Has My Cycle Stalled, Please Help

jamesmacc · Nov 24, 2011

hi folks,
started cycling my 385l tank with boots ammonia and everything was going great. ammonia started turning to nitrite, nitrite went off the scale, then after a few weeks ammonia would turn to 0ppm in about 15 hours, nitrite went back to 0ppm and nitrate went to 80-160ppm. so at this point i was very excited thinking the cycle was nearly over. but the problem is i put my ammonia in 4 days ago as usual and it has not dropped and turned to nitrite. nitite is still reading 0 and nitrate is reading 80-160ppm. im running 2 external filters and tank is set to 28 degrees.
has my cycle stalled? will all the bacteria have died? i realy dont want to have to start all over again.
if you have any tips/advise please share it.
thanks,
james

The Taffy Apple · Nov 24, 2011

Good morning James.. firstly, well done on choosing a fishless cycle, always good to see new enthusiasts that do their research and choose this particular way of cycling their filter :good:

Ok, one of two things MAY have happened here..
Firstly- do you have a 'water hardness' kit? What this will determine is how much of a 'buffer capacity' your tap water has, IE; i live in a very soft water area, therefore the water in both my tanks are prone to 'PH crashes'.. something that would happen on a weekly basis when cycling both my filters, which in turn used to stall my cycling process (i have overcome this by adding crushed coral to both my tanks and filters). Do you have a PH test in with your kit as well? if so, post your results, if not then it maybe worth getting one (£4/5 off Ebay).

Secondly- it has been proven that if your NitrAtes get too high during a fishless cycle then it CAN stall the process.

What i would do is complete a 50% water change, test your PH and water hardness and post your results back up on here :good:

Terry.

The Taffy Apple · Nov 24, 2011

http

/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/API-Freshwater-GH-KH-Test-Kit-/260550776897?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item3caa095841

Water hardness kit, apologies but this one is £8, i had change from a fiver for mine.

Terry.

Xraymark · Nov 24, 2011

Yeah, need to check your PH. It needs to be about 8.

I'm in the middle of my cycle and one day my ph was 8.3 and the next it dropped to 6.6. To get it back up add some bicarbonate of soda. A spoonful at a time and check after an hour. I used about 4 tea spoonfuls on my 150 litres to get it back up.

The Taffy Apple · Nov 24, 2011

Xraymark said:
Yeah, need to check your PH. It needs to be about 8.

I'm in the middle of my cycle and one day my ph was 8.3 and the next it dropped to 6.6. To get it back up add some bicarbonate of soda. A spoonful at a time and check after an hour. I used about 4 tea spoonfuls on my 150 litres to get it back up.

..which is what i had to do on an almost 2/3 times weekly basis. Remember to add it slowly into your bucket/container during water changes BEFORE it goes into the tank.. as by adding it directly into your tank doesn't allow it to dissolve properly, resulting in a bicarb build up in your filter which looks as if a pint of milk has been tipped into your tank (as i found out :no:

).

Terry.

jamesmacc · Nov 24, 2011

hi everyone thanks for the advise. i live in a hard water area, i dont have a liquid test for hardness but the test strips showed its hard and i also have to add salt to my dishwasher and extra detergant in the washing machine because the water is so hard. my ph was 8 before cycle started, i will go and test it now and post the results. if its low will i do a 50% water change to lower the nitrate and add the bicarb soda in with the new water?
cheers, james

jamesmacc · Nov 24, 2011

just tested ph and its not looking good. used to be just over 8 now its barely 7.2. should i try add some bicarb of soda? also the nitrates are not completly off the scale. they are between 80-160ppm.

Xraymark · Nov 24, 2011

I am not to sure about the nitrates as being the issue. Somebody more knowledgable can guide you there, but difenatly go ahead and add some bicarb.

librarygirl · Nov 24, 2011

7.2 PH isn't the end of the world but if it drops further it could stall things. If you do a large 100% water change it'll get nitrates down and increase your PH back up to your taps PH as well without having to add other chemicals. Also be sure to add dechlorinator with the water change. So you added ammonia and ammonia hasn't dropped at all but it did before? Something has stalled it but not sure what. I'd try the 100% water change as suggested and then redose ammonia and see what happens in 24 hours.

eaglesaquarium · Nov 24, 2011

Be sure to dose the dechlorinator at 2x (but no higher) strength when you redose.

+1 for the 100% water change. Remember, you are cycling the filter not the tank. So, ultimately, as long as the filter media stays wet, there is no danger about a water change hurting your cycle. Whenever something weird happens with a cycle, a water change is the simplest solution.

it should continue just fine, unless something harmful was added to the tank that might have killed the bacteria. Can you think of ANYTHING that might have happened or been added to the tank? Any decor, plants, etc.?

Bacteria do enjoy a stable pH, so the rapid drop might have been all that caused the issue. He water change would clear it if that were the case. If not, then we need to look closer for another cause.

Squidward · Nov 24, 2011

It could have nothing to do with KH or PH.

I have read that the bacteria need further nutrients to get going, and not only the Ammonia.
I would put a large pinch of fish food into the tank every few days. That should provide them with the addional nutrients that they need.

jamesmacc · Nov 24, 2011

ok im going to do a 100% water change tonight and then i will redose the ammonia and fingers crossed it will clear things up. hope i have not lost much bacteria. wish me luck.
p.s, thanks for all your tips

jamesmacc · Nov 25, 2011

morning all. did a 100% water change last night and redosed the ammonia. after 12 hours the ammonia has almost gone, nitrites are high and so are nitrates, hopefully it will be ok now

dont fancy another 100% change anytime soon