a bit covering the gravel)



I have another question: I moved into my dorm today, but I couldn't bring my heating pad with me and I can't buy another aquarium heater at the moment. So I have nothing warming the bacteria in my cycle. The temp is 74---is it still possible to cycle even if the temp is not in the 80s? I know the bacteria does best in warm water, but will the tank still cycle if its not that warm?

 

[tyyrlym]

It'll cycle just fine. It might extend the cycle a little but it won't prevent it from happening.

 

[Amunet]

Are you positive that you have pure ammonia? Maybe take a pic of it and post it up here. Get a closeup of the label and such.

I might test the pH again. Are you using test strips or using a liquid tester? I think I read that you were using test strips? I'm too lazy to go back and read... yes... I'm too lazy to move my hand a little and click rofl.

 

[emdgz4]

I *think* I have pure ammonia. Its the grocery store name brand (the cheap stuff, which I figured wouldn't have extras added in). It doesn't have ingredients but it is labeled "Clear Ammonia". It smells like ammonia, no fragrances and it doesn't bubble when I shake it any more than water would.

All my test kits are the liquid kind.

BTW I tested today and the ammonia which is a little over 1 ppm hasn't budged. OMG it has been over 3 weeks.

 

[tyyrlym]

Check the side of the bottle for an ingredients list and post what it says.

 

[emdgz4]

It doens't list ingredients