Fishless Cycle Problem

[MsDad]

Ok, I'm very frustrated. I'm setting up a new 60-gallon freshwater tank. I always do a fishless cycle, but I've never done it with a tank this large. Obviously, it should be exactly the same process that I've used in my smaller tanks. The chemicals in my ammonia test kit were outdated and useless so I went to my LFS and purchased one of those monitors that stays in the tank and monitors the ammonia level constantly. It is supposed to register any change immediately. Well, I calculated how much ammonia I needed to start the cycle, added Bio-Spira, filter medium from a mature tank, a large piece of bogwood from the same tank plus 3 potted plants from another mature tank. Needless to say, I should have had a pretty good biological starter. So anyway, I added the ammonia and the monitor showed zero. So little by little I added more. All of a sudden, the monitor jumped from zero and maxed out. No problem, I thought, there's enough biological material to take care of it. Well there wasn't. This was a week ago. Since then, I've added more bogwood and filter media, as well as more Bio-Spira. The ammonia is still off the charts. And yes, it is pure ammonia. In fact it's from the same bottle i used the last time I did a fishless cycle on a new tank. I know the monitor is accurate because I went out and bought another test kit and they both show virtually the same readings. Other than draining the tank (which I was trying to avoid because A. It's almost all RO water and I don't have that much reserved anymore, and B. it's a pain in the a$$), does anyone have any suggestions? And yes, I have done two 20% water changes.

 

[Underwurlde]

Weird!!!!

Could something have killed off the bacterial colony ???

 

[InaneCathode]

Those meters take a while to calibrate, two days should do it.

You probably didn't let it calibrate long enough, and mistook the lack of readings as a queue to add more ammonia. That much ammonia is probably more than enough to sterilize your tank.

Probably do a 50% water change and test it afterwards with a drop test kit...

 

[Bignose]

I'd even go so far as to say that a 100% water change and then obviously a redose of ammonia would be the best way to go. The overwhelming majority of bacterile are sessile, not mobile, so they are all stuck in the filter or on the tank walls or on the various decorations. So long as you don't let it dry out, those bacteria will remain alive. And, so long as you don't let them die, the cycle will not be slowed down at all.

What will slow down the cycle is too much ammonia in the tank. This sounds like the case to me. That is why a 100% water change and a redose seems like the way to do to me.

 

[InaneCathode]

I'd even go so far as to say that a 100% water change and then obviously a redose of ammonia would be the best way to go. The overwhelming majority of bacterile are sessile, not mobile, so they are all stuck in the filter or on the tank walls or on the various decorations. So long as you don't let it dry out, those bacteria will remain alive. And, so long as you don't let them die, the cycle will not be slowed down at all.

What will slow down the cycle is too much ammonia in the tank. This sounds like the case to me. That is why a 100% water change and a redose seems like the way to do to me.

Weeeeeeeeell if he does a 50% and retest for ammonia he just might save that .002 cents of ammonia <_<

Forgot they were sessile