Fishless Cycle Nothing Happening?

[Vefen]

I started my fishless cycle on the 9th Jan and tested with Api master test kit, until ammonia was at 4ppm. Prior to the 9th the tank was filled with tap water and tapsafe added. 24hr later I added a small bottle of safe start. It sat in this state for a few days running until the test kit and amonia source arrived.

The following is what I have recorded and any changes I have made.

Date Time Temp (°C) Ammonia (ppm) Nitrate (ppm) Nitrite (ppm) PH Changes implemented
09/01/2012 16:40 0 40 0 7.6 added 5ml Amonia at 20:00h to 4ppm
10/01/2012 19.00 26 4
11/01/2012 10:30 29 4 0
12/01/2012 12:00 29 4
13/01/2012 14:00 4 purchased 3 seeded media from Maidenhead Aquatics at Woburn Sands, added to tank at 18:00h
14/01/2012 12:00 28.5 4
15/01/2012 12:00 29 4
16/01/2012 14:00 28.5 4 40 0 7.6 turned heater up to 30°C

Since the 16th I have checked each day. Today checked and still Ammonia is still at 4ppm......
should I just leave it and keep testing or should i do a ?% water change as I'm thinking maybe the cycle stalled or never start.

 

[Xraymark]

Everything seems fine.
Don't do a water change.

My cycle took 18 days before ammonia started to drop. But everyone's different. Stay the course.

 

[littlenemo]

as stated above everything seems fine. mine took 12 days then i added some driftwood and plants and lit over night it went dwn 1ppm and then nxt day another 1ppm so just keep at it it will change. i have my temp at 29-30oc

 

[Vefen]

ahhh, this Padawan must learn more patience.

thak you for the advice

 

[Vefen]

update :

another week has passed and still no change Ammonia is still showing at 4ppm on api test kit. I also have a white fungus like growth on my bog wood and there is a fine sand/dust colour like substance settling on the silk plants, thermostat, and bog wood, it basically resembles sawdust in apperance.

I know the cycle takes time but with still no change in the ammonia and this new white fungus and dust stuff appearing i really would like your thoughts on what to do.

 

[Prime Ordeal]

Given that you dosed Safe Start and have used seeded media and you're still not reducing ammonia I'd say it's never going to start, although I can't easily suggest what the reason is. Most likely it would be a toxin introduced into the tank somehow. With either the seeded media or the Safe Start you should have seen a reduction within four days. You could leave it another week and cross your fingers or, just go for a complete water change, it can't hurt at this point.

The fungus on the wood is normal and can just be scrubbed off with a brush (outside of the tank) and the dust is diatoms which is normal in a new tank and will clear itself if the cycle ever gets going.

 

[Vefen]

I am thinking of a complete restart. I am guessing this would entail removal of seeded media in case this was the cause of the stall.
As for the gravel, plants, wood, filter etc. do these need to be scrubbed clean too?

I'm thinking if I just put tap water in the tank first the chlorine etc. would kill off most stuff and basically I would have a new tank again.

Or am I going too far and just empty tank and refill would be sufficient.

 

[deftuch]

try using the bottled chemicals to remove nitrate, nitrite,ammonia ands chlorine all in one go. its called amquel plus. and there may be several options you can choose from. also if you have really soft water. your levels can sore and change frequently. the best way to sert up a tank is to soften your water then use products to get your ph level to 7.00 or whatever you prefer. ( specific ph levels can take some time to achieve ) then to harden your water so your tank holds its ph better. then after a while. slowly bring your hardness down if you need it to be ( cichlids for example ). but before i write a book for you. just buy amquel plus. that should do it.

 

[Prime Ordeal]

If you're going to go for the complete restart I would totally scrub the tank and all its contents clean because if it is a toxin that's stalling the cycle you need to be sure it's all cleaned out. And use new media in the filter, throw the stuff you bought away. What type of wood did you put in the tank and what other stuff have you got in there?

 

[Vefen]

Going to empty the tank, clean the gravel, silk plants, bog wood, and filter, fill it up again with tap water and add tap safe as before, then use my ammonia source to get it to 4ppm.

Not going to bother with media source or safe start or any other chemicals.

I know when I started the cycle initially pre, safe start and media my ph, Nitrite, Nitrate lvls where all fine and have stayed the same from start. So as Prime Ordeal says it must be something else that’s caused the stall.

 

[Vefen]

So due to other things happeneing I never got around to cleaning the tank and starting again.

Finally had time yesterday (5/2) but I thought I would do a quick test, well surprise surprise surprise my Ammonia is gone and Nitrite off the chart!

So as per the cycle guide on here added more Ammonia to 4pmm and tested this morning (12hr later) its dropped to 2ppm.

Strange how things work out.

 

[Prime Ordeal]

Strange how things work out.

Yup, some just take longer than others. I bet you're glad you gave it a bit more time though eh?